South Korean Hankook Tire plans to build a R&D centre in Sangju City with an investment of KRW240 million until 2020 for the construction of a top-tier proving ground. Covering a total area of 132 ha, it will be the largest proving ground in the country. Upon its completion, the facility will be another key innovative factor driving the company’s future-oriented tyre technology development. The facility will enable tyre tests with ultra-high performance (UHP) tyre products, simulating extreme driving conditions. Furthermore, tests with truck and bus tyres (TBR) can also be conducted. In addition, the testing track at this engineering centre, approximately 30 km long, will be able to simulate all road conditions around the world at all weathers, allowing Hankook to conduct a prior quality and performance tests in order to ensure its products accommodate each market’s demand and also different conditions.
Upon its completion, the centre will become the company’s key R&D facility allowing the designing and testing of tyres in one location. It will hire around 370 research and operational personnel. The proving ground, in addition to the Driving Center and Children’s Safety Experience Zone, both of which are still undergoing the planning process, will bring in a gamut of visitors from all fields and interests.