Hankook and the Global Tire Industry in 2016

The case describes the development of the South Korean tire company Hankook and its strategic challenges as it seeks to get into the ‘top five’ global tiremakers. Information on global industry dynamics, the segmentation of the market, industry economics and key competitors is provide by the case “Michelin in China in 2016”. The Hankook case may be used in conjunction with others in the series on Bridgestone, Continental Tire and Apollo Tyres that describe different business models and strategies in the global tire industry.

The case series enables discussion of the drivers of industry globalization and the development of competitive advantage and strategy in a global setting. Hankook has emerged as the leader of the Asian challengers to established players such as Michelin and Bridgestone. The case series allows an in-depth analysis of the globalization of markets and competition, supply chain and ecosystem dynamics in a global setting, strategy models of the new competitiors, and the strategic challenges facing Western companies in maintaining their market prominence and performance.