Hankook Tire was established in 1941 in Seoul, Korea, and started manufacturing tires in 1942 with just 110,000 tires a year. Presently Hankook Tire is producing 50 million tires a year. In 1962, Hankook made Korean history when they began exporting car tires for the first time. By 1974, Hankook developed their first Korean Radial Passenger Tire. Continued growth in foreign trade helped the company exceed the $100 million level in 1980. In 1981, Hankook Tire opened its first sales branch in the United States, and continued to grow to what it is today with branches in 16 countries.
Hankook Tire was ranked in the top ten for larges tire manufacturers in 1991. A strategic alliance was formed in 2003 between Hankook Tire and Michelin Group, the Global Market Leader in the tire industry, making history as Hankook continued to expand.
The success of Hankook Tire is contributed to the mission to “ensure value for every customer in every Hankook product.” To achieve this mission, Hankook uses high-quality products and superior service at both the corporate level and in dealerships worldwide. Hankook’s mission contains five goals: to remain a leader in customer satisfaction, to be one of the best-known tire brands, to consistently provide top-quality products, to maintain a highly knowledgeable and motivated work force, and to achieve significant growth and strong financial results
