Hankook starts Hungarian tyre factory expansion
By Luke Willetts - 28th March 2025
Left to Right - Jang Hyuk Moon, Vice President Marketing Department, Hankook Tire Europe, Ho Taek Lim, Managing Director Hankook Tire Hungary Ltd. Jongseon Ahn, President Hankook Tire & Technology Hyung-min Yoo, Vice President Corporate Strategy & Innovation Department, Hankook Tire & Technology
Hungary / South Korea – Late 2023, T&BB brought you the news that the Board of Directors at Hankook Tire & Technology of Seongnam-si, South Korea, had approved a proposal to build a new EUR 540 million commercial vehicle tyre production line at its Hungarian plant in Rácalmás by 2027. The expansion of the plant to a new Truck Bus Radial (TBR) production line has now begun with an expected capacity of over 800,000 TBR tyres per year by the end of 2028.
Hankook's decision to expand its Hungarian plant by 66,000 sqm and add this CV tyre production line was driven by the strategic goal of strengthening its presence in the European market. By producing TBR tyres locally, the company aims to shorten its route to market. The new production line will manufacture premium products, including the SmartLine AL/DL 50 and SmartFlex AL/DL 51 (for long-haul and mixed applications), as well as tyres from the new e-SMART series, specifically designed for electric commercial vehicles, which debuted at Solutrans 2023.
