Nexen Tire, a leading global tyre manufacturer, has established a dedicated winter tyre testing centre at UTAC proving ground in Ivalo, Finland. The new testing centre will serve as a foundation for winter tyre performance testing and research and development.
With the launch of this testing centre, Nexen Tire Plans to intensify performance testing and research and development for winter tyres. Winter tyres must operate consistently on snowy and icy roads, which can be up to eight times more slippery than conventional roads. Rubber hardens at low temperatures, limiting grip, necessitating the use of specialised rubber compounds and customised tread patterns. As a result, rigorous testing in specialised facilities is critical, and the new testing facility serves as a foundation to bolster these efforts.
Nexen Tire has been using the UTAC testing facility in Finland under short-term contracts. However, with rising demand for test site reservations, securing sufficient testing time has become challenging. To address this, the company built a dedicated testing centre, ensuring stable winter testing throughout the season. This expansion extends the winter tyre testing period from one month to up to four months. Nexen Tire intends to expand its R&D skills by establishing dedicated test tracks.
Located within UTAC, Europe’s premier automotive testing company and the region’s largest test facility, the centre is situated 300 kilometers north from the Arctic Circle, offering an ideal environment for testing tyre performance under extreme winter conditions. The facility features research and development offices, workshops, and snow and ice tracks spanning an area equivalent to 20 football fields (approximately 2,000 meters in length). UTAC will oversee the construction and operation of the centre, which is expected to begin full operations in December 2025.
The centre will also conduct tests to obtain the 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) label, which is the standard certification for winter tyres in Europe. This capability will further enhance Nexen Tire’s competitiveness in the European market. Nexen Tire also operates winter tyre testing centres in Taebaek, South Korea, and Wanaka, New Zealand, where tyre tests are conducted under various winter conditions throughout the year. Leveraging this technology and expertise, Nexen Tire supplies its winter tyre model ‘WINGUARD SPORT 2’ to premium vehicle brands as Original Equipment (OE) tyres.
The establishment of this test centre is expected to play a critical role in maximising the efficiency of Nexen Tire’s online and offline testing systems. Nexen Tire introduced the ‘High Dynamic Driving Simulator’ in July of last year, making it the first in the domestic tyre sector. This technology uses a virtual environment to analyse the best material combination and tread patterns. Based on these findings, performance is repeatedly tested on actual tracks to reduce the gap between simulations and real-world tests.
“As winter tyre standards are being strengthened in Europe, this investment is a crucial step to secure our technological competitiveness,” said Travis Kang, Global CEO of Nexen Tire. “The testing centre will not only reduce our development periods but also enhance the performance of our winter tyres through core technology research, further solidifying our presence in the European market, which accounts for approximately 40% of our total sales, while laying the groundwork for future growth in global markets.”
We are delighted to welcome Nexen Tire to have their own establishment at our Finnish proving ground,” said Connor McCormack, CEO of UTAC. “We have a long-lasting partnership now and we are proud to support the development work of Nexen Tire and their participation to leading mobility towards a safer future.”
Source: Tyretradenews
