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Nokian Tyres plc ((フィンランド語:Nokian Renkaat Oyj)), headquartered in Nokia, Finland, produces tyres for cars, trucks, buses, and heavy-duty equipment. Known for its winter tyres, Nokian operates the only permanent winter tyre testing facility in the world. The company's Hakkapeliitta brand name is recognised in Finland as a reputable trademark. Nokian Tyres concentrates on the consumer car and vehicle tyre replacement and premium snow tyre markets; they do not supply automobile manufacturers tyres for new car production. The greater prices consistently found in those markets result in higher profitability compared to the rest of the tyre industry. The company also produces retreading materials and tyre pressure monitors. It also previously manufactured bicycle tyres but currently licenses the Nokian name on bicycles tyres to another Finnish company. The Vianor retail tyre store chain, which services cars in addition to selling tyres, is owned by Nokian Tyres PLC. The company traces its history to a groundwood pulp mill established in 1865. Car tyre production began in 1932 by Suomen Gummitehdas Oy (Finnish Rubber Works Ltd). A three-company merger formed the Nokia Corporation in 1967; Nokian Tyres Limited was established in 1988 as a joint venture company split from the conglomerate as Nokia Corporation started focusing entirely on the mobile communications business. ''Nokian'' is "Nokia" in the genitive, thus ''Nokian renkaat'' meaning "Tyres of Nokia". The European subsidiary of Japanese tyre company Bridgestone is currently the largest minority shareholder. ==History== Early corporate predecessors of Nokian Tyres are the Nokia Aktiebolag (Nokia Company) and Suomen Kumitehdas Oy (Finnish Rubber Works Ltd.).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nokia – Nokia's first century – Story of Nokia )〕 In 1865, mining engineer Fredrik Idestam established a groundwood pulp mill on the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids in the town of Tampere, in southwestern Finland.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nokia – The birth of Nokia – Nokia's first century – Story of Nokia )〕 In 1868, Idestam built a second mill near the town of Nokia, west of Tampere by the Nokianvirta River, which had better resources for hydroelectric production. In 1871, with the help of his close friend, the statesman Leo Mechelin, Idestam renamed and transformed his mills into a share company, founding the Nokia Company. Suomen Gummitehdas Oy was founded in 1898 and began manufacturing car tyres in 1932. The Hakkapeliitta tyre name was introduced in 1936,〔 and some tyres sold under the Nokian tyre name still use the Hakkapeliitta brand name. Hakkapeliitta is a (Finnish) historical term used for a Finnish light cavalryman in the service of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Hakkapeliittoja ja karoliineja )〕 In 1967, Suomen Kumitehdas Oy (originally called Suomen Gummitehdas Oy) merged with Suomen Kaapelitehdas (Finnish Cable Works) and the forest and power industry company Nokia Aktiebolag to create Nokia Corporation.〔 Nokian Tyres (which had manufactured tyres under the Nokia brand; ''Nokian'' is the genitive) was split from the Nokia Corporation when Nokian Tyres Limited was created in 1988 as a joint venture company. Nokian Tyres PLC shares were floated on the Helsinki Stock Exchange (OMX Helsinki) in 1995. Nokia, which became the largest mobile telephone manufacturer in 1998,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nokia – Leading the world – Mobile revolution – Story of Nokia )〕 ended its ownership interest in Nokian Tyres in 2003, selling its holding of 2 million shares to Bridgestone Europe NV/SA, a subsidiary of the Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone, for U.S. $73.2 million. This made Bridgestone the largest shareholder,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Expertise in Nordic Conditions )〕 with an 18.9% stake, later diluted to 16.8%.〔〔 Bridgestone announced that Nokian Tyres would be operated independently, but it would consider complementing the company's product development, testing, and distribution.〔 Production of bicycle tyres and inner tubes started in 1974 in Lieksa, Finland.〔 In 2004, Nokian Tyres sold its bicycle tyre business to Suomen Rengastehdas Oy for €3.6 million.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nokian Tyres plc Stock Exchange Announcement December 1, 2004 11 am NOKIAN TYRES BICYCLE TYRES BUSINESS TRANSACTION CONFIRMED )〕 This successor company remains one of the few manufacturers of tungsten carbide-studded snow tyres for bicycles.〔 〕 Suomen Rengastehdas continues to produce bicycle tyres, including all Nokian-branded bicycle tyres.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Suomen Kumitehdas )〕 Nokian Tyres set up a joint venture, Ordabasy – Nokian Tyres JSC, with Ordabasy Corporation JSC, a multi-industry Kazakh company, to manufacture passenger car tyres at a planned new factory in Kazakhstan. The venture started in 2007, but the manufacturing project was put on hold in early 2009.〔Company statement on occasion of publication of 2008 Annual Report.〕 Nokian Tyres was to provide technical expertise in tyre manufacturing, and the products were to be sold in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Russia, and Eastern Europe. In 2009, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta tyre model line received the "List of trademarks with a reputation" status by the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nokian Tyres」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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