What is the outlook for the tire industry and where are the challenges? These are the questions that have permeated this year’s Tire Technology Expo Conference, set against a backdrop of regulatory updates from the European Commission and others.
In a fascinating presentation from Hankook yesterday, titled ‘Tire materials and technology arms race’, Guy Heywood, the company’s vice president, Europe, remarked, “We’ve got ambitions to be 100% sustainable, 100% carbon free by 2050. We’re looking at material supply, factories, all of the facets – the full lifecycle of the tire.
“But the reality is, you can be perfect in all those areas but the real impact of tires is that 80% of the carbon is produced during the tire’s use, not when it’s manufactured. Rolling resistance is so important to the efficiency of vehicles. So, if we really want to have an impact now, we have to focus on what we can do today: how can I develop sensor capabilities that can move us to a tire data and integrated solution provider building tires as a service and becoming a mobility service and solution business – that’s exactly where we need to be.
“That’s where the margin will be in the long term. If you’re a monetary supplier in the future mobility, there is no margin – the lowest-cost producer wins. So, we have to differentiate ourselves with value. It is a transition, as a lot of manufacturers can’t do that.”
With numerous discussions on sustainability and the future of tire manufacturing and design, other presentations have included Frederic Biesse, senior fellow for tire physics and modeling at Michelin, outlining the latest findings about TRWP properties and emissions; Pirelli’s talk on Lignin NR composites for high-performance sustainable tires; and Nadine Aschenbrenner, test engineer at Continental AG, discussing the challenges related to the generation of tire wear particles indoors.
Bridgestone’s presentation on its Enliten technology was another highlight, showing how it is enabling sustainability as a tire performance attribute. Elsewhere, Apollo Tyres spoke on experimental validation of exterior tire noise, and the stream on advances in manufacturing, including AI, Industry 4.0 and sustainability, featured contributions from HF and VMI.
The Smart Tires – Innovation and Ecosystem stream opened with a presentation from Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ Dr Toshio Tada, who provided a glimpse into the company’s innovative concept for a future mobile society – Active Tread – and how it benefits autonomous vehicles and sustainability. The Smart Tires stream is being moderated by Riccardo Giovannotti from GDSO and features presentations from the organization’s members. Representing Michelin, Hélène Bathias, initiative leader – connected solutions, and Jérémy Vayssettes, development program leader for connected mobility, presented the company’s software-based solutions for car makers, with algorithms and over-the-air updates for any kind of tire. Michelin has eight speakers at the conference this year, presenting a variety of topics including recycling end-of-life tires, connecting tires through a circular economy and TRWP.
Day 3 will see Cecilie Olsen, CMO and leader of the sustainability and ethics committee at reTyre, speaking on driving sustainability and enabling new materials in manufacturing, and Kanwar Bharat Singh, program manager for algorithms and software engineering at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, discussing the provision of tire intelligence for next-generation software-defined vehicles.
See the program for the full schedule.
Tire Technology Expo is running at the Deutsche Messe in Hannover, Germany on March 19, 20 & 21, 2024. Click here to register for your free expo pass.
