Nokian breaks ground on Romania tire plant project

Nokia, Finland – Nokian Tyres plc has broken ground on construction of its greenfield tire manufacturing plant in the north western Romanian town of Oradea.

The €650-million project – which has pending EU support of €100 million – will have the capacity to produce 6 million passenger car tires when fully ramped up.

With room for expansion, the unit will also house a distribution and storage facility and will have a total built-up area of 100,000 square metres.

First tires are expected to be rolled out in the second half of 2024 with commercial operation set for early 2025.

The factory will concentrate on the production of larger rim size passenger and SUV tires to be sold primarily in the central European market, Nokian said 11 May.

“Central Europe is an important market for us, and the investment shows our commitment to the market,” said Adrian Kaczmarczyk, SVP, supply operations at Nokian.

Oradea, Kaczmarczyk explained, was the “best choice” when it came to factors such as skilled workforce availability, logistical advantages, and stable business environment.

Following its exit from Russia, Nokian is also increasing capacity at existing sites in Finland and the US and expanding contract manufacturing.

The Finnish tire maker said it aims to build a global capacity of 15 million tires by 2027.