Kumho Tires - History

History

1960 to 1980

  • Sep. 1960 - Samyang Tire Co., Ltd., the predecessor of Kumho Tire, was founded in Yang-dong, Kwangju City.
  • Jan. 1961 - First tire, an average of 20 produced per day.
  • Apr. 1963 - Compact passenger car tire (560~13), the first manufactured in Korea.
  • Jun. 1964 - Tube developed.
  • Oct. 1965 - Started shipping to East Asia (200 tires to Thailand amounting to $7,700).
  • Mar. 1966 - DOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) Mark acquired.
  • Jan. 1969 - Snow tire developed.
  • Jul. 1971 - Operation of Songjung plant begun.
  • Jun. 1963 - Technological ties settled with UNI Royal of the USA.
  • Sep. 1974 - Songjung plant fully completed; head office moved.

In 1976, Kumho became the leader in the tire sector and was listed on the Korea Stock Exchange.

  • Apr. 1976 - Successful test drive of first aircraft tire.
  • Dec. 1976 - Produced one million tires in the year, a record in Korea.
  • Jan. 1977 - Groundbreaking of Songjung plant II.
  • Apr. 1978 - Korea's first TB radial tire developed.

1980 to 1990

  • Dec. 1980 - Received $100 Million Export Trophy; total output exceeded 20 million tires.
  • Feb. 1982 - Tire Research Center established.
  • Oct. 1982 - Color tires (Rainbow 888: red, blue, green) for passenger cars developed.
  • Jul. 1983 - Total output exceeded 30 million tires.
  • Aug. 1983 - First export from Korea of tire manufacturing facilities.
  • Jun. 1984 - Death of Incheon Park, president and founder.
  • Sep. 1984 - Kumho Corporation merged with Kumho Tire.
  • Oct. 1984 - Won Productivity grand prize.
  • Apr. 1985 - Name of Samyang Tire Research Institute changed to Kumho Technical Research Institute (KTRI).
  • Oct. 1985 - Head office in Songjung moved to Seoul.
  • Feb. 1986 - Operation of KOPICS started.
  • Mar. 1987 - Ground broken for Koksung plant in Sobong-ri, Ip-myon, Koksung-gun County; received Presidential Award for the Best

1990 to 2000

  • Sep. 1990 - Power Racer 60/65 high-performance tire series put on the market.
  • Dec. 1990 - Total output exceeded 100 million tires.
  • Mar. 1991 - VR tires, 50 series, acquired the E1 mark, the first in Korea.
  • Aug. 1991 - Manufacture of golf balls started.
  • Oct. 1991 - Izen snow tire developed and put on the market.
  • Dec. 1991 - Contract signed with UGTC of the USA for brand use and technology patents.
  • Jan. 1992 - Koksung plant selected as a model company for environmental management.
  • Feb. 1992 - Kumho's commercial aircraft tires passed A.A. test of the USA, the first time for a Korean company.
  • Jan. 1993 - Participated in Paris to Dakar Rally.
  • Mar. 1993 - Korea's first ZR-grade tire, 35 series, developed.
  • Oct. 1993 - High-end tire Xelex put on the market; Free Exchange System started in Korea for the first time.
  • Nov. 1993 - Awarded $500 Million Export Trophy; total output exceeded 20 million tires.
  • Mar. 1994 - Auto Power put on the market.
  • Mar. 1995 - Power Racer-II put on the market; ground broken for Employees' Apartment of Koksung plant.
  • Apr. 1995 - Ground broken for Nanjing Kumho Tire Co., Ltd., China.
  • Aug. 1995 - Koksung plant acquired BS7750 Certification.
  • Oct. 1995 - Izen-II upgraded snow tire put on the market.
  • Mar. 1996 - Company name changed to Kumho Tire Co., Ltd.
  • Nov. 1996 - Construction of Nanjing Kumho Tire Co., Ltd., China, completed.
  • Mar. 1997 - New Xelex put on the market.
  • Apr. 1997 - Construction of Tientsin Kumho Co., Ltd., China, completed.
  • Oct. 1997 - Certification acquired as Superior After Service Company, the first in Korea.
  • Apr. 1998 - New brand Solus put on the market Jun. 1998 Kumho European Technical Center (KETC) established.
  • Feb. 1999 - Kumho Construction Co., Ltd., and Kumho Tire Co., Ltd., merged into Kumho Industrial Co., Ltd., Tire Business Unit.
  • 1999 - Run flat tire developed, 4th in the world tire industry. Developed Automated Production Unit (APU).

2000 to present

  • 2000 - Developed building machine for Ultra High Performance (UHP) tires. Became official supplier of the International Formula 3 Korea Super Prix.
  • 2001 - Acquired VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie e.V) Certification.
  • 2003 - Ranked 9th in the world tire industry. Established an Automated Production Unit(APU) plant in Pyungtak.
  • 2005 - Kumho Tire USA moves headquarters to larger location in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
  • 2009 - Kumho Tire supplies OE truck tires to Benz (first among Korean tire manufacturers).

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