Seoul — Hankook Tire Co. Ltd suffered double-digit drops in sales and earnings for the quarter ended 31 March, declines the company attributed to the global economic recession, slow growth in China and fluctuating exchange rates, especially with the euro.
Operating income for the period fell 21.9 percent to €164 million on 11.3-percent lower sales of €1.19 billion, cutting the operating ratio two percentage points to 13.7 percent.
Hankook said sales of ultra-high-performance tires in Europe and North America showed “robust” growth in both the OE and replacement sectors in those regions. UHP tires accounted for roughly one-third of the firm’s financial profit for the first quarter, the company said.
This article is only available to subscribers - subscribe today
Subscribe for unlimited access. A subscription to European Rubber Journal includes:
Every issue of European Rubber Journal (6 issues) including Special Reports & Maps.
Unlimited access to ERJ articles online
Daily email newsletter – the latest news direct to your inbox