Hankook has completed a €540 million expansion of its Rácalmás plant in central Hungary, adding a new production line for truck and bus tyres. This site is the company’s main European manufacturing base.
The investment adds annual capacity of up to 800,000 commercial vehicle tyres and has created around 450 new jobs. Serial production is due to begin following the presentation of the first tyres from the new line at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover.
The project was approved by Hankook’s board in November 2023 and originally scheduled for completion by 2027. The company said the new line would produce up to 2,380 truck and bus tyres per day once fully ramped up.
Hankook’s Hungarian plant opened in 2007 and had previously focused on passenger-car and light-truck tyres. Before the commercial vehicle expansion, the factory already had annual production capacity of around 17 million passenger-car and light commercial vehicle tyres.
Highly automated manufacturing
The new production facilities are designed and built as a highly automated plant. Automated logistics systems support the entire process, from semi-finished products right through to tyre storage.
Autonomous automated guided vehicles (AGVs) as well as logistics management and real-time tracking systems control the flow of materials and warehousing. Automated testing systems ensure consistent product quality and high production efficiency.
The site uses energy-efficient systems, optimised supply systems and modern process control systems to reduce energy and water consumption. As early as 2023, the plant was awarded ISCC PLUS certification (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification).
