BANF Aims To Bring Real-Time Tyre Insights To Vehicles, Going Beyond TPMS

BANF

South Korean start-up is transforming tyre safety by delivering real-time data insights that go beyond traditional TPMS, monitoring tyre pressure, temperature, wear and alignment. Targeted at fleet operators and manufacturers, BANF’s system improves vehicle safety, reduces costs and supports sustainability. With global partnerships including Volvo and Hyundai, BANF is also exploring market opportunities in India.

When it comes to vehicle safety and fuel efficiency, the role of tyres has often been underrated. Modern vehicles have undergone significant advancements over the decades, evolving from basic mechanical structures to sophisticated mechatronic and digital systems. However, for most, tyres remain largely unchanged – seemingly confined to the traditional black, rubber look without much technological upgrade.

The Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), introduced in 1986 within high-end luxury cars, has yet to achieve global standardisation. Apart from a few countries where it is mandated, TPMS remains a novelty even in modern vehicles.

BANF (Begin a New Future), a South Korean start-up focusing on software and hardware technology to fully digitalise tyre information, is determined to change this. In an exclusive conversation with Tyre Trends, Ron Yoogun Lee, VP of Global Business Development at BANF, explains the company’s purpose:

“BANF was founded to address this critical need by integrating smart sensor technology and data analytics into tyre management. Our mission is to elevate vehicle safety, enhance tyre performance and reduce environmental impact through the digitalisation of tyre data. By providing real-time insights into tyre conditions, BANF empowers fleet operators, manufacturers and drivers to optimise maintenance, lower costs and promote sustainability. This drives us to tackle industry challenges with transformative solutions, pioneering a safer and more connected future for mobility.”

Expanding beyond basic TPMS capabilities

Lee explains that one of the primary limitations of current TPMS is its restricted data scope. Traditional TPMS sensors monitor tyre pressure at low frequencies, transmitting data every few minutes but focusing solely on air pressure.

BANF’s technology, however, gathers a wider range of tyre data, including pressure, temperature, tread wear, wheel alignment and even lug nut stability. This approach goes well beyond air pressure monitoring, providing insights that make tyres ‘smarter.’

Using machine learning, BANF’s system analyses the data to offer valuable insights to drivers and fleet operators regarding not only tyre health but also cargo load measurements and road surface conditions. The data is reportedly up to 90 percent accurate.

Lee details the core of BANF’s solution, which is built on two main components:

Tyre-Mounted Sensor (iSensor): A 3-axis accelerometer-based sensor attached (glued) inside the tyre’s inner liner, the only point of contact between the vehicle and the road.

Smart Profiler (Transmitter): Mounted on the mud flap or wheel arch and connected to the vehicle’s battery, this device wirelessly powers the sensor using magnetic resonance, gathering data on the tyre's internal and external conditions.

“Unlike standard TPMS, our system collects and analyses a comprehensive range of data points, offering real-time insights into tyre health and performance. This includes not only pressure but also factors such as temperature, tread wear and load, providing a more complete picture of the tyre’s condition,” he says.

BANF considers its unique selling point to be its advanced digitalisation and data analytics capabilities. The system empowers fleet managers, manufacturers and drivers to make proactive, data-driven decisions to enhance safety, optimise tyre performance and reduce maintenance costs. This comprehensive approach to tyre monitoring addresses the limitations of traditional TPMS, meeting the rising demand for safer, smarter and more efficient mobility solutions.

Continuous power and data collection

BANF’s technology enables continuous power supply to high-speed rotating tyres using resonant wireless power transmission. This allows the internal sensors to continuously collect data while driving, capturing 3-axis (X, Y, Z) accelerometer data to support advanced algorithm development. Additionally, BANF leverages mathematical modelling expertise to ensure high efficiency and minimal error in resonant wireless power environments.

Despite TPMS technology existing for over four decades, it still lacks widespread adoption. Why is that? Is it due to cost, awareness or maturity of the technology? Lee attributes the slow adoption of basic TPMS to limited consumer awareness and the system’s restricted functionality.

While TPMS provides basic air pressure information, it does not address other crucial aspects of tyre health, such as temperature, tread wear and load. This limited capability diminishes its perceived value, especially among consumers and manufacturers seeking comprehensive solutions.

“However, with the inevitable rise of electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs), the demands on tyres are increasing. EVs, with their heavier batteries and higher torque, place additional stress on tyres, while AVs, designed for continuous operation, further amplify this strain. Traditional tyre monitoring methods, such as visual inspection, are inadequate for autonomous vehicles. As these trends reshape the automotive landscape, the need for advanced tyre monitoring systems that go beyond basic TPMS is growing. This shift will likely increase consumer awareness and drive the adoption of more comprehensive tyre monitoring solutions,” explains Lee.

While BANF may still be relatively unknown, the Korean start-up is already collaborating with major players like CampX by Volvo Group, Hyundai Motor Group, DHL and more than 20 other global organisations.

“Our primary target clients are fleet management companies operating commercial vehicles, particularly in the Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) segment. These clients benefit most from our advanced tyre monitoring solutions due to the significant return on investment (RoI) from optimised tyre usage, enhanced safety and reduced maintenance costs. By providing real-time insights into tyre health, we enable fleet operators to make data-driven decisions that minimise downtime and maximise efficiency. We currently produce 1,000 units monthly and are expanding our manufacturing capabilities,” shares Lee.

Plans for India and tyre safety

India, traditionally a cost-conscious market, has emerged as a major manufacturing hub and one of the fastest adopters of new technologies. In response to a question on BANF’s potential interest in India, Lee reveals:

“We are currently working with several companies in India, including major tyre manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers and last-mile fleet operators. We are supported by KISED, an arm of the Ministry of SMEs of Korea and NIPA, part of the Ministry of Science and ICT. We are actively engaging with stakeholders in the Indian innovation ecosystem and will be visiting India shortly to strengthen partnerships and explore further opportunities.”

Acknowledging India’s cost-sensitive market, Lee adds, “We are considering options for a facility setup worldwide, with India being one of our top choices.”

Road safety remains a priority for both the Indian automotive industry and the world. Despite numerous initiatives and technologies, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that 1.19 million lives are lost in road accidents each year. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years, with 92 percent of fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Focus areas for tyre industry safety and efficiency

Lee identifies three key areas where the tyre industry can improve safety and efficiency:

1. Advanced Materials: Developing new tyre compounds that enhance durability and reduce rolling resistance can improve safety and energy efficiency. Lightweight, high-strength materials reduce energy loss and extend tyre life, crucial for EVs demanding lower energy consumption for longer range.

2. Intelligent Monitoring Systems: Smart sensors to monitor tyre health in real-time are increasingly essential. By tracking metrics such as pressure, temperature, tread wear and load, intelligent systems can alert drivers or fleet managers to potential issues before they escalate. This proactive approach enhances safety and fuel efficiency, as well-maintained tyres contribute to better aerodynamics and lower fuel consumption.

3. Sustainable Manufacturing: Optimising production to minimise environmental impact is crucial. Using eco-friendly materials, reducing waste and recycling tyres contributes to a more sustainable industry, aligning with global trends towards green manufacturing and supporting the energy efficiency goals of the automotive industry.

INTERVIEW: Ron Yoogun Lee

What are the upcoming key trends you see in the tyre industry?

One of the key trends in the tyre industry is the increasing emphasis on safety. As vehicles become more advanced, with a growing number of electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles entering the market, the demands placed on tyres are intensifying. EVs, for instance, have heavier loads and higher torque, which increase wear and tear on tyres, while AVs require consistent, reliable performance to operate safely around the clock. These factors are driving the need for smarter tyre solutions that go beyond traditional monitoring systems.

There is a growing demand for intelligent tyre technologies that provide real-time data on various parameters like pressure, temperature, tread wear and load. Such capabilities allow fleet operators, manufacturers and individual drivers to maintain tyre safety proactively, reduce maintenance costs and ensure optimal performance under diverse conditions. Meeting the advanced requirements of EV and AV clients is crucial, as their vehicles rely on enhanced tyre performance for safety and efficiency. As a result, the industry is moving towards digitalisation and smart sensors to address these evolving needs, marking a significant shift in tyre technology and monitoring.

What is BANF’s business plan (OE supplier), or you will also look at aftermarket opportunities?

BANF’s business plan primarily centres around building strong partnerships with Original Equipment (OE) manufacturers and OE suppliers. Our goal is to enhance tyre safety and efficiency directly at the manufacturing stage, ensuring that end customers benefit from high-quality, intelligent tyre solutions from the outset. Currently, our focus is on the commercial vehicle segment, where we see substantial demand for advanced tyre technology to improve safety, performance and operational efficiency.

That said, we also recognise the significant potential in the aftermarket sector and are actively exploring opportunities to expand into this space. The aftermarket offers us the chance to provide a wider range of products and services directly to end-users. By pursuing both OE partnerships and aftermarket avenues, we aim to deliver innovative tyre solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers across the entire lifecycle of their vehicles.

What are the other products or areas that you would look to focus on?

Looking ahead, we still believe there is a lot can come out from tyre. We are currently developing many other advanced features to be announced soon. In a sense of product portfolio, we are looking into two-wheeler, three-wheeler market and also airplane tyres.

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HF Group Receives Continental Supplier Award For Service And Maintenance

HF Group Receives Continental Supplier Award For Service And Maintenance

HF Group has received Continental’s Supplier Award for Tyre Manufacturing Equipment 2025 in the Service, Maintenance & Repair category, recognising its work delivered  during the year.

The award acknowledges the contribution of HF Group’s mixing and curing teams across multiple deliveries, service assignments and engineering projects undertaken with Continental in 2025.

To mark the recognition, Continental invited the award winners to an Experience Day at its Contidrom test facility near Hanover on recently. The event gave attendees an opportunity to experience Continental’s tyre technology and drive on the test track.

HF Group was represented by André Arends, Garlef Dombrowski, Florian Droege and Peter Hummel.

The company thanked Continental for the award and recognised the expertise and collaboration of its teams in delivering the work.

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Hidden Cost In Tyre Plants: How The Rubber Moves

Interoll

Interroll’s Gianmichele Piciocco argues that some of the largest efficiency gains in tyre manufacturing lie in the interfaces between machines, not only in the machines themselves.

Tyre manufacturers invest heavily in the best building machines and the fastest curing presses. The systems that connect them, however, are often specified late, inherited from earlier projects and seldom revisited, according to Gianmichele Piciocco, Global Strategic Business Development Manager at Interroll.

“Material flow is the backbone of the entire tyre industry,” Piciocco tells Tyre Trends. In his experience, engineers select and position process equipment first, and transport follows. The consequences emerge later, in energy consumption, maintenance stoppages and the cost of expansion. He argues that ‘we have always done it this way’ becomes a design constraint in its own right once technology, product mix, energy costs and safety expectations have changed. The examples that follow point to two closely connected areas: system optimisation during design and expansion, and lifecycle optimisation during operation.

THE LAYOUT TRAP

Piciocco says the pattern is consistent across the tyre manufacturers he advises. “In many cases, the layout initially proposed does not fully match what is ultimately implemented, often to contain the initial investment,” he says. Soon after start-up, plants may find that they need more buffer capacity, or that future expansion was not fully considered. With no floor space left, the remedy for material flow is often inclines, declines and additional levels, which can significantly increase costs.

The alternative is far cheaper if raised early. “At the design stage, and with possible expansion in mind, it is worth asking whether small changes in machine positioning could support more effective and flexible material flow,” he says.

The issue is especially relevant in India, where sustained market growth does not always mean new greenfield plants. Expansion often happens inside operating sites, where new capacity must coexist with several generations of equipment from multiple vendors. Without a common architectural logic, each extension can add another component family, control standard and maintenance practice, increasing complexity and the potential for integration and compatibility problems.

REOPENING THE BELT QUESTION

Green-tyre transfer illustrates how convention hardens into constraint. Uncured rubber is soft and contamination-sensitive, and belt conveyors have long been the default because a continuous surface supports the tyre and certified belt materials address contamination. Piciocco does not dismiss that logic. He argues it should no longer be treated as absolute.

Left on widely spaced rollers, a green tyre can begin to deform during relatively short stops, and contact with the wrong material can degrade quality after curing. One approach being evaluated by Interroll combines closely spaced rollers, software that keeps them ‘skating’ when the line stops and transfer materials selected to meet contamination requirements. Where a roller solution suits the application, he says, component cost can be materially lower than a belt’s. Because a belt is a continuous element, maintenance work can also take longer and be more complex.

The larger benefit, he argues, is commonality. The same families of rollers, drives and transfer modules can serve both pre-cure and post-cure sections, reducing the spare parts a plant holds and the skills its teams must learn. “Who is interested in saving money in the life cycle of the plant? The user,” he says. 

SAVING ENERGY BY DESIGN

Piciocco says moving from conventional 400-volt drive systems to zoned 24/48-volt roller conveyors can reduce energy use, with savings of up to 50 percent in some applications. The low-voltage architecture can also simplify installation and maintenance and reduce exposure to hazardous voltages at machine level, subject to applicable safety standards. The advantage, he stresses, comes chiefly from the on-demand, zoned operating principle, in which only the zones a product needs are active, rather than from voltage alone.

Another example concerns a leading tyre producer that wanted a more compact layout within an existing plant while retaining sufficient buffer capacity and scope for future expansion. The initial conveyor concept required several accumulation loops, curves, inclines and declines, making both engineering and installation relatively complex.

“Working together, we proposed a solution comprising a motorised ascending spiral, an overhead bridge and a gravity spiral for the descent,” Piciocco says. “Each spiral has a footprint of roughly three metres in diameter. At a height of about 7.5 metres, the motorised spiral can provide buffer capacity for approximately 25 to 40 tyres, depending on their dimensions.”

The configuration provided the required buffer in a very compact footprint, with fewer powered components and a cleaner, more modular installation. Its cost was in line with, or slightly above, the conventional solution. Piciocco says the question he put to the customer’s technology director was simple: “Are you thinking about today, or the next 10 years?”

GROWING WITHOUT REBUILDING

A brownfield expansion is not simply a matter of adding more metres of conveyor. New sections must fit existing space, controls and maintenance organisation while the plant keeps running.

Interroll’s modular platforms, including the MCP range, are built from standard modules. RollerDrive EC5000 units, managed by MultiControl electronics, form a highly scalable and energy-efficient material handling system.

In a conventional centralised architecture, adding zones can require additional I/O, cabling and software changes. In a decentralised system, expansion means adding a module and an Ethernet connection. Independently controlled zones can also absorb small cycle-time differences and micro-stoppages without passing every interruption down the line. Upgrades follow the same logic. The 24-volt EC5000 versions rated at 20 and 35 watts with Analogue Interface (AI) can be used as replacements for the earlier EC310, supporting a more straightforward maintenance approach and the extension of existing installations.

ROUTING WITHOUT OVER-ENGINEERING

Not every route variation calls for a sorter. When tyres must be directed to testing, quality inspection, rework or the next process, Interroll’s position is that a modular conveyor backbone with targeted transfers and diverters often gives a better balance of performance, footprint and cost than a sorter built for distribution logistics. Further downstream, particularly after warehousing, higher volumes and more destinations can justify a dedicated sorter such as the company’s MC-S range.

Piciocco’s warehouse example shows the risk of getting this wrong. A large operator that stacks and stores tyres with considerable automation then needs a separate, costly sorting system to retrieve and route them. In this part of the process, he says, a solution such as Interroll’s MC-S can provide the required throughput with a more efficient layout and a significantly smaller footprint.

CONTINUITY INTO DOWNSTREAM HANDLING

Where load and duty allow, the same architecture can extend past the individual tyre. A 24/48-volt modular pallet conveyor, the MPP platform, can handle a load of up to 500 kilogrammes per metre while retaining decentralised control and zero-pressure accumulation. Rollers of 60 millimetres in diameter allow a closer pitch and more support points, which, after application validation, can reduce vertical undulation when handling tyre stacks.

Piciocco is careful not to make continuity a dogma. Above the platform’s operating envelope, robust 400-volt heavy-duty conveyors remain the correct choice.

FROM REACTION TO PLANNING

Maintenance is where Piciocco sees the most overlooked cost. When total cost of ownership and plant availability are considered, he says, maintenance and stoppage-related costs can account for around 10 to 15 percent of the overall cost associated with material flow in some applications, including labour, spare-parts inventory and lost production during downtime. “Maintenance is often treated as something that simply happens. It should not be. Much of it can be avoided,” he says.

Connected drives, such as the RollerDrive EC5000 BI with MultiControl, make more than 100 parameters available, including operating hours, cycle counts, temperature, system status and error type. If the torque required by a motor rises progressively, the system can flag an abnormal trend before it develops into a stoppage and give the maintenance team a stronger basis for planning an inspection.

Without that information, a failed motor can cause a prolonged stoppage while crews identify the source and check whether the spare part is available. With an early warning, maintenance can schedule the intervention; for an accessible RollerDrive with the spare available, replacement can take less than an hour. Piciocco calls this preventive rather than predictive maintenance. The data does not replace maintenance expertise, but it gives teams a stronger factual basis for decisions, and standard components make diagnostics and training common across the plant.

GLOBAL STANDARDS, LOCAL EXECUTION

A shared catalogue alone does not make a standard, Piciocco says. It also needs consistent selection criteria, spare-parts strategies and support after start-up. Interroll has production, engineering and service capabilities across the world’s main industrial regions, allowing global standards to be supported by local execution. Its life-cycle offering includes structured maintenance programmes, dedicated stock of critical components, periodic audits and staff training, scaled to how critical the application is.

He applies the same logic across markets. Using a smartphone as an analogy, Piciocco says the same platform can be used in a basic configuration or with more advanced functionality, depending on a plant’s needs and technological maturity. A manufacturer can therefore retain common components, diagnostics and training across sites while adapting the level of automation to local conditions.

That flexibility extends to how far automation should go. Speaking for himself, not Interroll, Piciocco says not every producer needs a dark factory. The appropriate level of automation depends on volumes, product mix, process maturity and available skills. “If people do not understand how the technology works, you can have the best technology in the world, but it will not be used properly and may even become a limitation,” he says.

REAL ISSUE

Asked what single mindset shift the industry needs, Piciocco did not hesitate. “Interface,” he says. “The machines are already quite optimised. The problem is how we serve the machine.” As individual machines become increasingly optimised, the interfaces between them play a growing role in improving productivity, simplifying maintenance, reducing energy consumption and enabling future expansion.

“Material flow should not be the last part of the engineering process,” he adds. “If it is considered earlier, we can contribute to a solution that supports optimisation of the entire plant.”

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ATIRE Appoints Thierry Miche As Director Of Oem And Product

ATIRE Appoints Thierry Miche As Director Of Oem And Product

ATIRE, a leading Sri Lankan Solid tyre maker, has appointed Thierry Miche as director of OEM and product, effective September 2026, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the global tyre and mobility industry to the role.

At ATIRE, Miche will lead the company's OEM and product activities, focusing on portfolio development, OEM relationships and expansion into new technical and commercial markets globally.

Miche joins from Michelin, where he spent 26 years in senior product and operational leadership positions, including roles at Solideal and Camso before their integration into the French group.

His most recent position was product Management Director for Beyond Road, with global strategic and operational responsibility for the product portfolio. He led teams across Belgium, Canada, France and the US, working with research and development, industrialisation, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket sales, and supply chain functions.

Previously, Miche was Product Line Executive Director For material handling, overseeing the global product platform and holding full profit and loss responsibility for three manufacturing sites in Belgium, Germany and the US. He also led global research and development teams in Belgium and Sri Lanka.

His career has spanned product management and engineering, technical support, warranty management, quality assurance and systems. The experience covers the development and delivery of products across engineering, industrialisation, validation, sales and supply chain operations.

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The Tyre Giant That Doesn’t Want A Dark Factory

ZC Rubber

ZC Rubber, China’s largest tyre maker, is running 18 AI agents across its Hangzhou 5G plant. It insists the goal is smarter manufacturing, not emptier factory floors.

Walk into the industrial conversation about automation these days and ‘lights-out’ production tends to come up within minutes: factories with no people, no lighting and machines working in the dark. However, ZC Rubber, the Hangzhou-based group that ranks among the world’s top nine tyre companies, would like to correct that impression before it takes hold.

“We see this as a 5G Smart Factory, or Future Factory V2.0, rather than a ‘dark factory’. The goal is intelligent manufacturing, not simply removing people from the production process,” the company said in an interview.

That is a notable position from a company that has just put 18 AI agents to work across its production chain and reports defect rates well under half those of its earlier operations. It is also a considered one, and the details explain a good deal about how the world’s largest tyre market is approaching the factory of the future.

PEOPLE AT THE EXCEPTIONS

ZC Rubber’s division of labour is simple. Automation, AI and real-time data are steadily taking over what the company calls ‘repetitive and highly standardised operations.’ Its people are being moved towards engineering, process management, quality assurance and the handling of exceptions, meaning the unusual problems that no model has seen before.

“We will continue to increase automation, but fully unmanned production is not the goal,” ZC Rubber said. “It is about combining intelligent systems with human expertise.”

The same logic applies to the future. Asked whether lights-out production is on the roadmap, ZC Rubber was clear. “We do not see fully lights-out production as a goal in itself. Technology will be introduced where it brings clear improvements in quality, efficiency, safety and sustainability,” it said.

EIGHTEEN AGENTS, ONE PRODUCTION CHAIN

The scale of the AI deployment is considerable. Since June 2025, ZC Rubber has introduced 18 AI agents across the full production chain. Their use ranges from AI-assisted formulation and virtual simulation to equipment maintenance, production scheduling and quality control. According to the company, they have helped shorten tyre development cycles by 50 percent and lifted production efficiency by 50 percent.

Where does the value come from? Not from any single stage, the company suggests. “The biggest value comes from using AI to analyse production data, optimise process parameters and support faster decision-making across the manufacturing process,” it said. ZC Rubber does not currently publish a stage-by-stage breakdown of the gains.

INSPECTION AND THE DEFECT RATE

Quality control is where the company’s numbers are most striking. Its latest AI-based visual inspection systems, it says, can achieve a defect detection rate of close to 100 percent, improving both the speed and the consistency of inspection. That matters most in high-volume passenger car radial (PCR) output, where human inspectors face the twin problems of fatigue and sheer throughput.

Zooming out, the company says AI and digital quality control across its smart manufacturing system have cut its product defect rate from 1.2 percent to 0.5 percent.

HOW THE SYSTEMS TALK TO EACH OTHER

“Thousands of sensors collect production data in real time, while 5G connects equipment, quality inspection and logistics systems,” the company said. The APS+MES system pulls production, quality and logistics information into one place ‘so operations can be monitored and adjusted quickly’. AI and big data analytics then help staff spot problems and make faster production decisions.

AN EARLIER SET OF NUMBERS, UPDATED

ZC Rubber’s earlier claims of a 15 percent efficiency gain, up to 40 percent lower defect rates and a 5 percent cut in energy use make one notice that the latest figures are considerably better. The company is candid about why. “Those figures reflect an earlier stage of our smart factory development,” it said.

The current numbers, for the 5G Smart Factory, are a 50 percent improvement in production efficiency, defect rates down from 1.2 percent to 0.5 percent and a 10 percent reduction in overall energy consumption.

As for which technology deserves the credit, ZC Rubber declines to rank them. “We do not break down the improvement by individual technology,” it said, naming instead the key components: AI-based process control, automated inspection, intelligent logistics, APS+MES production management and data-driven quality control.

ENERGY, MEASURED VALVE BY VALVE

The energy figure is worth a closer look, because it comes from a fairly granular system. ZC Rubber’s energy management combines 5G, IoT, big data, AI and digital-twin technologies. Smart sensors, smart meters and smart valves feed real-time data into a central energy platform, while AI supports analysis and operational optimisation.

The division of labour among the technologies is neat. “5G provides the connectivity, while AI, big data and digital twins help turn the data into better energy-management decisions,” the company said.

TWO PLATFORMS AND A DIFFERENT STARTING POINT

The manufacturing story is inseparable from the development story. ZC Rubber runs two proprietary technology platforms: the X-Tech System, primarily for truck and bus radial (TBR) tyres, and the Phecda Tech System, primarily for PCR tyres. Each integrates compound formulation, tyre structure, process engineering, simulation, testing and intelligent manufacturing within a single development framework.

Their defining feature is what the company calls the Forward-development Approach. Traditional development, it explains, “often starts from an existing product and improves it through repeated design and testing cycles”. ZC Rubber starts elsewhere: with the target performance, whether that is vehicle characteristics, duty cycle, climate, road conditions or customer requirements. The compound, tyre structure and manufacturing process are then built around those targets. “This shifts the workflow from repeated iteration to a more integrated, target-driven development process,” the company said.

That, it argues, is where the halving of development time comes from. The 50 percent reduction reflects ‘a more integrated digital development process’, combining engineering expertise with simulation, AI-assisted tools and closer links between R&D, testing and manufacturing. AI lets engineers evaluate more design options against defined performance targets, and virtual simulation cuts out unnecessary physical iterations.

How tightly these platforms are wired into live production data has not been shared publicly. X-Tech and Phecda, the company said, connect R&D, manufacturing and validation within an integrated development process, but the detailed real-time data architecture behind them ‘is not something we currently disclose publicly’.

Henry Shen, ZC Rubber’s Senior Vice President, has made the wider point in the context of the group’s recent State recognition. “Our objective is not simply to develop an individual material, tread pattern or manufacturing process,” he said. “X-Tech and Phecda are complete development systems that connect user requirements with simulation, materials, tyre engineering, manufacturing and validation.”

THE STATE PRIZE

That recognition is significant. ZC Rubber, together with Harbin Institute of Technology, has been awarded the Second Prize of China’s State Science and Technology Progress Award for a project titled ‘Key Technologies and Green Intelligent Manufacturing of High-Performance Tires’. It is one of the country’s highest state-level honours for scientific and technological innovation, and ZC Rubber says it is the only Chinese tyre manufacturer in the past decade to win it at the Second Prize level or above.

The company backs the claim with spending. In 2025, it invested around RMB 1.54 billion (approximately USD 226 million in R&D, equal to 3.43 percent of annual revenue, according to its annual report. The award, it says, recognises technologies that have ‘progressed beyond laboratory research into industrial application’.

GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

ZC Rubber has built a truly global footprint, combining a strong manufacturing base in China with an expanding network of operations across Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia and beyond. In China, the company operates through multiple sites, including its headquartered in Hangzhou and facilities in Tianjin, Chaoyang, Jiande, Qingquan, Yonggu, Anji and Jintan, supported by dedicated units for recycling technology and automotive aftermarket services in Hangzhou.

Beyond China, ZC Rubber has established a European presence through ZC Rubber Europe GmbH and its Europe Technical Center, alongside ZC Rubber America Inc. in the United States, ZC Rubber Brazil IMP EXP LTDA in South America and ZC Rubber Thailand Co. Ltd. and PT. Matahari Tire Indonesia (MTI) in Southeast Asia.

The company is also preparing for further expansion, with new projects under development in Vietnam and Mexico (Marea Tire de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.) and a feasibility study underway in Egypt. Together, these locations allow ZC Rubber to serve customers closer to their markets, strengthen supply chain resilience and combine local insight with global technical expertise.

CUSTOMISATION WITHOUT THE PENALTY

The forward-development model has a commercial payoff: tyres tailored to where and how they will be used. Asked whether the platforms allow genuine mass customisation, including regional climates and EV-specific requirements, ZC Rubber answered ‘to a significant degree’.

“X-Tech and Phecda allow us to develop tyres around specific climates, road conditions, vehicle applications and performance targets, including EV-specific requirements,” it said. On the factory floor, flexible production lines adjust output as product mix and orders change. The company does not disclose a separate efficiency figure for customised production, though ‘the goal is clear: to increase product flexibility while keeping production efficient’.

The regional examples are concrete. In Asia, X-Tech underpins the X-Elite Truck Tyre Series. In Europe, it is applied to the WESTLAKE Gen II commercial lineup, with a focus on fleet efficiency, performance and regulatory requirements. Phecda sits behind the WESTLAKE ZuperAce Z-007 and GOODRIDE Solmax 1 passenger tyres, and technologies from both platforms have been applied across ARISUN’s full TBR and PCR ranges for the Americas.

“International markets do not have identical requirements,” Shen said. “A tyre developed for European highway fleets, Southeast Asian transport operations or passenger vehicles in the Americas must respond to different vehicles, roads, climates and customer priorities.”

WHAT COMES NEXT

Much of the technology commonly billed as next-generation is already in service at ZC Rubber. Automated logistics, AI-based visual inspection, process optimisation, digital simulation and virtual testing are all in use. Digital twins are applied in areas such as energy management, and a broader digital-twin virtual factory is part of the next-stage plan.

The company frames the coming three years as a period of deepening rather than reinvention: more smart-factory applications, more AI and industry-specific models and close attention to emerging technologies such as humanoid robotics ‘as they mature’.

That phrasing may be the most revealing thing about ZC Rubber’s approach. It is chasing results rather than headlines. As the company itself puts it, the launch of the Hangzhou plant marks ‘a new opportunity and starting point’, and its stated ambition is to become a world-leading tyre company with higher standards. Whether the lights stay on, it seems, is the least of its concerns.

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