Hankook Tire Company History and Quick Overview

.....HKT has a proud 66 year long history and over the last five years is firmly establishing itself as a truly global tire manufacturer. Hankook Tire continues to grow its brand and build its reputation for providing innovative, superior quality and high performance tires to leading global automakers and dealers throughout the world.

Hankook Tire Fast Facts:

1. 7th largest tire manufacturer in the world, of the top 11 tire manufacturers in 2006; it had climbed from eleventh in 2001 to eighth in 2005; ranked as 6th largest tire manufacturer in North America in 2006 according to Modern Tire Dealer
   
   
2. Recorded USD 3 billion in 2006 growing from USD 2.5 billion in 2005
   
   
3. Developer and manufacturer of radial tires for passenger cars, light trucks (SUVs, RVs, and etc.), trucks, buses and motor sports vehicles; it produces 67 million tires and sells in 170 countries with 12,000 employees globally
   
   
4. 5 production facilities in China, Hungary and Korea, and has never faced an industrial action in its 66 year history priding itself on strong employee relations
   
   
5. 29 subsidiaries and offices around the world
   
   
6. 6% of employees dedicated to and 5% of its revenues invested in R&D
   
   
7. Performing remarkably in China’s passenger-car radial-tire market, with a 25% share (or one in four tires is a Hankook), making it the market leader
   
   
8. Ranked 5th in J.D. Power’s 2007 OE Tire Customer Satisfaction Study (in mass market/non-luxury segment) rising from 10th in 2004, 8th in 2005, 6th in 2006 and surpassing Bridgestone in 2007

History:

Hankook Tire in North America:

1. Based in New Jersey, US, it manages oversees sales and distribution in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico through five offices and seven distribution centers
   
2. Hankook Tire North America supplies a wide range of products including radial and UHP tires for passenger cars, tires for light trucks, 4 x 4 trucks, large trucks and buses, to approximately 3,000 retailers via some 400 wholesalers
   
3. Ranked as 6th largest tire manufacturer in North America in 2006 according to Modern Tire Dealer

Brand Building Sponsorships:

1. Hankook Tire participates at the Sema Show and in 2006 displayed 30 products, including the unveiling of the first drift-spec Porsche
   
2. Supplier of tires for United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC); Hankook Tire has an exclusive contract with the USTCC to supply 3,000 tires annually for three years through to 2007
   
3. Hankook Tire advertising appeared behind the home plate at 14 Major League Baseball (MLB) team stadiums in 2006
   
4. Hankook Tire supports some of the best teams in Professional Rally, SCCA and NASA Club Racing as well as many different categories of open wheel racing; Hankook JIC USA took overall first place among 47 teams at the Redline Time Attack in the US in 2006

OE Partnerships:

• 1999 – Hankook Tire became the first Asian tire supplier to U.S.-based Ford
• 2000 – Hankook Tire received Ford’s Q1-AWARD, a mark of recognition for excellence in product quality
• 2003-2004 – Hankook Tire’s supply volume to Ford grew from 50,000 spare tires in 2003 to 170,000 UHP products in 2004
• 2005 – Selected as strategic partner of Ford increasing its supply to 2.2 million tires annually, and was only tire company of six supplying Ford to receive its gold ‘World Excellence Award’
• 2006 – The total unit shipment to the US auto giant amounted to 3.5 million

• 2005 – Hankook Tire’s supply to GM starts with shipments for the Saturn ION and Buick LeSabre models
• June 2006 – Supplies for Chevrolet and Cobalt were added
• To date Hankook Tire’s UHP products are now being supplied also for the 2007 Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura (which fitted with Hankook tires, was selected as the ‘Car of the Show’ at the North American International Auto Show, Detroit, January 2006)
• In addition to supplying OE manufacturers, Hankook Tire ships 120,000 truck tires per annum to ITEC (International Truck & Engine Corporation), North America’s leading seller of trucks and buses

1. Hankook Tire’s Akron Technical Center (ATC) became the tire maker’s first overseas facility and first overseas R&D center in 1990
2. ATC plays a pivotal role in Hankook Tire’s global R&D activities (of which 5% of revenue is invested in, one of the highest proportion among tire manufacturers)

• With advanced engineering concepts and new compounding technologies, the ATC has developed TCT (Trapezoid Contour Theory) Technology, Silica Compounding, FSO (Footprint Shape Optimization) Technology, and CCT (Carbon Compounding Technology), integrated into some of Hankook's best-selling tires
• ATC develops products customized to the driving conditions in America and is key accumulating technologies of international standards for the entire Hankook global R&D network