Tue October 13 07:00 am 2020 in category Company news
Nokian Tyres Factory Celebrates Anniversary with LEED Certification, New Building
The tiremaker capped a year of North American production by dedicating a new facility and achieving a major sustainability milestone
DAYTON, Tenn. – One year after Nokian Tyres opened its North American tire production facility in Southeast Tennessee, the company is celebrating a pair of milestones that reinforce its core values of safety and sustainability.
The factory’s production building has earned LEED v4 Silver certification, and the company is opening an eco-friendly, life-driven administration building on the 135-acre campus. Both achievements are important steps forward in Nokian Tyres’ quest to serve as an employer of choice in Southeast Tennessee and grow its presence in North America.
“Our LEED certification and new administration building showcase our passion for our employees and the environment,” said Nokian Tyres Construction Manager David Korda. “We believe these areas of growth display what Nokian Tyres is all about.”
LEED Certification
One year ago this month, Nokian Tyres officially opened a state-of-the-art production facility in Dayton, Tennessee, that will eventually make as many as four million tires for the North American market. Now, the company is pleased to announce that the facility has earned LEED v4 Silver certification, a testament to its low emissions, energy efficiency and adherence to other strict environmental standards.
“Ever since we began construction of our Dayton factory, sustainability has been a chief priority,” Korda said. “We’re honored to receive LEED v4 Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which affirms that passion for sustainability.”
The facility earned LEED v4 Silver certification thanks to a deep range of sustainable elements, including:
- Smart building automation designed to save energy
- Eco-friendly building materials
- Efficient water and waste management systems
- Electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot
- Renewable energy generation via onsite solar panels
Nokian Tyres designed the factory to minimize harmful emissions while producing tires with sustainability in mind. The company excludes harmful high-aromatic oils from its tire compounds, and it has reduced the rolling resistance of its products by an average of 8 percent since 2013, which is equivalent to the exhaust fumes of 65,000 cars annually. Nokian Tyres reduced CO2 emissions at its global production facilities by 44 percent in the last six years and has been named among the world’s most sustainable publicly traded companies by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
Sustainable Administration Building Driven by Employee Wellness
Fueled by solar energy and stocked with amenities that promote employee well-being, the 26,000-square-foot administration building is a vehicle to serve Nokian Tyres’ growing workforce at the factory, which will reach as many as 400 workers.
As with its production facility, Nokian Tyres designed the administration building to embody its values of safety and sustainability. A bank of solar panels anchored in the parking lot fuels 100 percent of the building’s power and generates enough energy to hold some in reserve. The three-megawatt panels can generate approximately 4,000 megawatt-hours of solar energy each year, which would be enough to power more than 500 homes.
Employees also enjoy more than two acres of freshly installed greenspace in front of the building. When workers walk to and from work each day, they stroll past trees, plants and a pond – a prime place to spend time with colleagues.
Nokian Tyres prioritized employee welfare when it designed the administration building. In addition to offices and meeting spaces that accommodate as many as 65 workers, the facility includes a workout area, mothers’ room, canteen and even a sauna. Open-concept work areas inside the building fuel the company’s collaborative culture, and outdoor courtyards allow office employees to work outside when weather allows.
“We want to empower our employees to succeed, and we think our administration building will help serve their needs,” said Nokian Tyres Human Resources Manager Blake Markham. “Our investment in this facility is part of a larger investment we’re making in their growth.”
Nokian Tyres will produce four million tires annually at the factory once fully up and running. The Dayton factory is a cornerstone of Nokian Tyres’ goal to double sales in North America.
Nokian Tyres is currently pursuing candidates to work in the factory’s mixing, tire production, maintenance and logistics areas, and those interested in performing tasks related to general factory overhead. Potential applicants can visit NokianTires.com/DaytonFactory to apply.
Nokian Tyres dedicated the factory at a ceremony on October 2019 attended by customers, community members and federal, state and local leaders. At the celebration, it launched the Nokian Tyres Road to Sustainable Success, an initiative to support education, fund scholarships and advocate for sustainability in Southeast Tennessee.
To access images of the Dayton factory, click here.
For more information about Nokian Tyres’ Dayton Factory or to apply for jobs there, interested parties can visit NokianTires.com/DaytonFactory.