The 14th edition of TyreXpo Asia, held from 12 to 14 March 2025 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, took the event to a new high. Organised by Informa Markets, the top-tier event boasted more than 250 participants and more than 6,000 industry experts from over 90 countries and established itself firmly as one of the prominent events for the world’s tyre, automotive repair and maintenance businesses.

CENTRAL POINT OF INDUSTRY INNOVATION AND NETWORKING

TyreXpo Asia 2025 was a vast platform to showcase the most recent developments in tyres, car repair equipment, tools, parts and accessories. The exhibition grounds had innovative start-ups, established companies and industry leaders who unveiled ground-breaking technologies transforming the world tyre business. Visitors had the opportunity to experience these innovations firsthand, see the latest trends and stay ahead in a competitive business.

The significance of the event was driven by its host city’s prime position in Southeast Asia’s auto cluster leader Singapore. World-class infrastructure and access ensured that world-class international buyers, together with regional players, found the platform the ideal one-stop shop. The event was a resounding success at its last staging with near 5,000 executives from 91 countries represented, and it was addressing every aspect of the tyre, vehicle and related industries. This year, the organisers saw an even larger response, which shows how more and more important the Asia-Pacific region is to the global tyre market.

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS AND PARTICIPATING BRANDS

The gigantic 15,000 square metre exhibition space hosted over 500 international tyre firms, including renowned entities such as Alves Bandeira, American Pacific Industries, Davanti, Deestone, Evergreen, Guizhou Tyre Co. Ltd., Hubei Aulice Tyre Co. Ltd., JGL Worldwide, LingLong Tire, Max Rubber, Momo Tires, Nexen Corp, Ozka, Petlas, Prinx Chengshan, Stamford Tyres, Tercelo, Transamerica, Roadone, Armour, Yongsheng, Wholesale Tire Distributors, ZC Rubber and Zodo Tire.

These exhibitors presented a great variety of products, ranging from passenger car radial tyres to truck, bus and off-the-road tyres, tyre accessories and maintenance tools. The event provided the participants with a complete overview of the latest products and services that supply the market, enabling business development and collaboration between manufacturers, distributors and inventors.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMMES AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING

In addition to the exhibition, TyreXpo Asia 2025 also featured a robust conference programme designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and industry information. The Tyre Technical Seminar delved into tyre technology advancements and industry innovations, closing the knowledge gap in downstream technicalities with dedicated tracks. The Tyre Business Forum also featured sessions on market trends, sustainability, digitalisation and mobility’s future.

These sessions provided attendees valuable information on the rapidly evolving tyre manufacturing and design developments. The experts discussed advances in artificial intelligence, 3D printing and new material sciences that were transforming tyre performance. The event was centred on enabling industry participants to gain the necessary knowledge to remain ahead of the change and take advantage of the new opportunities.

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES AND BUSINESS MATCHING

TyreXpo Asia 2025 placed a major emphasis on forging genuine connections in the global tyre industry. Networking sessions were a part of the event that helped bring together distributors, manufacturers, retailers and innovators, allowing them to exchange knowledge and form strategic partnerships. A business matching platform powered by AI was available through web and mobile app, simplifying meetings and maximising business interaction before and during the show.

The Hosted Buyer Programme was also an element, welcoming 120 international hosted buyers, from fleet managers to purchasing directors, wholesalers and distributors, to meet with key decision-makers. The programme supported buyers by pre-paying travel expenses, ensuring a hassle-free and affordable experience that fostered business growth and collaboration.

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

TyreXpo Asia 2025 demonstrated its dedication to corporate social responsibility with activities, such as the Flip Tyre Challenge, for the benefit of the Singapore Children’s Society. The activity was not only to highlight endurance and strength but also to build community. For every SGD10 collected per tyre flip, the people involved were supporting the Singapore Children’s Society directly, further making the event about doing good beyond the industry.

Sustainability was a recurring theme throughout the event, with recycling, equipment and retreading being addressed. The recycling sector witnessed positive interest, with Eldan Recycling and Gradeall experiencing high interest in their products, reflecting the growing demand for recycling and waste management in the region. With the sector under pressure to be more sustainable, TyreXpo Asia 2025 aimed to provide a comprehensive platform for addressing these pressing issues.

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In a notable stride towards sustainable tyre manufacturing, Nokian Tyres has introduced the Betula concept tyre, which incorporates a pioneering compound derived from birch bark. This renewable substance is produced by the Swedish firm Reselo, which transforms residual matter from the global pulp, paper and plywood sectors into a viable tyre ingredient. For the first time, this birch-based material has been integrated into a tyre's tread compound, contributing to a tread where recycled and renewable resources now constitute 93 percent of all materials used.

This innovation is viewed as a way to enhance tyre performance. The Betula concept, which utilises the tread pattern of Nokian's Hakkapeliitta R5 winter tyre, has undergone successful testing at the company’s facilities in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland, and in Nokia, Finland. The project marks meaningful progress towards Nokian Tyres’ target of having 50 percent recycled and renewable materials in its tyres by 2030, aiming to establish new environmental standards for the industry through such pioneering efforts.

The collaboration with Reselo originated in 2023 when the biomaterials company won Nokian Tyres’ sustainable innovation challenge. A formal development agreement followed in 2024 to refine the renewable material for tyre applications, and joint development continues even after the concept tyre’s launch.

Concept tyres like the Betula are vital to Nokian’s development process, allowing new materials and technologies to be evaluated before commercial release. This approach has yielded several advanced prototypes, including the 2022 Green Step concept, which also achieved 93 percent renewable or recycled content, and the 2024 Green Step Ligna, featuring a renewable lignin-based alternative to carbon black. The company’s commitment is already reflected in production models, exemplified by the 2025 Nokian Seasonproof 2 all-season tyre for Central Europe, which contains up to 38 percent recycled and renewable materials – the highest proportion in the company’s current commercial lineup.

Teemu Soini, Vice President – Innovations & Development, Nokian Tyres, said, “Since the early stages, the potential of the material to be used in tyres has been evident. The Nokian Tyres Betula concept tyre confirms its applicability and highlights the material’s potential for commercial use in the future. Furthermore, the material is not only sustainable, but according to our testing, it also shows promise to improve tyre performance.”

Josefin Larsson, CEO, Reselo, said, “For Reselo, this partnership represents much more than a technical development project. The tyre industry’s sheer scale and traditionally conservative approach make it a challenging but vital space for rubber innovation, and seeing the collaboration with Nokian Tyres continue to the next level is something we’re especially proud of. Birch bark is a high-volume forestry side-stream abundant in the Nordics, and step by step, we are working together towards better-performing and more sustainable products with circularity at the core.”

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Michelin has appointed Bénédicte de Bonnechose as its new Chief Financial Officer, with her tenure commencing on 1 June 2026. She will take over the role from Yves Chapot. Presently serving on the Michelin Executive Committee, she currently manages the European region and the Urban and Long-Distance Transportation Business lines.

De Bonnechose originally joined the group in April 2019 as the Deputy Group CFO. Her extensive professional background includes over 25 years at the Lafarge Group, where she progressed from financial management into significant operational leadership positions within its Cement, Aggregates and Concrete divisions. Most notably, she served as President of LafargeHolcim France and Belgium from 2015 to 2018. Her early career featured four years in the audit sector with Deloitte, focused on the Industrial and Retail markets.

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HF GROUP has been selected as the engineering and technology partner for a new research and development innovation centre being developed by Toyo Tires at its tyre manufacturing facility in Inđija.

The project forms part of Toyo Tires’ expansion of its Serbian operations and reflects the company’s strategic focus on strengthening compound research and development capabilities. The new innovation centre will cover an area of approximately 6,000 square metres and is designed to support advanced compound development for high-performance and energy-efficient tyres.

HF GROUP has been involved in the project since 2024, when both companies began working jointly on the first conceptual layout designs through a structured pre-engineering phase. This early-stage collaboration formed part of HF GROUP’s system engineering services, aimed at optimising plant layout, process integration and future scalability.

Under the agreement, HF GROUP will be responsible for the complete engineering, supply and installation of the R&D production line. The facility will be equipped with advanced mixing technology, enabling the development and processing of complex compound formulations aligned with evolving performance and sustainability requirements in the tyre industry.

The innovation centre is scheduled to be commissioned in 2027 and is expected to play a central role in Toyo Tires’ future product development activities in Europe. The project further strengthens HF GROUP’s position as a technology partner for tyre manufacturers investing in next-generation research, process innovation and high-efficiency compound development.

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CEAT Limited has approved an investment of up to INR 36.1 million in its wholly owned subsidiary Tyresnmore Online Private Limited through a rights issue of equity shares.

The investment will be made through the subscription of 29,575 equity shares, the company said in a regulatory filing.

Tyresnmore Online Private Limited, a private company incorporated in June 2014 and headquartered in New Delhi, reported a turnover of INR 322.6 M for the year ended March 31 2025. The business operates in the auto ancillary sector, selling automotive tyres and accessories and providing services including installation, wheel balancing and wheel alignment.

CEAT said the transaction qualifies as a related-party transaction under applicable regulations but will be conducted at arm’s length. Apart from Tyresnmore being a wholly owned subsidiary, the promoter group of CEAT has no interest in the entity or the transaction.

Following the investment, CEAT’s shareholding in Tyresnmore will remain unchanged at 100 percent. The consideration will be paid in cash through normal banking channels.

The company expects the equity shares to be allotted by Tyresnmore no later than 16 February  2026. No governmental or regulatory approvals are required for the transaction, CEAT said.

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