Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook Tire) announced on the 13th that it has halted operations at its Daejeon plant due to a fire.
The entire Daejeon plant, including the 2nd plant where the fire occurred, has stopped operations. The date for resuming production is currently undecided.
On the morning of the 13th, thick smoke from a fire at the Hankook Tire factory in Moksang-dong, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, covered the nearby village, causing citizens to move away with pained expressions. The company stated, "A fire broke out in the curing plant within the Daejeon plant, leading us to suspend production. We are currently investigating the cause and extent of the damage, and all employees including management are making efforts to minimize losses through prompt accident response and recovery."
The curing process involves molding tire semi-finished products and then heating them. The fire started in this process area and spread to the logistics building and raw material plant. The fire department issued a level 3 response and extinguished the main flames after 13 hours of firefighting.
The company operates plants domestically in Daejeon and Geumsan, and overseas in China, Hungary, Indonesia, and the United States. About two-thirds of the products manufactured at domestic plants are exported overseas. The Daejeon plant accounts for approximately 20% of the company's total production. It is reported that 400,000 tires stored in the logistics building were burned. The plant shutdown is expected to cause supply disruptions to major automobile manufacturers.
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