Hankook Tire announced plans for its 8th global manufacturing plant which will be located in Clarksville, Tenn.

Hankook will invest over $800 million for the new plant, its first the United States. The new plant will provide additional capacity for Hankook’s growing business in the U.S. market and create approximately 1,800 fulltime jobs for the region. Hankook is expected to break ground on the new plant by the end of 2014 and begin tire production by 2016.

“This new facility will help Hankook Tire accomplish our plan to establish a production base in all major markets,” said Seung Hwa Suh, vice chairman and CEO of Hankook Tire.

"Initially, passenger car and light truck radials will be produced at the plant," Hankook spokesman Henry Kopacz told Truckinginfo.com. When asked whether that left the door open for commercial truck tires to eventually be produced there, he had no comment.

Hankook is the second tire company to recently make a move to bring tire production to the U.S., with Yokohama last month breaking ground on its plant in Mississippi. Read the recent article here.