Leading global tire manufacturer Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook Tire) has announced that it received Ford’s 2025 QR ZERO Award at a ceremony held on March 25 at its headquarters, Technoplex, located in Pangyo (Seongnam-si), Gyeonggi-do Province, reaffirming its world-class competitiveness in quality.

The QR ZERO Award is Ford’s highest distinction for quality. It is reserved for global partners that have delivered flawless product quality over the past year, such as achieving zero part rejections and zero warranty claims.

This recognition is particularly significant, as it represents Ford’s endorsement of Hankook Tire’s world-class quality management system and product development capabilities. The award-winning Hankook Tire plant in Geumsan currently supplies original equipment tires for Ford’s best-selling pickup, the F-150. Thanks to its advanced technological capabilities and exceptional product quality, the plant became the first among Hankook Tire’s eight global production sites to receive the QR ZERO Award. Hankook Tire has also implemented a “quality first” strategy based on big data-driven quality management systems and artificial intelligence.

As the first Asian tire manufacturer to establish a strategic partnership with Ford (in 1999), Hankook Tire has built a strong and lasting relationship of trust with the automaker and has been supplying original equipment tires for the F-150 since 2003. This long-standing collaboration has enabled Hankook Tire to equip a wide range of Ford’s flagship models, including the Mustang, Explorer, Ranger, Focus, and Mondeo. More recently, the company has also supplied original equipment tires for Ford’s all-electric SUV, the Mustang Mach-E, once again demonstrating its global leadership in electric vehicle tire technology.

Guided by the technological innovation philosophy of Hyunbum Cho, Chairman of Hankook & Company Group, Hankook Tire continues to lead the global tire industry through the implementation of an integrated quality and technology management system. This system is supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, including its headquarters, Technoplex, the Hankook Technodome R&D center, and Asia’s largest tire testing facility, Hankook Technoring, ensuring consistent mass production of high-quality products across its eight global manufacturing plants.

Furthermore, Hankook Tire has obtained Ford’s Q1 certification for all eight of its global manufacturing plants — from its Daejeon facility in 2000 to its Hungary plant in 2024 — once again demonstrating its advanced technological capabilities and competitiveness in quality. The Q1 certification is awarded only to partners that meet Ford’s rigorous standards in quality, production systems, and technological innovation, and is considered a key benchmark of excellence for tire manufacturers.

Hankook Tire will continue to advance technological innovation through ongoing investments in R&D and its cutting-edge infrastructure, with the goal of expanding its premium driving experience to more than 40 global automotive brand partners, including Ford.