A Finnish tire maker plans to build a $360 million plant in Dayton, Tenn., to expand its sales across North America.
Nokian Tyres, headquartered in Finland with a North American sales office in Vermont, plans to hire 400 workers to produce 4 million tires a year in the first phase of its new tire production plant and the company could add hundreds of more workers in future expansions, officials said Wednesday.
“With this investment, we will get the needed capacity for growth,” Nokian Tyres’ Chairman Petteri Walldén said in a statement Wednesday. “And while the Dayton factory clearly enables us to serve our North American customers better and more efficiently, it also improves our production capabilities and customer service throughout our global operations.”
Gov. Bill Haslam said the project represents the largest direct foreign investment in Rhea County history and will focus on manufacturing passenger, SUV and light-truck tires.
Rendering of Nokian Tyres’ planned Dayton, Tenn., plant.
“Nokian Tyres’ decision to locate its new operations here is a tremendous win for Rhea County and our state, ” Haslam said in a statement.