“We will be implementing all our learnings of the previous years into the operations. In choosing a plant location, we consider the distance between our customers and ensure that we can keep up our supply while maintaining sufficient inventory and work on a VMI model, as we do for all the major tyre makers in Thailand. We are working on designing the process lines which will be much better in terms of product quality, environmental standards and productivity. Overall, we aim to install a world-class facility which will make working more efficient and effective in all aspects,” said Yashovardhan Chordia, Director, Rajratan Thai Wire Co ,  a 100 percent subsidiary of Rajratan Global Wire

The company had completed its brownfield expansion in March 2020, post which the national lockdown was announced. However, manufacturing revived sharply when markets re-opened, enabling Rajratan Global Wire to support and meet its customer demands with enhanced capacities. “As explained before, the China + 1 supplier need of global players coupled with the expanding demand for tyre in local and export markets is quite encouraging. It has given us the necessary confidence to go for further expansion in Thailand and a new greenfield plant in India (Chennai, Tamil Nadu). Our Chennai plant will also enable us to meet the increasing export demand owing to its proximity to the port,” explained Chordia.

National lockdown in 2020 affected the company as it did to all industries. The company’s manufacturing activities were shut for more than a month in India and took a planned shutdown for 25 days in Thailand since the demand was relatively low. However, Covid did not create any structural changes to the company’s business. “Except for the first month of the initial lockdown, demand was robust for subsequent months. We have been witnessing good opportunities to sell much bigger volumes.

Also, due to Covid and the logistics turmoil, many customers are looking at a China + 1 supplier strategy for their international business. This has consequently led to a rise in our customer base within export markets. Domestically, we also see customers increasing their buying from local sources to reduce the risk of supply shortage hampering their production, , ” said Chordia.

Rajratan Global Wire now offers bead wire to its customers from both locations – Indore and Thailand, wherever feasible – to ensure regular supplies. It has shifted a few of its export customers to India to counter the poor container availability. “There has been a reduction in the (volume) import of raw materials from China for many years, which now has reduced even further. Covid challenges allowed us to develop other alternatives timely, and these have all been streamlined now,” added Chordia.

Logistic costs have surged to new highs, and the availability of containers and drivers have been challenging. “As I explained previously, we are offering products to our customers from both locations, wherever the logistics cost is cheaper. We have also made few agreements with the shipping lines and other related parties to improve reliability, especially if the price remains unchanged. I think the cost of logistics today is high everywhere, so we are all sailing in the same boat. Over the year, there have been instances where cost went up so much that eventually customers had to explore other sources. At the same time, there are many new markets and a growing list of customers is being added at a steady rate,” said Chordia.

India is an oligopoly market with four manufacturers followed by imports. Rajratan has the largest manufacturing capacity amongst the four. The size of the Indian market currently stands at approximately 110,000 to 120,000 tonnes, including cycle tyres. Rajratan Global Wire has expanded its capacity to meet the growing requirement of domestic tyre companies which are witnessing strong local and export demand. “The capacity expansions taken up by local tyre manufacturers have given the confidence to set up a new greenfield facility in Chennai (port-based) to target the growing domestic as well as export markets,” explained Chordia.

In Thailand, Rajratan Global Wire is expanding its capacity from 40,000 TPA to 60,000 TPA to meet the local demand, otherwise impacted by the lack of bead wire supplies from manufacturers outside Thailand. “This has also provided the necessary boost to our local Thailand sales figures as we are the only local bead wire manufacturer in Thailand,” said Chordia.

Many major Chinese tyre companies have established their base in the SEA countries to avoid US traffic, and this has brought further opportunities to Rajratan Global Wire. According to Chordia, post the pandemic and due to the current logistics issues, the opportunity has become more prominent as all the tyre manufacturers in the SEA region are looking to source more locally. “We have a good opportunity as suppliers since there are six big Chinese tyre companies in Thailand, a couple of them in Vietnam and a few upcoming ones in Indonesia. We are in a sweet spot to meet the requirements of local tyre manufacturers (including Chinese tyre companies) in Thailand as well as from local tyre manufacturers in India, the two biggest tyre manufacturing markets in Asia outside China,” said the company executive.

The company focuses on several key aspects like adhesive strength, rubber coverage, elongation and tensile strength to achieve the required quality. “These are areas we continuously keep working on to improve our offerings to our customers. We at Rajratan have developed that culture of improvement, and it has been our key to whatever success we have had in business today,” added Chordia.

Rajratan Global Wire is working on digitalising and automating its operations in line with Industry 4.0 and on the sustainability front. The company aims to reduce its water consumption by 70-80 percent and use more recycled raw material (steel) to make its product. Rajratan Global Wire has also improvised on its product packing and reduced the usage of paper, wood and plastic.

Bead wire forms nearly three percent of the cost of making a tyre but is a critical product as it is instrumental in holding the tyre to the wheel’s rim. Rajratan Global Wire’s product is a critical raw material in the tyre and affects the safety factor of the tyre. The company is putting significant efforts to improve the product quality continuously. “We are always in dialogue with our customers on identifying areas of improvement to grow our presence. We manufacture the widest range of bead wire (sizes) in India,” added Chordia.

Talking about the changing bead wire technology for EV tyres, Chordia said, “From whatever we know till now from our customers, there is no major change in the use of bead wire for the EV tyres. Yes, I think their focus will be to make lighter tyres for EV. There is a possibility that this might further change the bead wire sizes and strength of the wire. I have not come across any discussion about a substitute for the existing bead wire up until now.”

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Pirelli has entered into a strategic agreement with Swedish technology firm Univrses to integrate artificial intelligence-based computer vision systems into its Cyber Tyre platform. As part of the deal, Pirelli has acquired a 30 percent stake in Univrses, with an option to increase that share to a majority holding. The collaboration will embed Univrses’ 3DAI technologies into Pirelli’s existing Cyber Tyre solutions, creating a unified system aimed at producing safer and higher performing vehicles.

The combined technology has potential applications in advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous driving. It also generates timely, actionable data for road management, helping authorities make better decisions and deploy resources more efficiently. This could lead to fewer road accidents and saved lives. The system uses onboard cameras and tyres to collect feedback on road conditions. Pirelli’s Cyber Tyre, the first integrated hardware and software system of its kind, gathers data from tyre sensors, processes it with proprietary algorithms and communicates in real time with vehicle electronics and the cloud.

Univrses originally developed its technology to help cars understand their surroundings, but it has since been adapted to turn vehicles into AI-powered road monitoring agents. The Swedish company’s 3DAI Engine provides autonomous vehicles with perception capabilities including 3D positioning, mapping and spatial deep learning. Its 3DAI system digitises roadside infrastructure using data from vehicle-mounted sensors like cameras.

A pilot project is already active in Italy. In 2025, Pirelli and the Puglia Region launched a road network monitoring system to create an updated map of infrastructure conditions. The system analyses data from tyres via the Cyber Tyre platform alongside visual data from cameras interpreted by Univrses’ technology.

Andrea Casaluci, CEO, Pirelli, said, “The agreement with Univrses further enhances our Cyber Tyre™ platform, thanks to advanced AI‑based artificial vision technologies. The collaboration between Pirelli and Univrses will make a significant contribution to the ongoing transformation of cars into true software‑defined vehicles.”

Jonathan Selbie, CEO, Univrses, said, “Continuous monitoring and data are becoming the new foundation for infrastructure asset management, and Univrses technology is able to provide powerful analytical capabilities based on reliable and frequently updated data. In this context, we are pleased to welcome Pirelli as an investor and to take our partnership to the next level: we will join forces to deliver increasingly advanced services and products.”

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ZC Rubber is preparing a major European-focused showcase at THE TIRE COLOGNE, scheduled to run from 9 to 11 June 2026. The tyre manufacturer will occupy Booth C050g in Hall 8.1, highlighting its WESTLAKE and GOODRIDE brands with a clear emphasis on products tailored specifically for regional market demands.

The display will blend imminent and future innovations. Products destined for a European launch in the latter half of 2026 will appear alongside the company’s current truck and bus radial lineup. Selected previews of developments planned for 2027 will also be on view. A featured attraction is the Westlake Sport RS2, a drift-proven ultra-high-performance tyre praised for its grip, precision and 180 treadwear rating. A renewed rubber compound, developed through work with the Red Bull Driftbrothers, now delivers steadier traction under severe driving conditions. Appearing at the stand, Red Bull Driftbrothers driver and engineer Elias Hountondji will illustrate how motorsport data directly refines ZC Rubber’s product engineering.

Additional new passenger car radial models for Europe in the second half of 2026 include the Westlake ZuperFlex Z-137, Goodride RideMax G-147, the all-season Westlake Zuper4S Z-411 and the off-road focused Westlake Terra Legend SL399 and Goodride Mud Legend SL388. On the truck and bus side, already available tyres such as the Westlake WSL2, Westlake WDL2+ and Goodride S2, D3 and D4 will be exhibited, covering steer and drive axle needs for long-haul and heavy-duty transport.

A sneak peek at 2027 offerings will feature the Westlake Z-301 commercial van tyre, Goodride All Season G-721, Goodride SnowComfort G-518 and new TBR models including the Westlake WTL2, Westlake WTR OEM and Goodride M2. ZC Rubber’s team will remain on-site throughout the event, welcoming visitors and partners to the booth for meetings and professional discussions.

Leo Liao, General Manager, ZC Rubber Europe, said, “This year’s showcase reflects a much broader and more complete portfolio for Europe. From UHP and all-season tyres to all-terrain, mud-terrain and TBR solutions, we are bringing new developments across almost every major segment. This reflects how seriously we take the European market: we are listening to local needs, investing in the right products and building a portfolio that better matches the needs of our European partners.”

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Magna Tyres has launched the MA801 TR, a new solid tyre engineered for extreme operating conditions in recycling facilities and heavy industrial settings. Designed to maximise equipment uptime while supporting high load capacities, the tyre is built to deliver dependable performance in harsh environments. The official debut of the MA801 TR will take place at IFAT 2026 in Munich, scheduled from 4 to 7 May 2026.

The new model is intended for compact wheel loaders and telescopic handlers, featuring a flat-free solid construction. Its extra-deep non‑directional tread is reinforced by a triangular structural design, which enhances traction and stability on surfaces littered with sharp debris. Available in sizes 13.00‑24 and 14.00‑24, the tyre prioritises puncture resistance and reduced maintenance needs.

Thanks to its robust architecture and deep tread profile, the MA801 TR offers an extended service life and consistent performance across demanding work cycles. By eliminating the risk of flats, Magna Tyres positions the tyre as a reliable solution for recycling and industrial operations where continuous heavy loads are standard.

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has secured validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a prominent corporate climate-action organisation, for its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets set for 2035. This endorsement confirms that the company’s goals are scientifically aligned with the standards established under the Paris Agreement. The validated targets are measured relative to the company’s 2024 emission levels.

Under the approved framework, Yokohama Rubber aims for a 63.0 percent reduction in combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, which cover direct emissions from its business activities as well as indirect emissions from purchased energy. Additionally, the company commits to a 37.5 percent cut in Scope 3 emissions, specifically targeting indirect supply chain emissions from purchased products and services, along with fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2. To achieve these reductions, Yokohama Rubber has been expanding solar power generation and renewable energy electricity at its global plants, while also disclosing indirect emissions from product distribution, use and disposal since 2013.

The company obtained SBTi validation to accelerate supply-chain-wide emission cuts in response to intensifying climate challenges. Operating under its sustainability management slogan, ‘Caring for the Future’, Yokohama Rubber continues to create shared value by tackling social issues directly through its business operations.

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