Hankook Tire signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on April 16 with UB1st, a leading Korean fleet management service provider. In cooperation with UB1st, Hankook Tire plans to expand its vehicle management services, using real-time vehicle data to enhance their ability to develop tire technology and improve fleet services.

UB1st, a leader in Korean fleet management, operates various vehicle management services, including ‘UbiKhan’, a telematics service with 100,000 registered vehicles including commercial vehicles and passenger cars.

Hankook and UB1st have been very committed to this partnership. This will be another step Hankook will be taking toward its digital transformation to lead the industry as an innovative player.

— Hosung Suh, Senior VP and Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Hankook Tire

The two companies aim to create a new type of fleet management service by combining Hankook Tire’s offline service capabilities, i.e. Korea’s largest commercial tire store TBX, with vehicle data collected by UB1st’s platforms, such as UbiKhan.

Hankook Tire is expected to launch a premium tire management service targeting UbiKhan users among TBX’s customers in the second half of the year. Customers visiting Hankook Tire’s commercial vehicles and passenger car sales channels can experience UB1st’s vehicle accessories such as UbiKhan, black boxes, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) and DTG (digital tachograph).

The synergy between the two companies will lead to development of differentiated service and distribution capabilities from other tire manufacturers and fleet management companies.