Here are my silly musings; those parts that sound smart are more or less quotes from an analyst or some other smart person/entity.
I’m not sure if Nokian Tyres is that, but quite a few people like me perhaps see the company as a bit of a controversial one, like, for example, Fortum, which has certainly been a buying opportunity for someone when the stock price has plummeted due to some scandal. Based on my impressions, I also see it as a kind of quality company that produces high-quality products.
Despite scandals and accusations, I see this company as having a fairly solid foundation, with products that are not at least bad, and at least in my bubble, the company’s products are trusted. I perceive the company as forward-thinking and future-oriented, which are great qualities that sometimes surely bring additional costs and failures, but being a pioneer has its known advantages.
The production facilities of Nokian Tyres in Finland and the United States are among the most efficient and productive tire factories in the industry. (quoted from the company’s website) The capacity of the US factory is being increased this year. The Romanian factory may open in 2025 (operating at full capacity apparently from 2027-2028 onwards), and as a layman, I expect even more from this - if for some reason this is significantly delayed, it will likely hit the stock price hard, or if it is completed ahead of schedule. I should get my own spy from the construction site of the Romanian factory and inquire for information.
I remember Porsche having problems with manufacturing and efficiency in the 90s, to some extent with supply chains, and I recall Japanese entities came in to streamline things. From what I understand, Nokian Tyres has generally succeeded in streamlining and optimizing operations in factories and supply chains for quite some time, which is likely a permanent strength. When the company reaches full capacity in a couple of years, its brand is unlikely to have been forgotten, and products can be delivered swiftly.
Many have had the thought that the brand will be forgotten and market position weakened, and the company won’t be able to price its products as desired. The market position has weakened, and one can probably assume the brand has weakened to some extent, but can it weaken that much in this time frame, and won’t the company regain its market position quite well without losing much pricing power? Apologies again for my partial speculation.
Cash flow exists, and the most important thing is in order, dividends . The company focuses on its strengths and operates meticulously without branching out, if some babble is to be believed. What I have forgotten is that the company still has a good financial situation. With its balance sheet and cash flows, I believe the company will continue to thrive in the future.
We’re waiting for the Romanian factory; I’m thinking it would be good to get in early, while others ponder how to watch the progress of the factory, etc. It seems like almost everyone has pretty much the same theses about Nokian Tyres, so have hopes already been factored into the stock price more significantly, giving the impression of a somewhat obvious good investment case.
Ending question:
Could possibly the most concerning thing for investors in Nokian Tyres be the need to wait until there is enough evidence, for example, the Romanian factory opening around 2025 and then operating at full capacity only a couple of years after that?