Nokian Tyres Hires Andy Abas as Quality Manager at Dayton Factory

DAYTON, Tenn. – Nokian Tyres has hired experienced tire engineer and leader Andy Abas to serve as Senior Quality Manager at its North American factory in Dayton, Tennessee. Abas succeeds Marcus Hancock, who now serves as Senior Manager of Research and Development for Nokian Tyres North America.

Abas will oversee the Dayton Factory’s rigorous quality efforts, including laboratory testing, inspections and continuous process improvement aimed at meeting the company’s high production standards.

A 26-year veteran of the tire industry, Abas’ career includes quality management and engineering roles at several tire manufacturers. Most recently, he served as Technical and Quality Director at Yokohama’s factory in West Point, Mississippi, where he led six technical departments that included Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Tire Engineering, Product Industrialization, Compound Engineering and Process Engineering.

“We are glad to welcome an experienced leader like Andy to spearhead our quality efforts,” said Dayton Factory Operations Director David Korda. “Our factory is part of the foundation for our growth in North America, and Andy has the expertise we need to continue making reliable, safe tires that meet the highest standards of excellence.”

Nokian Tyres delivers millions of all-season, all-weather and all-terrain tires per year from its Southeast Tennessee campus to tire shops throughout the United States and Canada. In 2020, Nokian Tyres earned ISO 9001 certification at the factory less than a year after it opened, signifying strong processes, customer satisfaction and continual improvement. The Dayton Factory is the first tire production facility in the world to earn LEED v4 Silver certification, a testament to its sustainability and efficiency.

Former quality manager Marcus Hancock served in the role since 2023 before accepting the opportunity last month to help establish Nokian Tyres’ research and development presence in North America. The company sells several products exclusively in North America, including the all-season Nokian Tyres One and One HT, the all-weather Remedy WRG5 and the all-terrain Outpost family.