Nokian Tyres Romania factory has produced the first tire on schedule to start commercial tire production in 2025

Nokian Tyres’ new passenger car tire factory being built in Oradea, Romania produced its first tire on July 1. The milestone was reached as planned, and the building project is progressing in budget and on schedule for commercial tire production to start in early 2025. The groundbreaking of the factory was celebrated in May 2023.

The recruitment for the new Nokian Tyres employees for the Romania factory started last year, and during 2023 and 2024 Nokian Tyres has recruited employees for both production and the office. The 60-member-strong launch team involved with the ramp-up of production trained in the Nokian Tyres factory in Finland during the spring. Altogether the factory will employ approximately 500 people.

 “With the first tire we have been able to test the production capabilities of the new factory, and the processes work as planned. We have also successfully trained the new Nokian Tyres team members to produce premium tires in the same uncompromising way as our other factories. It is thanks to the hard work of the whole team that we are now celebrating the production of the first made in Romania Nokian Tyres tire”, says Adrian Kaczmarczyk, SVP, Operation Excellence from Nokian Tyres.

The annual capacity of the Nokian Tyres Romania factory will be 6 million tires once the factory is fully operational, with expansion potential in the future, and the combined built-up area totals some 100,000 m2. The investment is estimated to total approximately EUR 650 million. The tires produced in the Romania factory will be primarily sold in the Central European market, and it is strategically located close to the customers of that area.

The first tire is the Nokian Tyres Snowproof 2 to mark the 90th anniversary of the winter tire

The first tire produced in the Romania factory is the Nokian Tyres Snowproof 2 non-studded winter tire designed for Central European passenger car drivers. With the premium winter product, the company celebrates the 90th anniversary of one of its top innovations, the winter tire, and its long heritage of making the world safer.

“Nokian Tyres invented the winter tire in 1934. It is only fitting that 90 years later we commemorate the occasion by producing one of our flagship winter products in our newest factory. Our purpose is to make the world safer by reinventing tires, and how they are made, over and over again. This is exactly what we have done tire after tire, and what we are set to do with the new Romania factory”, says Adrian Kaczmarczyk.

The world’s first zero CO2 emission tire factory

When finished, the Nokian Tyres Romania factory is making history as the world’s first zero CO2 emission tire factory. It will be an industry benchmark with a holistic approach to sustainability, including the use of solely CO2 free energy sources and energy-efficient and highly automated processes. In addition, the factory aims for the same zero waste to landfill standard from production as the company’s other factories in Finland and in the US.