Chosun Tire Company was founded in 1941 which is now present in more than 180 countries. If the name isn’t familiar to you, we wouldn’t be surprised, as the company was only renamed Hankook in 1953. The giant, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, employs around 20,000 people worldwide in its factories, regional and Research & Development centres and has been a major player in the global tire market for decades.
After initial difficulties following the company’s establishment, Chosun Tire Company became the first passenger car tire manufacturer to play a significant role in Korea’s industrial development. In the 1960s, it was already involved in highway construction projects and its presence contributed greatly to the development of the country’s transport sector. With an increasing focus on improvements and efficiency solutions, Hankook became a major player in the global market by 1980, opening new factories and expanding exports. As a result of expansion and continuous innovation, the company opened a commercial center in Europe in 2001 and started building its only European factory in Hungary in 2006.
Today, the company is not only a supplier of OEM factory-fitted tires to VW, Audi, BMW and Porsche, but also supplies its own top-of-the-range products to an increasing number of premium car brands.
It was 15 years ago, in July 2006 that Hankook’s management laid the foundation stone of the factory in Rácalmás, and a year later, in June 2007, production started. Celebrating its 15th birthday, the Hungarian plant now employs nearly 3,000 people to ensure that the tires we produce continue to enhance the company’s reputation. Thanks to you, we produce around 55,000 high-quality tires every day – a significant number even by world standards.
Although we would have liked to celebrate Hankook’s anniversary with a major event, the epidemic situation and the restrictions in place at the time meant that we were unable to do so. However, on 10 May, we held a small awards ceremony where our Managing Director personally greeted some of our colleagues who have been with us for 5 and 10 years, and our outstanding employees received their certificates of appreciation. Due to restrictions, only a few of those eligible to receive the award were able to attend, but of course all of our nearly 400 regular staff members received their certificates of recognition and the accompanying honorarium. It was a particular pleasure for the management to welcome a colleague who has been working at the Rácalmás factory for 15 years, right from the start. We thank him and all our employees for their work! Congratulations to all the award winners and we hope to celebrate many more years together!
Happy Birthday, Hankook!
