Tyre company, Hankook Tire, will be investing $1.6 billion to expand its Tennessee plant, located in Clarksville, Tenn. The investment includes the previously planned Phase 2 expansion that will double Hankook’s passenger car and light truck (PC/LT) tires’ production capacity. It also adds a Phase 3 expansion, with the company’s first US production of Truck Bus and Radial (TBR) tires. The addition of the Phase 3 expansion project will bring 400 more jobs to the Clarksville area, for a total of 1,200 new jobs overall.

Growing presence in the US
Hankook will double the US PC/LT production to 11 million units and enable the production of one million TBR tyres annually. The expansion also brings the company’s total investment in the area to $2.2 billion and will enable it to further provide tyre dealers and consumers with high quality tyres and industry-leading services in order to meet the demands of the American market, while supporting existing and future OE partners.
 

“The investment in our Tennessee plant further demonstrates Hankook’s growing presence in the US and commitment to serving our customers,” said Sooil Lee, CEO of Hankook Tire & Technology and President of Hankook Tire America Corp, “Through a focus on sustainable construction and innovative manufacturing, the new phase will provide a local-to-local supply chain to fulfil customer demand more effectively. Additionally, we are proud to continue to support the local economy by bringing 1,200 new jobs to the Clarksville area.”

Growth all the way
Ever since Hankook’s state-of-the-art Tennessee plant opened in October 2017, the company has produced 5.5 million tyres annually for the North American market and generated 950 jobs. The North American market accounted for more than 28% of total Hankook tire sales in 2021.

“This production expansion is a vital step to our growth in the medium truck market, making us one of only a few manufacturers producing TBR products in the US,” said Rob Williams, Senior Vice President – North America Sales, Hankook Tire America Corp and went on, “As a result, we can better meet the needs of both our growing dealer base and the fleets that serve the North American shipping lanes.”

Plan of action
Hankook is expected to break ground on the new plant in early 2023, subject to definitive agreements, regulatory approvals and other conditions. Tyre production at the new phases of the plant will begin by Q4 2024 and reach full capacity by early 2026.

“Global brands like Hankook Tire choose to invest in Tennessee because of our strong business climate, workforce and central location,” said Bill Lee, the Tennessee Governor, “I thank Hankook for its continued investment in our state and for creating 400 new manufacturing jobs for Tennesseans in Montgomery County.”

Increasing production capacity
Hankook’s Tennessee plant is located off International Boulevard, in the southern portion of the Corporate Business Park. Operating wight production sites in five countries around the world, including the United States, Hungary, Indonesia, China and Korea, Hankook Tire currently has an annual global production capacity of about 100 million units. Through the expansion of the Tennessee plant, the company is expected to increase its production capacity to about 106.5 million units in total.  

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Tegeta Green Planet and Shine Energy, both affiliated with Tegeta Holding, have launched a joint educational initiative to raise environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility among young people. The project addresses modern challenges such as environmental protection and sustainable development.

Company representatives are visiting schools across Tbilisi to hold informational meetings, presentations and workshops. The programme begins with presentations, followed by interactive games and activities designed to help students retain the information. At the end of each session, participants receive symbolic gifts and prizes as motivation.

Tegeta Green Planet focuses on teaching students the principles of specific waste management, including how to properly handle used tyres, batteries and oils. The sessions explain why proper waste management is essential for environmental protection and how it connects to the circular economy. Meanwhile, Shine Energy educates young people on the importance of energy, its everyday use and why developing renewable and sustainable energy resources is crucial.

The initiative is not limited to schools. In the near future, both organisations will expand their efforts to universities, aiming to broaden awareness about environmental protection, waste management and energy efficiency. The ultimate goal is to foster environmentally responsible attitudes among the younger generation, helping build a more sustainable and conscious society.

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Zeon has been recognised as a Supplier Engagement Leader in the 2025 Supplier Engagement Assessment (SEA) conducted by CDP, a United Kingdom-based international environmental nonprofit organisation. This achievement represents the first time the company has received the highest possible rating in this assessment.

The evaluation measures how corporations address climate change within their supply chains, focusing on responses to the CDP Climate Change Questionnaire across five critical areas. These include governance, emissions targets, Scope 3 emissions management, risk management and overall supplier engagement strategies.

Zeon earned the top rating for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through supplier collaboration, a group-wide initiative, alongside continuous dialogue maintained via procurement activities. Guided by its philosophy of contributing to planetary preservation and human prosperity, Zeon remains committed to sustainable management. The company reaffirmed that it will continue working with suppliers and other stakeholders to tackle climate change and meet societal expectations.

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German chemical group WACKER has announced a price increase of up to 15 percent for its resins, dispersions and dispersible polymer powders produced at its European and US facilities. The adjustment takes effect on 1 June 2026, or as existing customer contracts permit. The move is designed to allow the company’s Polymers division to maintain high product quality, deliver technological innovations and provide superior customer service and technical support. It will also support investments aimed at securing future growth in key markets.

Rising costs for raw materials and logistics have forced the pricing measure, with the Polymers division being particularly affected. The recent conflict in the Middle East has caused significant disruptions across global commodity markets. As a direct result, prices for energy, raw materials and transportation have climbed sharply.

Despite the increase, WACKER remains focused on sustaining its commitment to customer support and long-term capability. The company underscored that the adjustment is necessary to continue meeting market demands while ensuring operational stability and future-oriented development across its focus markets.

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Pirelli North America has launched its first closed-loop circular recycling initiative, marking a significant step in the company’s broader strategy to increase recycled and bio‑based content in its tyre production. The project has received the Tire Recycling Foundation’s Value Chain Collaboration Award.

The programme recovers scrap tyres generated during Pirelli’s own North American manufacturing process. These materials are sent to Bolder Industries, which applies ISCC PLUS‑certified pyrolysis technology to produce BolderBlack recovered carbon black. Pirelli then reintroduces this material into new tyre production at its North American facilities, partially replacing virgin carbon black. The effort is part of a wider Pirelli plan to expand such industrial ecosystems across the group’s production network, aiming to valorise waste by reintegrating recovered materials into tyre manufacturing.

Beyond the award, the initiative reflects Pirelli’s broader circularity approach, which includes ongoing work to boost recycled and bio‑based material usage. The company targets over 80 percent bio‑based and recycled content in its best‑performing products and forty percent in total production by 2030.

Claudio Zanardo, CEO, Pirelli North America, said, "The Rome plant is one of the most technologically advanced manufacturing facilities in Pirelli. This initiative reflects an approach focused on increasing the use of recovered materials within existing production processes. It is part of a broader effort to gradually integrate raw materials derived from recycled resources into our products while maintaining consistency in performance and quality."

Tony Wibbeler, CEO, Bolder Industries, said, "Our collaboration demonstrates that a traceable, mass-balance approach to tyre-to-tyre circularity is not only achievable, but it's ready to scale inside a premium manufacturing environment, meeting real performance and certification requirements at every step. This is the kind of progress the industry has been working toward for many years."

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