Nokian on track for 2020 start up at US plant

Dayton, Tennessee — Eighteen months after breaking ground on its first North American tire facility, Nokian Tyres plc is on schedule to begin producing tires commercially by early 2020.

The Finnish tire maker said the hiring process is under way, with 200 of the facility's 400 employees expected to be working by year-end.

Construction of the $360-million (€320-million) plant, Nokian's third globally and first in the Americas, was disclosed in May 2017.

According to Nokian, contractors are currently preparing to connect utilities to major areas of the facility.

The tire maker also is hiring and training workers who will participate in the production ramp-up process.

At full capacity, the plant will produce 4 million passenger, SUV and light truck tires per year, specifically for North American consumers