The Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence for this year have been presented at the Tire Technology Expo in Deutsche Messe. 

The awards, which were coordinated by Tire Technology International magazine, were split into seven dedicated categories and officiated by a panel of international journalists and industry experts, a press release said.  

Bekaert’s BeCoFree – a next-generation tyre cord coating that will enable tyre manufacturers to produce high performance tyres without the need to use any cobalt (or elements of similar concerns) bagged the Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year Award. 

With sustainability an ever-increasing focus for tyre makers and suppliers, the Environmental Achievement of the Year Award was a fiercely contested category. Recent years have seen the trophy awarded to those leading the way in environmentally conscious development, and the 2022 jury opted to recognise a collaboration between Bridgestone, Arlanxeo and Solvay, the release pointed out.  

TechSyn is a co-developed tyre technology platform which combines chemically optimised synthetic rubber with tailormade silica, interacting at a molecular level, to deliver improved performance with fewer trade-offs. 

SRI won the Tire Technology of the Year Award for its HSBR – Hydrogenated Styrene-Butadiene Rubber. Judges were impressed by the advanced research on display, using synchrotron as well as supercomputing facilities, the release said. In particular, molecular dynamics simulation revealed that chemical reactions coupled with mechanical deformation exacerbates wear performance throughout mechanochemical reactions. 

The Tire Industry Supplier of the Year Award was presented to Mesnac, one of the tyre industry’s most recognisable and widely regarded suppliers. Judges pointed out a number of reasons in their comments, including the company’s willingness to invest in facilities and innovation, adapting its product offering to meet the needs of the modern tyre industry. 

The Tire Manufacturer of the Year Award sees the world’s biggest tyre makers going head-to-head for the top spot. This category was, as always, a hotly contested one, with all shortlisted finalists having their admirers on the jury panel. When the scores were tallied, it was Continental who claimed first place, marking the third time the tyre maker has won this award. 

Bernd Korte, Vice President, Platform Development & Industrialization, Continental, said, “We are very honoured to receive this year’s Tire Manufacturer of the Year Award. It motivates our entire company to continue on the path we have chosen, to continuously invest in the development of our tyres and to make a significant contribution to a safe, cost-effective and environmentally friendly mobility.” 

The Young Scientist Award for 2022 was given to Marco Furlan, a PhD student at Loughborough University. The award’s jury – which is separate to the five central categories – selected Furlan and his work, “Real-time friction estimation using neural networks”. 

Head juror Jan Prins said, “Marco's presentation was rated the best overall due to the interesting content, presenting a very practical approach to a complex problem, with a smooth delivery of a high-quality, well-structured PowerPoint presentation, including extensive use of helpful animations.” 

As well as recognising the impressive achievements of manufacturers and suppliers, the awards are an opportunity to highlight the achievements of remarkable individuals within the industry. One such individual is Bo Persson, winner of the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. In perhaps the most telling endorsement of Persson’s contribution to the tyre industry over his decades-long career, he was independently suggested by several of his peers, each keen for him to receive the recognition his contemporaries feel he deserves. 

Persson is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of friction, tribology, adhesion and contact mechanics of rubbers and rubber-like soft matter, and one of the most widely cited experts in the tyre industry. After receiving his PhD in 1980, Persson went to work at FZ Jülich. In 1983-84, he spent 1.5 years as a postdoc at the IBM research lab in Yorktown Heights in upstate New York. In 1987, he spent another year as visiting scientist at the IBM research lab in Zurich. He has his own consulting company, MultiscaleConsulting, and works mainly with tyre companies and medical companies. In tribology, Persson regards his most important paper as his 2000 work on contact mechanics for viscoelastic solids with random roughness. 

Persson said, “I wrote this paper a few weeks after I started consulting with Pirelli about rubber friction. This work turned out to be very fundamental and I have spent 20 years working out different applications of this theory. That insight has kept me occupied for 20 years!” 

The 2022 awards have seen some remarkable examples of innovation and collaboration, made all the more impressive given the challenges of the last few years. 

Matt Ross, Editor-in-chief of Tire Technology International and chairman of the awards, said, “Like other industries across the world, the tyre business has faced some extra challenges over the last two years. So, it’s all the more important to recognize these examples of world-leading innovation and industry-defining contributions to tire development. Obviously, the winners of these awards have all won over the judges, but it’s also important to point out just how impressed the panel was with the caliber of entry from all the shortlisted entrants – there were no easy decisions this year, and the winners deserve many congratulations.” (TT)

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Chinese tyre manufacturer Linglong Tire has won its first quality award from Germany’s Automobile Club (AvD), marking a breakthrough for Chinese brands in European automotive testing as the industry faces mounting competition.

The company’s Sport Master 4S tyre claimed victory in the price-performance category of AvD's 2025 all-season tyre test, scoring 4.1 out of 5 points in the 205/45 R17 size category. The result saw Linglong beat eight models from established manufacturers in the value-for-money assessment.

“This test victory proves the high quality of our products, confirms our excellent development work in Europe and China, and underlines that high quality and an attractive price are very compatible,” said Wolf Fuder, head of marketing at Linglong in Europe.

The victory represents a significant milestone for Linglong, currently ranked 14th globally amongst tyre manufacturers. The AvD noted that the result demonstrates how “Chinese manufacturers are quickly catching up in terms of quality -- not only in the automotive sector, but also in the tyre sector.”

Linglong has been expanding its European presence through its Serbian manufacturing facility in Zrenjanin, which produces over 14 million tyres annually. The plant forms part of the company’s strategy to serve

The Sport Master 4S tyre underwent development at Linglong’s European development centre in Hanover and testing in Spain, China and Finland. The company said the tyre features a directional V-shaped tread pattern designed for enhanced grip on wet and snowy surfaces, whilst an innovative silica compound aims to reduce rolling resistance and noise.

Linglong’s European operations have been central to its global expansion strategy as Chinese tyre manufacturers seek to establish credibility in developed markets.

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JK Tyre & Industries has promoted a senior finance executive to commercial director and reshuffled management responsibilities as part of organisational changes.

The Indian tyre manufacturer said Sanjiv Saxena, previously senior vice president for corporate accounts, has been elevated to commercial director with immediate effect. Saxena will join the company’s senior management team and oversee supply chain operations, material procurement and liaison activities.

Saxena, a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, brings more than 38 years of experience in finance, corporate accounts and direct and indirect taxation to his new role. He has participated in various leadership and management programmes at academic institutions.

The company also announced that Ashish Pandey, currently senior vice president for materials, has been redesignated as senior vice president for off-highway tyres (OHT) and outsourcing. Pandey will remain part of the senior management team and will now be responsible for all highway tyres business, outsourcing operations and coordination for the company’s Mexico operations.

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Mercedes-AMG and Michelin have successfully completed a gruelling endurance run at Italy’s Nardò Technical Center, driving the circumference of the Earth – 40,075 kilometres – in under eight days. The CONCEPT AMG GT XX, a precursor to next year’s production AMG.EA electric architecture, maintained an average speed of 300 kmph throughout the challenge, showcasing its advanced drivetrain technologies.

An equally critical component of this achievement was a groundbreaking new tyre developed by Michelin. To withstand the extreme stresses of sustained high-speed driving, the company’s R&D centre created the MICHELIN Pilot Sport 5 energy. This high-performance tyre is the result of five years of research, utilising advanced dynamic simulation and unique manufacturing processes. Its innovative tread features a dual-rubber architecture: an energy-saving compound on the outer sides to reduce consumption and a central adaptive compound to maximise dry and wet grip. This design ensured consistent performance and exceptional energy efficiency, minimising the need for recharges throughout the record attempt.

Fitted with integrated RFID chips for real-time monitoring, these specially sized tyres were supported by an extensive onsite technical effort from Michelin. Engineers provided 24/7 support and monitoring, while dedicated teams worked around the clock to manage fitting and replacements on the demanding 12.6-kilometre banked track.

This endurance record underscores the strategic, 30-year partnership between Mercedes-AMG and Michelin, built on a shared commitment to extreme performance and innovation. It also demonstrates Michelin’s capacity to develop tailor-made, cutting-edge solutions for demanding manufacturers, accelerating the arrival of these advanced technologies for drivers worldwide.

Serge Lafon President of the automotive original equipment business line at Michelin, said, “Congratulations to Mercedes-AMG for this symbolic endurance record, to which Michelin is proud to have actively contributed. This circumnavigation in under eight days by the CONCEPT AMG GT XX is a striking demonstration of the possibilities of innovation: tyres capable of delivering both performance and energy efficiency, from the first to the last mile. This success takes on its full meaning on the eve of the commercial launch of the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport 5 energy range. This will benefit directly from the technologies validated in the field, such as the never-before-seen dual-rubber architecture on the tread. This challenge illustrates Michelin’s commitment to turn its sporting challenges into innovation accelerators for mobility that is ever more sustainable.”

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In a strategic move to advance its digital mobility services, Sumitomo Rubber Industries has finalised an agreement to acquire US-based AI startup Viaduct, Inc. for USD 104 million. This acquisition, signed on 27 August, is a direct result of a successful existing partnership and is designed to rapidly accelerate the global deployment of Sumitomo’s predictive maintenance solutions.

The collaboration centres on integrating Sumitomo’s proprietary SENSING CORE tyre sensing technology with Viaduct’s sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms. This powerful combination will form the foundation of a new predictive maintenance service for corporate fleet vehicles in North America, scheduled to launch in October. The service is intended to minimise vehicle downtime and maintenance expenses by accurately forecasting the optimal time for parts replacement, thereby preventing breakdowns and enhancing operational safety and efficiency. The platform is also expected to expand into streamlining parts ordering and providing automated work instructions.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Viaduct brings proven expertise in analysing large-scale data from vehicles and manufacturing environments to detect anomalies and diagnose their root causes. While the company has a strong history with major automotive clients, its versatile AI technology offers potential for expansion into other industrial sectors.

This acquisition represents a critical step in Sumitomo Rubber’s broader ‘SMART TYRE CONCEPT’, which aims to address the evolving demands of next-generation mobility, including connected and autonomous vehicles. The company envisions developing its SENSING CORE-based services into a fourth core business pillar, alongside its established tyre, sports and industrial product divisions. With a focus on autonomous driving and fleet management, Sumitomo Rubber has set a target of generating over JPY 10 billion in operating profit from this new business segment by 2030.

Satoru Yamamoto, President and CEO, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, said, “As we prepare for the coming era of autonomous driving, we are delighted to have found a trusted partner in Viaduct to help expand our SENSING CORE services, which are highly compatible with next-generation vehicles. This is one of the key strategies to accelerate the achievement of the SENSING CORE business concept outlined in our long-term corporate strategy R.I.S.E. 2035 released in this March. Through deeper collaboration, we aim to create innovative services that go beyond mobility.”

David Hallac, CEO, Viaduct, Inc., said, “We are thrilled to join the Sumitomo Group under Sumitomo Rubber, a trusted partner we have been collaborating with for years. This acquisition not only accelerates our momentum but also gives us the scale and reach to bring AI-driven transformation to more customers around the world. When I had the opportunity in April to visit and learn more about the Sumitomo Group, I was deeply impressed by the integrity, long-term vision and commitment to excellence that define their culture. I felt an immediate affinity between those values and the way we operate at Viaduct, and I’m excited for the future impact we can create together.”

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