TTI speaks to Dr Noriaki Yukimura, vice president of advanced material at Bridgestone Americas, about his upcoming presentation at Tire Technology Expo Conference, which will take place at the Deutsche Messe in Hannover, Germany, on March 3, 4 and 5. Yukimura will give a presentation on the second day of the conference on the evolution of Bridgestone’s Enliten technology and its potential applications.
What will your presentation be about?
Enliten is a next-generation technology, revolutionizing how Bridgestone engineers tires and helping deliver customized and uncompromised tire performance while promoting a focus on enhanced sustainability. Bridgestone is already actively scouting innovation opportunities and developing new materials such as polymers, filler, resin and chemicals through co-creation with partners. In this presentation, Bridgestone will report on its latest achievements as the company pursues ultimate customization of the tire, as well as challenges faced in creating such innovative materials. Bridgestone is accelerating its efforts to engage all stakeholders and to create new value for customers and society as a whole.
How does Bridgestone identify which areas of tire technology are ready for further innovation and development, and what factors guide your collaboration with external partners?
Bridgestone has identified key priority areas by analyzing future technological innovation trends and the evolving needs of society and customers. These priorities are grounded in domains where our core strengths – such as rubber composite technology and advanced materials expertise – can create significant value and drive future growth.
As innovation increasingly requires cross‑industry collaboration, we look for partners who share our vision and can empathize with the direction Bridgestone aims for. We expect our partners to bring unique technological capabilities that enable both sides to amplify their strengths. Through such collaboration, we seek to co‑create solutions that address emerging societal challenges, enhance customer value and accelerate sustainable innovation.
What principles guide your approach to creating highly customized tire solutions for different markets or driving conditions?
We maintain a deep understanding of how tires are used in each market and what truly brings satisfaction to customers. Rather than relying solely on existing values, we continuously pursue new possibilities that can improve the customer experience. Our approach for technology development is driven by imagining real-world use scenarios and anticipating how customers will benefit from our innovations. We aim to create solutions that deliver higher value, enhance performance and contribute to a better overall mobility experience.
When integrating materials into tire design, what kinds of simulation or modeling techniques do you rely on to predict performance before prototyping?
We apply simulation technologies across multiple scales, ranging from macro‑scale FEM to analyze tire behavior to molecular‑level simulations that support advanced material development. In addition, we collaborate with Tohoku University to utilize Japan’s NanoTerasu, a 3 GeV high‑brilliance synchrotron radiation facility that enables highly precise structural analysis and accelerates our research.
Looking ahead, we aim to further enhance our technological capabilities by developing new approaches that leverage the vast amount of real‑world data accumulated through our products and operations. By combining this data with advanced artificial intelligence technologies, we seek to accelerate innovation, improve predictive performance and generate greater value for our customers and society.
What does the industry need – from legislators and stakeholders – to make sustainable choices easier and more accessible?
In the tire industry, achieving meaningful transformation is challenging for any single company, as the sector relies on a broad and complex supply chain and serves diverse global markets. For this reason, we think a collaborative, multi‑stakeholder approach is essential. We envision a system in which industry players, government bodies, NGOs and academic institutions work together to address shared challenges and accelerate innovation. Through this collective effort, the industry can advance more effectively and create greater value for society.
What key takeaways do you hope attendees will get from your presentation?
We hope attendees will gain a clear understanding of our innovation challenges and the direction Bridgestone is striving toward. Above all, we value partners who truly empathize with our vision. By working with those who share our aspirations, we aim to grow together and co‑create new customer value and social value in the future. Through such collaborative relationships, we believe we can accelerate innovation and make broader values to customer and society.
Book your conference pass to attend Yukimura’s presentation, and see the whole line-up of speakers at Tire Technology Expo Conference 2025.
You can read Tire Technology International’s full show preview here
