Premium tyre manufacturer Hankook Tire’s associate brand Laufenn is celebrating 10-year milestone of the brand’s presence in Europe.

The brand started with passenger car tyres since 2015 and added commercial vehicle treads to its portfolio five years later. Laufenn today boasts market presence in over 100 countries, offering passenger car tyres in 341 sizes along with a commercial vehicle portfolio of 18 sizes. Hankook intends to boost marketing expenditures in order to raise awareness of its Laufenn brand. In addition, a new generation of passenger car treads for the summer and winter will soon be introduced. Laufenn will increase its market share and supply original equipment tyres to a European automaker in 2025, in addition to its current offering in the passenger car replacement market. Laufenn has also been an official sponsor of the UEFA Europa Conference League since the 2021/22 season, further emphasising its position in strategically important sales markets.

Laufenn first made its foray into the market with performance and touring summer tyres for passenger automobiles. The X Fit Van summer tyre for SUVs and passenger vehicles, as well as the i Fit, the first winter tyre for SUVs and passenger cars in Western and Central Europe, came next. The i Fit ICE, a studded winter tyre for passenger automobiles and SUVs, marked Laufenn's entry into the Northern and Eastern European markets over the ensuing time frame. All-season tyres are now part of the range in addition to summer and winter tyres. Laufenn unveiled the improved summer tyres S FIT EQ+ and G FIT EQ+ in 2020. Laufenn's total market share in Europe has increased fourfold since its launch.

Laufenn is also commemorating a significant milestone in the commercial vehicle tyre industry: the company has been providing truck, bus, and trailer treads throughout Europe for five years. In 2025, the 18 sizes that are now available in the commercial vehicle portfolio will be expanded to include additional sizes, beginning with the trailer tyres LF95 and LR02, which are 265/70 R19.5.

In an effort to further innovate the truck market, Laufenn is this year launching ‘Laufenn365’, a new digital platform that will make it easier to resolve unintentional damage claims for the company's commercial vehicle tyres and provide clients with additional insurance against unforeseen expenses. Initially, this platform will be available in the United Kingdom. Laufenn intends to reach further European markets with its smart product and tyre warranty. The launch of another affiliate brand, Optimo, is a recent illustration of Hankook's strategic brand growth. Optimo serves a market niche with increasing demand for passenger automobiles and enhances Hankook's sibling and premium brands.

Jongho Park, President and Chief Operating Officer, Hankook Tire Europe, said, “With our associate brand Laufenn, we offer tyres that deliver excellent value for money without compromising on safety, reliability and quality. Customers benefit from the many years of experience of the Hankook brand and get a product that meets the highest standards. This allows us to create a win-win situation in every respect.”

Jang Hyuk Moon, Vice President – Marketing Department, Hankook Tire Europe, said, “Laufenn has established itself as a strong associate brand to Hankook with a steadily expanding portfolio and growing international presence. The brand will continue to focus on quality and customer relationships in order to further build on its success.”

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Tana Oy, a Finnish environmental technology company specialising in manufacturing mobile solid waste shredders, screens and landfill compactors, has unveiled a new digital tool called Tana Wingman, designed as an operator assistant for its line of TANA shredders. The system transmits live hopper camera footage and real-time equipment metrics directly to machine operators, with the stated goals of improving on-site safety and boosting processing efficiency. This digital assistant allows for more attentive monitoring of the shredding action and faster reactions to fluctuating feed conditions.

The solution is available as an optional upgrade for TANA Hammerhead and TANA Shark models, merging visual oversight with performance data on a tablet interface positioned inside the loading machine. Operators gain immediate access to critical readings without exiting their cabin, which promotes quicker judgments, consistent material flow and a safer work environment. A notable feature is its self-contained design, as Tana Wingman functions entirely on-site without relying on cloud servers or an internet link, keeping all data local.

This release strengthens Tana’s wider strategy of delivering smarter waste management through connected machinery, embedding practical intelligence directly into daily operations. By adding this tool to its digital suite, the company continues to focus on practical, machine-level enhancements rather than cloud-dependent solutions.

Retrofit kits are available for existing D series TANA Hammerhead and TANA Shark shredders, while new machines can receive the system during production. The setup uses a local Wi-Fi connection between the shredder and any commercial Android tablet running the Tana Wingman application, downloadable from the Google Play Store, with no need for proprietary hardware. Among the reported benefits are superior hopper visibility, fewer interruptions to leave the cabin, safer feeding practices, reduced risk of loader damage, transparent production capacity readouts and fully localised operation. Further details are accessible through authorised Tana distributors.

Petteri Tiainen, Product Marketing Manager – Digital Solutions, Tana Oy, said, “Tana Wingman gives operators immediate access to the information they need exactly where they need it. By combining a live hopper view with machine data, it supports faster decision-making, smoother material flow and safer day-to-day operation.”

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Citira, a Sweden-based company specialising in circular tyre management, has reached an agreement to acquire the Swedish truck and bus maintenance firm Malte Månson from the private equity group Accent Equity. The combination of Citira’s tyre expertise with Malte Månson’s vehicle servicing is designed to create a convenient, full-service offering for heavy vehicle fleets initially in Sweden, with further expansion planned across Europe.

For 108 years, Malte Månson has operated as a renowned independent maintenance partner for truck and bus operators throughout Sweden. The company has established a strong reputation for reliable day-and-night service, comprehensive drivetrain and ancillary equipment repairs and a warm customer approach. In 2025, the firm reported revenues of SEK 773 million (approximately USD 82.31 million).

The transaction remains subject to standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals, with finalisation expected in the third quarter of 2026. Following the deal, Staffan Lindewald and his fellow members of the management team are set to become co-owners of Citira.

David Boman, CEO, Citira, said, “Together with Malte, we can build a unique service offering for heavy vehicle fleets and users, delivering convenient and sustainable uptime, with only one point of contact for the customer. I am deeply impressed by the high-calibre team at Malte, which will be an excellent fit with our network of tyre shops.”

Staffan Lindewald, CEO, Malte Månson, said, “Citira felt like a natural fit for Malte. We share a position as an independent service-focused challenger. We share the same type of heavy vehicle customers for which we provide complementary services. With Citira, we can reach more customers, provide additional services to our existing ones and accelerate Malte’s growth journey.”

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Epsilon Carbon Pvt. Ltd., a leading global manufacturer of carbon black, speciality carbon and coal tar downstream products, has been recertified under the Responsible Care programme by the Indian Chemical Council, with the certification valid through March 2029. The recertification applies to the company’s integrated manufacturing complex in Vijayanagar, Karnataka, recognised as one of India’s largest fully backward integrated carbon complexes. This facility has an annual capacity of 215,000 tonnes of carbon black and 220,000 tonnes of speciality carbon.

Responsible Care represents the global chemical industry’s leading voluntary initiative, focusing on safe chemical management throughout the product lifecycle. The programme has helped Epsilon Carbon embed safety and responsibility into daily operations, employee training and cross-functional decisions, moving beyond mere regulatory compliance.

For customers, partners and investors, the recertification offers third-party verification of operational integrity from raw material handling to product dispatch. Many industrial manufacturers accept Responsible Care certification as a sufficient global standard, and Epsilon Carbon has secured long-term supply contracts as a preferred supplier, reinforcing trust regardless of the company’s growth scale.

Gaurav Mathur, Chief Executive Officer, Epsilon Carbon, said, "We adopted Responsible Care early in our journey, well before it was a norm for a company of our scale. At that time, our focus was on building it right, not doing it quickly. That discipline has shaped our safety culture, our systems and the trust we have built with global customers and financial partners. As we expand into Odisha and grow our product portfolio, this recertification is a signal that our commitment to responsible operations continues to scale alongside our ambitions."

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Bridgestone has launched a new range of underground mining tyres engineered to perform in extremely harsh conditions, enabling greater productivity with fewer resources. The VMNT, VMDL and VMMS products are specifically designed for underground applications, where abrasive rock, high moisture and continuous operations create one of the toughest environments for tyres.

All three models debut Bridgestone’s Subterranean technology, allowing haulers to carry heavier loads without raising inflation pressure. This innovation also lowers the risk of cuts, penetrations and costly downtime. The tyres form part of the company’s Moving More with Less philosophy, balancing higher capacity, durability and safety to help operators maximise output underground.

The tyres reduce penetrations by enveloping rocks instead of allowing them to cut into the rubber while preserving grip and operator comfort. The VMNT offers extended wear life for underground haulers, the VMDL uses a unique lug pattern for traction on load and haul dump machines and the VMMS features a smooth grooveless design where traction comes from terrain contact, plus cut-resistant sidewalls. Available sizes include 26.5 R25, 29.5 R29 and 35/65 R33.

This release strengthens Bridgestone’s off-road tyre portfolio and reinforces its commitment to innovative solutions that improve productivity, durability and safety in specialised global applications.

Rob Cole, Key Account Manager – Off Road Tyres, UK and Ireland, Bridgestone, said, “These tyres are specifically designed for the harshest terrains that you’ll ever come across. Underground mines are among the most demanding and challenging environments imaginable. The beauty of these tyres is that they can carry 15 percent extra load capacity without increasing the pressure. Traditionally, the thinking in this sector was to make the casing stronger and simply put more air into the tyre to carry more load. In reality, that can be counterproductive in these conditions.

“If a tyre fails underground, it can fail with a tremendous amount of force, costing operators huge amounts of money in downtime and, more importantly, potentially endangering life. The machines themselves are getting heavier, so the tyre beads have also been strengthened to help carry more load safely and effectively. What Bridgestone has developed here is a tyre range capable of handling the severe realities of underground mining while helping operators move more with less.”

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