More than 40 Nokian Tyres employees who are launching a new $360 million tire production factory in Dayton, Tennessee, are returning back to the Volunteer State after training in Russia and Finland.
Bonnie Houle, a Nokian employee had never left the United State or flown on a plane for longer than an hour, was among the group preparing to wrap up six weeks of training abroad.
“The training we’ve received and the activities we’ve enjoyed are a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said.
The overseas training experience provided the factory’s first production workers with in-depth knowledge of the tire manufacturing process as the Dayton facility ramps up to tire production in 2020.
The Dayton factory will produce about 4 million tires each year once it reaches full capacity. The company has hired 60 workers so far and will eventually employ as many as 400 people.