Hankook Tire Partners with ARLANXEO

Hankook Tire Partners with ARLANXEO

for High-Performance Tire Technology Development

- R&D partnership to develop new synthetic rubber grades and technologies for high-performance tires

- Reflects Hankook Tire’s continuous R&D efforts to strengthen its tech leadership

May 28, 2018 (Seoul, Korea) – Global premium tire maker Hankook Tire signed a second memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ARLANXEO, the world’s largest synthetic rubber producer, to co-develop synthetic rubber technologies for high-performance tires. Under this agreement, the two companies will jointly study the development of new high-performance synthetic rubber grades and applications, which will increase the performance of tires from early stages of product development.

            Partnership between Hankook Tire and ARLANXEO, a joint venture of LANXESS and Saudi Aramco, started in 2008, with the supply of raw materials such as solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) and neodymium performance butadiene rubber (Nd-PBR). In 2014 the first MOU was signed to expand and collaborate on the development of core synthetic rubber solutions for high-performance tires.

            This form of technical partnership represents Hankook Tire’s continued R&D efforts. Coupled with the company’s continuous investment in Hankook Technodome, a state-of-the-art research and development center located in Korea, this additional R&D effort is expected to accelerate Hankook Tire’s pursuit to further advance its technological prowess beyond competition.

            Hyung Nam Kim, CTO of Hankook Tire, said, “Continuous R&D efforts and investments were made to further solidify Hankook Tire’s position as a global top tier company. The strong relationship with ARLANXEO has been great, and will continue to result in great technological advancement between the two companies.”

            Jorge Nogueira, ARLANXEO CEO said, "This new agreement strengthens our long-standing trustful co-operation with Hankook Tire. As before, we will continue to assist Hankook Tire as a reliable partner to develop its market position as key global tire maker with innovative high-quality products."                                                                                       

About Hankook Tire Co., Ltd.

Hankook Tire (President & CEO Hyun Bum Cho) is dedicated to leading the industry in innovation with its proven technological excellence. It offers award-winning products through five R&D centers and eight production facilities around the world. It is also committed to actively investing in the expansion of its core capabilities, allowing the company to deliver consumers the utmost in driving satisfaction. Hankook Tire produces superior quality, high performance radial tires for passenger cars, 4x4s, SUVs, light trucks, campers, trucks, buses and motorsport vehicles. It currently employs approximately 22,000 people around the world, and its products are available in over 180 countries. It has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indices (DJSI World) for two consecutive years since 2016.

For more information, visit Hankook Tire’s global website at www.hankooktire.com/global.

About ARLANXEO

ARLANXEO is a world-leading synthetic rubber company with sales of around EUR 3.2 billion in 2017, about 3,800 employees and a presence at 20 production sites in nine countries. The company’s core business is the development, manufacturing and marketing of high-performance rubber for use in, for example, the automotive and tire industries, the construction industry, and the oil and gas industries. ARLANXEO was established in April 2016 as a joint venture of LANXESS and Saudi Aramco.