Kumho Tyres has begun construction of its new R&D Centre in Young-In, South Korea. The 70bn won(GBP35m), 34,842sq m facility is scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
“This… facility will strengthen our global R&D network, propelling us toward our goal of becoming one of the world’s top five tyre manufacturers,” said Kumho Tyres president Sae-chul Oh. “The [centre] will help us attract top performing scientists and engineers, who will develop creative products to fit our customers’ needs.”
The centre, about an hour’s drive from Seoul, will serve as a hub to coordinate the activities of Kumho’s existing research centres in the UK, USA, China and Korea. It will feature the latest equipment and world-class facilities for testing and analysing tyre noise and vibration, in addition to the all important laboratories.
The building will be certified as ‘green’ – the designation given to Korean facilities built within strict guidelines regarding environmental impact, energy usage, nature conservation and carbon footprint.
As part of its overall strategy to bolster R&D, Kumho will double its number of research employees to 1200 by 2015. This will help the company focus on developing eco-friendly technologies and products not offered by other manufacturers.
