Relentless product development

The Suomen Gummitehdas laboratory was established in 1920, at the initiative of technical director Antti Ahtero. Gustaf Komppa, one of the leading chemists in Finland, was also part of the factory board of directors. The facility located in Helsinki later became the Keskuskumilaboratorio (Central Rubber Laboratory) that researched raw materials and developed compounds for all the fields of business at Gummitehdas.

The tire department also conducted in-house research. Manufactured tires were actively tested by bus lines, such as the Paunu service between Tampere and Nokia, and the service to Helsinki of Leino & Kumppani. Taxi drivers were also used as test drivers for tires.

Research activities at Gummitehdas further developed especially during the exceptional conditions of World War II, with research conducted in the fields of domestic synthetic compounds and rubber dandelion cultivation.

Wonders of the tire laboratory

In the 1960s, new winter tire innovations increased the need for test driving. Taxi drivers from Tampere were used to test the durability of studs. In total, professional drivers completed over fifteen million kilometres per year in monitored field tests using tires from Nokia. The cars were inspected once a month and the drivers were interviewed at the same time.

The tire factory gained its own R&D department in September 1969. The tyre laboratory invested in three-slot testing machines that could be used to measure rolling resistance or rim attachment up to a speed of 250 kilometres per hour.

Hakkapeliittas on the track

The winter characteristics of Hakkapeliittas were measured on the 1.2-kilometre ice track on Alisenjärvi in Nokia, which was completed in 1968. The measurements were made using Peiseler equipment, but the car types varied.

The next year, the company acquired and hired its own cars and drivers. Two Saab 99 passenger cars drove approximately 1,300 kilometres per day, in two shifts. The first driving crew consisted of Pertti Niikkonen, Jaakko Aho, Matti Puuska, and Jarmo Takkinen. A total of 400,000 kilometres were accumulated each year until October 1970 when the cars were replaced by Volvos. The Tire test sign became a familiar sight in Nokia. Currently, the Nokia testing centre is the heart of summer tire product development. On the Nokia, company simulates almost all driving situations on northern roads. Demanding conditions are sought around the world, when necessary. Tests for the UHP tires intended for high-speed driving are performed on test tracks abroad.

Expert in northern conditions

Friction tires were on the upswing internationally at the end of the 1970s. Locations for testing the Hakkapeliittas in winter conditions were sought all over the country. In 1986, the company founded its own, fixed testing centre in Ivalo, north of the Arctic Circle, where R&D and testing teams as well as test divers put tires to a trial with the task of separating the best tires out of a good selection. The company is the world's leading expert in northern conditions especially due to the comprehensive and careful testing performed in Lapland.

The centre, which has expanded to over 700 hectares, is used for demanding winter testing from October to May.

The increasingly varying winter conditions required the further development of the test methods. The new generation of Hakkapeliittas underwent slush planing tests, for example, which Nokian Tyres was the first in the world to introduce in 1996.

Tailored products for different markets

Developing tires requires careful, focused planning. Different markets require their own tailored products and precision innovations. Markets and consumer groups are becoming increasingly fractured. Product development carefully follows the movements and changes of consumer needs, and tries to anticipate user wishes. The market can be convinced by offering products that have been carefully tailored for different uses and that have passed strict testing requirements.

Nokian Tyres uses about half of its R&D costs on testing products. Sufficient test results cannot be achieved under laboratory conditions alone. Therefore, Nokian Tyres tests its products under authentic conditions around the world in order to make them work flawlessly under difficult, demanding and varying conditions.

Its own test laboratory in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland, develops test winner tires that consumers around the world can rely on. Test winners are created through high-class expertise and millions of test kilometres.

The multiple test-winning Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 studded tires achieved the latest world record for the fastest car on ice, 335.713 km/h (208.602 mph).