“In 2025, we continue to focus on growth and expand production capacity as planned,” Nokian Tyres CEO Paolo Pompei said during a recent webcast.
These efforts, he told attendees, “will be supported by new, innovative products. By balancing growth and margins, we will focus on making our platform even more productive and efficient.
“Additionally, we will enhance Nokian Tyres’ brand awareness and sharpen our consumer focus to build long-term loyalty.”
A top priority for the company will be continued passenger tire sales growth in North America, plus other regions.
Pompei also mentioned that Nokian has made significant progress in creating a more balanced manufacturing platform, including a ramp-up of production at its Dayton, Tenn., plant, plus factories in Finland and Romania.
Last year, Nokian opened a finished goods distribution center at its plant in Tennessee.
“Even though the end of 2024 was particularly soft for us in North America and there is certain uncertainty in the market, I see great potential for Nokian Tyres in North America,” he said.
“We must leverage the full potential of our U.S. factory by continuously enhancing our operations and market presence in North America by focusing on our premium products."
Last month, Nokian introduced an ultra-high performance all-season tire, the Nokian Surpass AS01, to the North American market. The product is manufactured in Finland.
“Our factory in Finland is the key location for R&D, prototyping, testing and manufacturing of more specialized tires, in addition to normal volume production. We continue modernizing the facility for both passenger car tires and heavy tires.”
“Our priority is to set up new production, but at the same time, it must be done productively,” said Pompei. “Higher productivity and efficiency will be the organization's main goals in 2025. We put even more focus on how we use our money. We are also looking at our SGA structure to see how we can be more efficient.
“Improving operational efficiency and strict cost control - together with increasing sales volume and average sales price - support profitability improvement,” he explained.
