Global tyre manufacturing company, Nokian Tyres has announced that they have invested in a new test centre for its 'Heavy Tyre division', with added automation and increased capacity of production in its current facilities. Nokian Tyres says that due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the manufacturer has considered to manage different phases of its construction process remotely.
For Nokian's engineers, close to around 4,000m2 facility represents a considerable improvement both in terms of the volume of their testing that can be undertaken and the quality of that testing. “For example, the drum testing capacity grew significantly,” noted R&D director Kalle Kaivonen. “The product development and OEM collaboration are much more efficient. Thanks to the added capacity, the earlier bottlenecks in testing have been eliminated. And there is plenty of room for future investments still. The new machinery enables us to gather more data and analyze it better, as the integration with the product development is more solid than before.”
Nokian pointed out the fact that the entire testing process, that is from installation which involves measurements and 3D scanning, from pressure testing to section cutting, has been optimized to provide quality data which efficiently helps in acquiring different information as per the manufacturer's needs. “Different kinds of tests and analysis can be ordered by a product development team, customer service or by a machine manufacturer, for example,” added Kaivonen. “We can provide them with an extremely broad range of different analysis and in-depth information.”
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Nokian tyres says that special attention was provided to the safe, comfortable and efficient handling of the tyres and wheels when it comes to the design part of the whole process. “Everything is more clearly laid out now and on the same level,” Kaunisto added. “This makes the work safer and more comfortable – and has clearly boosted the spirits of the whole team.”
Other than the well designed and efficient product development section of the process, the manufacturer's tyre testing facilities also keep a keen eye on manufacturing quality and the customer service. “On rare occasions there can be a tyre failure, abnormal noise or some such problem in the field that needs to be thoroughly figured out,” noted Mikko Pukkila from Nokian Heavy Tyres’ technical customer service department. “In these cases, tyres can be inspected and analyzed in the test centre. The feedback from the field gives us important understanding of the tire lifecycle.”
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