User:Suomi Finland 2009/secret sandbox

Test edit: Possible Russian market subsection

Passenger car tyres
Nokian Tyres produces tyres for passenger cars, SUVs, and vans. Nokian branded tyres are sold in over 60 countries. Nokian Tyres designed the first winter tyres in 1934 and has more winter tyre patents than any other manufacturer. Nokian Tyres is known for its winter tyres, not to be confused with all-season tyres. Nokian winter tyres have been described as a favourite of critics and have been well received in winter test results by several publications. Nokian also has designed some winter tyre models with low rolling resistance, offering lower fuel consumption. Nokian was the first company to produce a tyre that allowed for year-round use by having different tread patterns on the lateral and medial aspect of the tread. One pattern is optimised for winter and another pattern is designed as an all-season pattern.

Nokian Tyres was the first tyre manufacturer in the world to fully eliminate high-aromatic oils from its production process. Used as plasticising agents in tread production and to facilitate the compounding of rubber, they contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a carcinogen, and have been replaced by low-aromatic oils. In 2006, Nokian Tyres received a commendation in the Finnish round of the European Business Awards for the Environment.

The demand for Nokian tyres is seasonal, as a high percentage of the company's sales are of winter tyres, but it has reduced seasonal fluctuations by its development of summer and all weather tyres. According to the company, more than 80% of its passenger car and van tyre sales are winter tyres. Winter tyre sales have a strong seasonal characteristic with 30% of retail sales occuring in the ten days after the first snowfall, thus presenting challenges in production and delivery.

Nokian Tyres does not sell to automobile manufacturers, but instead concentrates on the more profitable consumer tyre replacement and premium snow tyre markets. Nokian Tyres has the highest market share of the Finnish passenger car tyre market. The Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian markets contributed over 40% of Nokian Tyres' corporate net sales in 2008. The Russian market, Nokian Tyres' largest, contributed 34% of the net sales and captured 26% of the Russian winter tyre market. In contrast to having a Russian tyre factory to benefit from lower tariffs, another tyre company, Continental AG, abandoned Russian tyre production and hopes for Russian membership in the World Trade Organisation will result in lower import tariffs. In 2007 and 2008, the North American market accounted for 7% of the company's net sales.

Kim Gran interview
Nokian Tyres keep charging on the Russian Front, Nordicum Scandinavian Business Magazine, Transportation and Logistics Special Report, p. 12-14.

realistic goals low hierarchy in the company makes it possible to make decisions rather fast

The love affair of Russian consumers and Nokian Tyres is so extrordinary that it raises the question, what sort of branding wizardry has been used to secure such a strong position? "We have a product which fits the local weather conditions and there is a genuine need in the market" "And second, our Hakka..brand was originally the only Western tyre in the market. The introduction of the brand into the country took place already in the Soviet era, back in 1964"

another
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4562150/Nokian-broadens-reach-of-tires.html Nokian broadens reach of tires Tire Business 1 Aug 2005

Long known for its winter tire offerings, Nokian Tyres Inc. is broadening its reach in all-weather products-a strategy that already helped push 2004 sales for the subsidiary up 57.7 percent to $62 million.

The LaVergne-based subsidiary of Finland's Nokian Tyres P.L.C. will kickoff its i3 all-season tire this January with 32 sizes, 16 of which are already available.

The i3 follows the momentum of Nokian's WR all-season passenger and light truck tire as well as the Vatiiva light truck tire. Those lines were launched a few years ago but have grown well for Nokian, with the WR up to about 70 sizes from its initial 40. The all-weather tires are billed as products that drivers can use year-round but especially in the winter.

To improve distribution, the firm is looking to open a warehouse this year in Indianapolis.

The company also is shoring up its product availability by sourcing up to 500,000 Nokian-branded summer tires this year from China's GiTi Tire. The deal with GiTi-also known as Grandtour Tire China-allows Nokian to expand the supply gradually to 1.5 million tires, the firm said.

While Nokian is seeing the benefit of a wider product offering, one of its challenges is making independent tire dealers see the same.

Ms. Hogan said many dealers who carry Nokian-the subsidiary sells only to independent dealers from either its warehouses or overseas containers-use it to fill in gaps in their product lines instead of an exclusive or majority share. As a result, some dealers are knowledgeable about specific tires but not Nokian's full range.

Countries I Have Been
I list these not as a boast about where I've been, but to suggest that I have fairly broad experience of the world and that this helps with my editing, and Recent Change and New Page patrols.