In his new role, Han will look after the company’s strategic direction and operations in the US and Canada and will provide support to the headquarters in Seoul for the company’s North American original equipment sales and the US-based technical centre in Richfield, Ohio.

Han will also provide direction on the company’s short- and long-term goals regarding operational and sales strategies.

Han is taking up new responsibilities while the whole global economy and the manufacturing industry are recovering from the pandemic impact. Han said his immediate priorities are fully understanding the North American market and getting to know the company’s customers in the United States.

“One of my priorities is to ensure our dealers that the company is supporting them in the best possible ways to navigate through the pandemic and thrive well beyond. The pandemic has also affected overall supply chain stability, causing some shortages as we assess variances in supply and demand. We will be focused on stabilising these variances to ensure quality products are delivered to customers in the time frames they need,” Han said.

Before accepting his new role as CEO, Han was Nexen Tire Corporation’s Global Marketing Vice President.

COVID 19 spread has turned the tyre business upside down. Priorities of manufacturers and end consumers have changed. Nexen Tire America is closely working with its customers to understand the requirements and support their business. “Obviously, the pandemic has affected all of our businesses from manufacturer to distributor to retail base, and we aim to be a resource of tools to help us all come out of this past year stronger than ever,” said Han.

Due to the pandemic digitalisation has got a further boost, and the company is focusing on offering digital resources. “Consumers are attentive on digital solutions to adhere to social distancing recommendations,” Han pointed out.

Brand strengthening

Han also worked as the president of Nexen Tire Italia for 7.5 years after working at Nexen Tire’s global headquarters in Korea from 2005-2011. Han has spent a considerable time of his career in the developing market. Now in the developed market, where the Nexen Tire brand is relatively young, Han will have a larger task strengthening its brand. “The Nexen brand has had time to mature in many parts of the Asian market, and by that, I mean there is higher brand awareness and brand loyalty amongst our customers. Nexen Tire is still a young brand here in the States, so we still have many opportunities to build our brand strength in this market,” explained Han.

Not only with the homegrown brands, but Nexen Tire also has competition from the Asian tyre companies, which are aggressively expanding their business in North America. Han said the company would continue building on its current strategies and relationships with the company dealer network to increase its market share in North America.

Research and Development, and customised solutions to meet the local demand play an important role in gaining the local market share. Nexen Tire has already established a global R&D network headed by its main R&D centre in Yangsan, Korea, along with its R&D facilities in the U.S., China, and Germany to develop future-oriented innovative products.

“While we have a legacy of strong partnerships with our Korean based R&D teams, Nexen Tire America has also developed an R&D centre in Ohio to focus on American and Canadian market R&D initiatives. This will ensure we are focused on North American market needs and we are prepared to meet these demands,” said Han.

This year, Nexen Tire aims to launch new products which are currently under development. It plans to announce details at the 2021 SEMA show.

Dealers are an integral part of the tyre business. Dealers are quite vocal and active in the developed nations compared to the developing countries. Nexen Tire will focus on strengthening its relationship with its dealers. “We currently have very strong relationships with our dealer base and will continue to strengthen these bonds in the future. Our strategies include being an integral partner to their growth in the ways of marketing, sales, customer service and product innovation.”

New Mobility

Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric mobilities are going the course of the automotive and the tyre industry is no exception. Sensing the future trends, tyre companies are heavily investing from R&D to production and distribution to meet future mobility. Nexen Tire is currently and consistently analysing and researching potential opportunities in the EV space. “Electric cars and mobility services are the waves of the future, and Nexen strives to stay at the forefront of these trends,” said Han.

Last year in September, Nexen Tire announced it will supply tyres for a new model of the electric car maker Canoo, a US startup company.

Canoo plans to launch the world’s first subscription-based electric vehicle (EV) plans. Under its business model, Canoo will use a membership model to sell its EVs. The company unveiled its first EV model in 2019 and plans to launch it in 2022 commercially.

Nexen Tire will supply its Rodian GTX EV Tyre, an electric vehicle version of Nexen Tire’s all-season premium SUV tyre Roadian GTX which offers electric vehicles’ requirements as tyre safety, durability and low noise. “We are also researching technologies for smart tyres to ensure we meet market demands and the future of mobility,” said Han.

Nexen Tire has also formed a strategic partnership with Plug and Play, the world’s largest corporate innovation platform and startup accelerator, to pursue innovative collaborations in the tyre and mobility industries.

With this partnership, Nexen Tire will seek to partner with the next wave of the most promising technologies in the tyre and mobility industries. This should also enable Nexen Tire to realise its ‘open R&D’ philosophy, offering collaboration and partnerships, especially to firms in the tyre technology field, the company had said.

Talking on the challenges, Han thinks the challenges in business are relatively constant. He added that the Nexen Tire aims to ensure sales increase year over year in a very dynamic and changing environment, including tariffs, global pandemics, and oversupply. “We prepare ourselves for these obstacles and opportunities by remaining fluid and shifting with the market as it requires,” said Han.

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The Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) has confirmed its participation as a cooperation partner for the tyre material flow for an interactive event on the Digital Product Passport (DPP), scheduled for 16 June 2026 at the Bottrop campus of Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences. With the European Union planning to introduce DPP from 2028, the initiative aims to establish greater transparency, resource conservation and functional material cycles. The upcoming gathering will focus on practical applications and future prospects for industry, trade, recycling and the circular economy.

The European Union has classified tyres as a priority product group under the new Ecodesign Regulation. The digital passport will provide accessible data on a tyre’s entire lifecycle, including material composition, carbon dioxide emissions, repair history, retreading suitability and recycling methods, potentially via QR codes or radio-frequency identification technology on the tyre itself.

Significant potential exists for the tyre recycling sector. Retreaders will be able to quickly assess casing history, mileage and past repairs to determine suitability for retreading. Recyclers will gain improved material transparency regarding ingredients, additives and recycled content, thereby facilitating both mechanical and chemical recycling. Thus, the passport can support longer tyre use and more efficient recovery of valuable raw materials.

AZuR views DPP as a key step towards advancing the tyre circular economy. Several manufacturers are already working on pilot projects, including Michelin’s coordination of a scalable system through the CIRPASS-2 project, standardisation efforts by Bridgestone and Michelin via the Global Data Service Organisation and AZuR partners’ work on radio-frequency identification and digital traceability. The upcoming university event offers companies, researchers and municipalities an early opportunity to address the passport’s requirements and develop practical solutions.

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Continental marked a major milestone on 22 May 2026 during opening ceremonies for the second expansion phase of its Rayong plant in Thailand. The development includes growth for the Passenger and Light Truck Tires division and the start of radial production for motorcycle tyres.

The Rayong motorcycle tyre facility operates with fully in-house manufacturing, from rubber compounds to finished products, using modern equipment. All processes adhere to Continental’s global quality and control standards, enabling production of both radial and diagonal tyres with capacity for future expansion. A high degree of automation and automatic monitoring systems eliminate manual errors while maintaining strict quality checks at every step.

Continental’s Rayong production serves diverse riding styles, including sport-touring and adventure touring segments, with popular radial and diagonal tyre models already in production. In March 2026, the plant received IATF certification, meeting international automotive standards that guarantee continuous quality processes and supply reliability for original-equipment customers.

The expansion also reflects Continental’s sustainability commitment, with solar energy supplying about 13 percent of the plant’s electricity needs. Additionally, the project has created new jobs, strengthening the regional economy.

Christoph Ettenhuber, Head of Business Field Motorcycle Tires, Continental, said, “By expanding our facility in Thailand, we are strategically strengthening our global production structure for Continental Motorcycle Tires. Together with our established operations in our Korbach plant in Germany, we are laying the groundwork for a faster, more flexible response to market demands. Rayong is a key component of our international motorcycle tyre strategy and underscores our clear commitment to growth and state-of-the-art production processes. For our customers, this means premium quality made by Continental – no matter which continent they’re on or which roads they travel."

Sahil Agrawal, Head of Manufacturing Operations in Rayong, said, “Quality is our top priority – for our original equipment customers as well as for end consumers. Our system captures every detail: all tyres are fully traceable at every production step. Online monitoring systems such as automatic scales, profilometers and camera systems ensure that every component is within specification limits. Automation – from the green tyre spray system to automatic tool management – enables us to achieve maximum quality levels while creating an ergonomic and safe working environment.”

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Bridgestone Corporation has once again been selected as a constituent of several globally recognised environmental, social and governance (ESG) indexes, including the Dow Jones Best-in-Class World Index, the FTSE4Good Index Series, the MSCI Selection Indexes, the FTSE JPX Blossom Japan Index, the FTSE JPX Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index and the MSCI Japan Equity ESG Select Leaders Index.

The Japanese tyre giant’s continued inclusion in these rankings serves as a concrete and objective embodiment of its corporate mission to serve society with superior quality. Company leadership views the ability to sustain such ESG initiatives over many years as a distinct organisational strength.

Regarding the Dow Jones indexes, Bridgestone has been selected for the Best-in-Class World Index for four consecutive years since 2022, which recognises the top 10 percent of sustainability leaders among 2,500 major global companies. The firm has also maintained a place in the Best-in-Class Asia Pacific Index for 16 straight years since 2010.

In the FTSE Russell assessments, Bridgestone has achieved eight consecutive years of selection for the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2018, alongside the same duration for the FTSE JPX Blossom Japan Index. The company has also been included in the FTSE JPX Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index for five consecutive years since 2021. For MSCI, Bridgestone has secured three straight years of selection for the MSCI Selection Indexes since 2023 while receiving the highest AAA rating in the MSCI ESG Ratings for three consecutive years.

The company has additionally earned high marks from the international non-profit CDP, receiving an A minus rating in both Climate Change and Water Security for 2025, marking six consecutive years at the leadership level. Bridgestone also obtained an A rating in the Supplier Engagement Rating for the seventh time. Key initiatives behind these recognitions include the expansion of its sustainability business model towards carbon neutrality and a circular economy, actions supporting nature positive goals such as sustainable natural rubber and water resource management, a comprehensive due diligence system based on Plan-Do-Check-Act cycles for human rights and environmental risk and global policy execution guidelines.

Bridgestone places sustainability at the core of its management, aiming to implement and evolve its unique business model across the entire value chain from production and use to renewal and raw materials. These efforts link business operations directly to the realisation of carbon neutrality, a circular economy and a nature positive world.

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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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