Nexen Tire aims to improve virtual development capability

A driving simulator is set up at the Nexen UniverCITY R&D facility of Nexen Tire in Seoul. Courtesy of Nexen Tire

Nexen Tire said its virtual development capability is the firm’s next major growth engine, as an increasing number of global carmakers place stronger emphasis on the technology when awarding contracts to tire makers.

In a meeting with reporters at its research institute — Nexen UniverCITY — the firm’s chief technology officer underscored the strategy of making up for its weakness in production capacity and corporate size by enhancing its virtual development capability.

“We have to get off to a faster start than our rivals in terms of developmental efficiency, as we can no longer compete with our rivals in a conventional way,” Kim Jong-myong, chief technology officer at Nexen Tire, said during a guided tour of the facility in western Seoul.

Kim Jong-myong, chief technology officer at Nexen Tire / Courtesy of Nexen Tire

Nexen Tire hopes to focus on enhancing the overall efficiency in developing new tires by introducing relevant tools.

“The focus is now on virtual research by utilizing a series of simulation tools and artificial intelligence (AI),” he said.

Nexen Tire also spoke highly of its recent introduction of the high-dynamic driving simulator. The company is Korea’s first tire maker to have purchased the simulator.

The driving simulator tests complex driving conditions and analyzes the dynamic movement of vehicles and tires, helping the company reduce time for initial development of new tires.

“We expect the machine to help us reduce our new tire development period by 30 percent,” an official from Nexen Tire said. It typically takes some two years for the company to develop a new tire.

Nexen Tire's Nexen UniverCITY research institute / Courtesy of Nexen Tire

The driving simulator consists of hardware, software and data logging and analysis systems. It is used to validate development concept of tires in an initial stage, according to the company.

A total of 432 LED screens are set up in front of a virtual steering wheel to mimic a real-world road environment.

“Most European automakers utilize the device to sophisticate their vehicle development,” the official said. “We have also conducted practical tests by using the driving simulator with a group of global carmakers.”

An anechoic chamber, set up inside Nexen Tire's research facility in Seoul, is used to analyze tire noise and vibration. Courtesy of Nexen Tire

Nexen Tire has a total of 13 labs for its tire research and development at the facility.

In an anechoic chamber, the tire maker analyzes the noise and vibration of tires and vehicles. It takes half an hour for each tire to test the two areas. Nexen Tire tests them by exposing its tires at a driving speed of up to 250 kilometers per hour.

The carmaker also gave a tour of its tire sound quality lab where its engineers test the quality of tire sound on the road. The facility is used to conduct sound engineering tests.