Black Donuts CEO Kai Hauvala and Nemus business unit CTO Antti Laukkanen explain how the company has become a valued partner to the tire industry, employing state-of-the-art technologies and approaches to develop new production processes and materials – as well as partnering with major players from across the sector in the design of new tires.

They also highlight how Black Donuts can work with customers on their existing facilities to optimize processes and maximize capacities – giving their partners the tools they need to meet the ever-evolving challenges of a dynamic industry.

Laukkanen also highlights how new bio-based and sustainable materials developed by Black Donuts can help tire manufacturers replace fossil fuel-based materials without having to change their production processes.

Continue reading VIDEO | Black Donuts’ Kai Hauvala and Antti Laukkanen explain how they became a one-stop shop for the tire industry at Tire Technology International.

Tire Technology Expo 2026, held on March 3-5 in Hannover, Germany, cemented its reputation as the leading global event for tire design, development and manufacturing. The three-day show brought together top industry players, suppliers and researchers to discuss the latest technological advances and regulatory challenges shaping the future of the tire industry. From groundbreaking product launches on the show floor to thought-provoking conference discussions about the most important and complex issues affecting the tire industry, the expo reflected the sector’s push toward sustainability, efficiency and digitalization.

Exhibition highlights

The exhibition floor featured innovation and high-performance solutions from all 240+ exhibitors.

Continue reading SHOW REVIEW: Tire Technology Expo 2026 at Tire Technology International.

Founded in 2003, Quechen Silicon Chemical has turned its attention to the development and production of rice-husk-ash silica in recent years, in response to increasing demand from tire makers for sustainable, bio-based materials. Interviewed at Quechen’s booth at Tire Technology Expo, foreign trade department director Tim Shu and key customer manager Jessica Xiao tell Tire Technology International about the company’s renewable products and its plans for expansion worldwide.

“In recent years, we have seen that the global community is greatly concerned about carbon neutrality,” said Shu. “We are trying to make our own effort to contribute more for the planet.”

Watch the video to learn more.

Continue reading VIDEO | Quechen Silicon Chemical’s Jessica Xiao and Tim Shu explain why the company is focused on rice-husk-ash silica at Tire Technology International.

Mithun Nagabhairava is principal director for data science & AI at Rockwell Automation. He shares some really interesting insights with Tire Technology International during this interview at Tire Technology Expo 2026 (March 3-5), including why the industry has been hesitant to adopt AI and how Rockwell Automation is implementing AI in its automation processes.

“The tire industry has had a more cautious approach to AI than many other sectors and it’s actually well justified,” he says. “Modern AI systems are inherently probabilistic in nature. The outcomes they generate are based on statistical likelihood rather than deterministic guarantees.

Continue reading VIDEO | Rockwell Automation’s Mithun Nagabhairava talks about best practice for using AI in the tire industry at Tire Technology International.

Speaking with Tire Technology International at Cheeshine‘s booth at Tire Technology Expo 2026, the company’s senior business director, Yubin Wu, extols the virtues of the many bio-based materials in the company’s portfolio. These include rice husk ash silica, modified natural rubber, modified cashew nut shell oil and modified vegetable oils as plasticizers, modified terpene resin and modified rosin resin.

Watch the video to find out more!

Click here to register for your FREE pass to Tire Technology Expo 2026 or here to register for your Tire Technology Expo Conference pass. The event runs from March 3-5 at Deutsche Messe in Hannover, Germany

Continue reading VIDEO | Cheeshine’s Yubin Wu on the advantages of the company’s bio-based materials at Tire Technology International.

The technical innovations and expert insights keep on coming at Tire Technology Expo, where visitors are thronging the halls on Day 2 of Europe’s most influential trade event for tire manufacturing technology and materials. Read on to get just a taste of what’s been grabbing their attention today. 

Ecopower spotlights innovative silane and functional resin solutions
Ecopower is showcasing its latest advances in sulfur-containing silane coupling agents, silane polymers and functional resins, designed to enhance tire performance and sustainability. The company’s new generation of silane coupling agents provides superior filler-polymer interaction, improving abrasion resistance, wet grip and durability while reducing rolling resistance and heat build-up. 

Continue reading EXPO NEWS: New tech and expert insights keep coming on Day 2 of Tire Technology Expo at Tire Technology International.

One of the highlights of this year’s Tire Technology Expo Conference has been Andreas Topp’s thought-provoking presentation on the development of tires for AVs. With commercial operation of AVs really kicking off in the US and China, particularly, Continental is developing tires to meet the specific needs of vehicles in each region. What is required, Topp says, is a flexible technical toolbox to create bespoke, tailored solutions that satisfy not only the unique technical requirements of autonomous vehicles but also the classical needs of fleets.

“If you look at AV needs and fleet needs, you find out that a fleet application in a certain region has very specific needs,” he explains.

Continue reading VIDEO | Continental’s Dr Andreas Topp on developing tires for autonomous vehicles at Tire Technology International.

Fresh from their Day 1 presentation at the Tire Technology Expo Conference in Hannover, Germany, Bridgestone’s head of end-of-life tire and circular economy, Marco Musaio, and Bridgestone Americas’ principal applied researcher for sustainability and circular economy, Marcela Castaño, talk Tire Technology International through the company’s path to circularity on a global level and the importance of mass balance.

Musaio explains, “Each market might have its peculiarity, which requires an ecosystem with a different pathway. Of course, there is knowledge sharing among projects, but nevertheless, there is a uniqueness that we need to tackle at regional level.”

Castaño adds, “In our journey to sustainability, we are highlighting the long-term vision and what we are doing to enable that ecosystem development.

Continue reading VIDEO | Bridgestone’s Marco Musaio and Marcela Castaño talk about circularity and mass balance at Tire Technology International.

Sustainability and heavy manufacturing have long had a strained relationship, shaped by scale, cost pressures and the technical demands of industrial production. While scientists and engineers work to decarbonize complex processes, greenwashing has seeped into industry rhetoric, undermining trust in legitimate sustainable alternatives. However, in tire manufacturing, recovered carbon black (rCB) sits apart from this rhetoric.

“rCB is not carbon black; it is a new type of material,” stated Prof. Jorge Lacayo-Pineda, head expert in materials evaluation at Continental Tires, during his presentation at the Tire Technology Expo Conference today.

In ‘Identification of rCB in cured rubber compounds,’ Prof.

Continue reading EXPO NEWS: “rCB is not carbon black; it is a new type of material” at Tire Technology International.

Talking to Tire Technology International on the show floor at Tire Technology Expo 2026, Comerio Ercole’s Riccardo Comerio and Alessio Ceriani discuss how the 140-year-old calendering and mixing company works with customers to improve their skills and knowledge and build machines that meet their specific requirements. “It’s important that we supply new machines but it’s very important to establish a very long cooperation with our end customers,” explains Ceriani.

The executives go on to report that the company’s constant investment in innovation is what keeps them ahead of the competition. In 2025, Comerio Ercole invested around 2.5% of its sales in R&D.

Continue reading VIDEO | Comerio Ercole’s Riccardo Comerio and Alessio Ceriani discuss how the company stays relevant after 140 years in business at Tire Technology International.