Nexen opens winter tire testing centre in Finland

Ivalo, Finland – Nexen Tire has officially opened its tire testing centre in Ivalo, Finland, as part of a push to grow its winter tire offerings, particularly in Europe.

Located at the proving ground of independent testing service company Union Technique de l'Automobile, du Motocycle et du Cycle (UTAC), Nexen’s facility includes two exclusive tracks.

These include a snow handling track for gradients and curves, while a flat track is dedicated to braking and traction testing.

The new facility, opened by the company chief technology officer Jong Myung Kim 12 Feb, is part of Nexen’s efforts to strengthen its winter tire development capabilities, including establishing in-house research facilities and a dedicated laboratory for studying the surface characteristics of winter roads.

The investment will also provide testing facilities for studded tires, designed for icy road conditions in extremely cold regions such as Northern Europe.

This, Nexen said, will enable the company to respond more strategically to the growing demand for winter tires in the European market.

With the addition of the new testing centre, Nexen said it expects to strengthen its competitiveness in the key European market, which accounts for more than 40% of its total revenue.

The Ivalo opening follows a recent investment by Nexen in what it describes as an “industry first” high-dynamic driving simulator, which was officially put into operation late last year.

The combination of the two will enable “cross-validation” through physical on-snow driving tests.

The Korean tire maker has stepped up its winter tire activities, targeting growth through quality, with a particular focus on Europe as its key market.

Last year, Nexen launched the Winguard Sport 3 model in the European market and expanded its sales size range of the all-weather N’Blue 4Season 2.

The company is also aiming to advance its development processes through AI technologies in order to increase OE projects and progress the development of high-performance tires.