Ian Andrews steps into the role of NTDA Chief Executive at a precarious moment for the UK tyre industry, where skills shortages, demographic shifts and mounting environmental pressures threaten to outpace the sector’s readiness. New to tyres but not to membership organisations, Andrews must prove his ability to turn fresh perspective into actionable solutions bridging gaps in recruitment, diversity and sustainability while convincing members that the nearly century-old association can adapt quickly enough to safeguard its relevance.

Ian Andrews, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA), has embarked on a mission to address urgent challenges within the UK tyre sector, undertaking a comprehensive strategy to tackle recruitment issues, enhance member engagement, promote collaboration and advance environmental sustainability.

Coming from two decades of senior leadership in membership-based organisations but new to the tyre industry itself, Andrews brings a fresh perspective combined with seasoned leadership skills to the nearly 100-year-old trade association.

Upon assuming his role, Andrews emphasised a grounded approach focused on learning directly from NTDA members. “My immediate priorities are to understand the challenges and opportunities that face the tyre sector here in UK, principally, but globally as well,” he shared.

Approaching the role without preconceived notions, he aims to listen and respond to member feedback. Early indications point to recruitment and careers as pressing issues. “Careers and recruitment seem to be one of the early areas of work that we need to focus on. There are significant recruitment issues here in UK, not just in tyres but across the whole motor vehicle sector,” said Andrews during the exclusive interview with Tyre Trends.

TACKLING GAPS

The UK tyre sector faces a looming demographic shift with a substantial number of experienced professionals expected to retire over the next decade, risking a critical loss of institutional knowledge and technical skills.

Andrews warned, “The sector has got a significant number of people who will retire in the next 10 years. So there’ll be a significant loss of knowledge and skills.”

While larger companies have training and HR departments to manage recruitment and development efforts, smaller businesses face a heavier burden. “They are doing it themselves, and if you’re employing somebody new, then it’s a huge commitment to train and develop that person until they start generating revenue and making a return on the investment,” he explained.

Recognising the sector’s traditionally male-dominated nature, Andrews stressed the imperative of building a more diverse workforce. “We need to look at getting a better and more diverse workforce. Moreover, any business should be reflective of the community it’s working in. If you’re in an ethnically diverse community, your workforce will be best when it’s ethnically diverse,” he noted.

Yet he acknowledged the cultural shift required will take time and that’s not going to happen overnight.

Furthermore, Brexit has complicated recruitment by reducing access to talent from Europe, shifting the focus predominantly to UK-based recruitment. “Most of the tyre sector focus is on UK recruitment, perhaps more so now after Brexit,” Andrews noted.

Despite these constraints, his message was clear: “If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll end up with what we’ve always had. So we need to look at doing different things. Reaching different groups of people.”

To address the skills and professionalism gap, NTDA has expanded its tyre technician licensing schemes significantly. Andrews reported robust uptake with over 16,000 technicians licensed by the NTDA.

This growth is particularly notable in the past two years. Acknowledging the specialised skills needed in emerging technologies, he highlighted the introduction of licensing for electric vehicle tyre (EV) technicians. “The whole electric vehicle is bringing a new plethora of challenges and opportunities. It’s a different skill set. Everything is different in EVs,” he said.

ENGAGING MEMBERS

Member engagement and retention stand as foundational pillars for Andrews’s leadership as well. He aims to increase members’ awareness of

NTDA’s benefits and encourage their active participation. “Often, members pay their membership fee but don’t really explore all the member benefits,” he observed.

Plans include surveying members on their benefit awareness and usefulness while exploring additional services that may be introduced. To foster greater connection, Andrews is looking at enhancing local engagement through regional events across UK, alongside leveraging digital platforms.

He mentioned, “We run large national events in October, including our National Tire Conference and National Tire Awards, which are very well supported. But we need to explore how else we can engage with members on a more local basis for physical events but also on a digital basis.”

His previous experience includes organising half-day digital forums with speakers and interactive participation, offering participants the flexibility to attend live or watch recorded sessions later.

Collaboration within the sector forms a cornerstone of Andrews’s strategic outlook. While mindful and cautious of anti-competitive regulations, he believes substantial benefits can come from sharing resources and best practices, especially on recruitment and sustainability challenges.

“There’s always greater advantage in collaboration than there is in competition. Who is doing it well? What are they willing to share? What resources do they have that might be made more widely available?” he asserted.

At the same time, he acknowledged the necessity of protecting commercially sensitive information: “There will always be things that are commercially sensitive and need to be kept such, but that’s fine. Let’s collaborate on the 90 percent that isn’t commercially sensitive and keep the 10 percent that is.”

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Environmental stewardship and sustainability have emerged prominently on the NTDA agenda. Andrews described active engagement with the UK Environment Agency regarding the management of end-of-life tyres.

“We’re engaged with the agency that is responsible for where end-of-life tyres end up, making sure that they end up in the right place at the right time and don’t clog up our rivers, canals and green spaces,” he stated.

Growing government interest in tyre runoff impacting watercourses may further intensify oversight. “There’s government interest in where runoff from tyres is ending up in the water courses,” Andrews noted, emphasising the importance of proactive dialogue. “With all aspects of working with government, it’s about getting to them before they get to you.”

He committed to openness and transparency if issues arise, stating, “If there’s an issue, then be upfront and open that there’s an issue and we’re working on it and there is a solution.”

Looking to the future, Andrews identified his plans for NTDA’s next three to five years that include member growth, recruitment and environmental awareness. “Internally, it is driving member engagement and member value and therefore driving up member growth,” he shared.

Externally, recruitment and environmental matters are key concerns. Noting that larger companies typically have sustainability specialists, Andrews highlighted the need to support smaller businesses struggling to navigate sustainability practices. “Helping the whole sector regardless of the size of the business is important,” he said.

Throughout the interview, Andrews repeatedly underscored the fundamental role of the tyre industry in public health and safety. “The tyre sector is fundamentally about health, safety and well-being,” he emphasised.

“You wouldn’t put your most precious things anywhere without some assurance that they’re going to be safe. Let’s not put our partners, children, parents into vehicles without some assurance that the tyres are going to do the job that’s expected of them,” he asserted.

Based in Halesbury, Buckinghamshire, Andrews expressed enthusiasm for leading the NTDA forward. While new to tyres, he is confident in his ability to learn quickly with the board and executive council’s support. “The tyre stuff I will learn. When I joined the BPCA, I knew nothing about pest control. Now I’d like to think the same will be true of tyres. It’s all learnable,” he said.

He also stressed his readiness to bring expert colleagues to discussions, for example, when facing government ministers, to ensure the expertise needed is present.

As he takes charge of NTDA during a time of transformation, Andrews seeks to position the association as the collective voice of the tyre sector, delivering professional standards and fostering a collaborative, diverse and sustainable industry that prioritises safety and well-being.

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Triangle Tyre Co., Ltd. has been recognised as an ‘Excellence Level’ facility in the 2026 Shandong Smart Factory Cultivation Library, an accolade announced by the Shandong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology. This acknowledgment highlights the company’s significant progress and systematic achievements in intelligent manufacturing.

This provincial initiative is a key strategy to promote new industrialisation and merge the digital economy with the real sector. Enterprises were evaluated and ranked into three tiers – Pioneer, Excellence and Advanced – based on their comprehensive capabilities in digital design, smart production, lean management and sustainable operations. Over 30 businesses from the tyre sector and its related industries, including manufacturing, steel cord, rubber additives and machinery, were selected. Among these, 1 achieved the Pioneer level, 15 attained Excellence and 15 reached the Advanced level.

For years, Triangle Tyre has steadfastly advanced its intelligent manufacturing strategy, focusing on complete process digitalisation and smart system integration. Looking forward, the company remains committed to principles of innovation and green development. It plans to further integrate digital technologies with manufacturing processes, aiming to establish a modern production base that is not only smarter and more efficient but also safer and more environmentally sustainable.

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BANF, a Korean intelligent tyre system company, and Silicon Labs, the leading innovator in low-power wireless, have developed a tyre monitoring platform capable of real-time, high-resolution data processing specifically designed for autonomous vehicles and connected fleet operations. A detailed case study documenting this development is now available on the Silicon Labs website.

The system directly addresses the limitations of conventional Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), which only trigger alerts after pressure drops substantially, leaving critical safety and efficiency issues undetected. BANF has transformed the tyre into an active intelligence node by integrating the Silicon Labs BG22 Bluetooth LE SoC into its in-tyre sensor architecture. This ultra-low-power system-on-chip was chosen for its robust RF performance, enabling reliable wireless communication even within the tyre's challenging environment where steel belts and thick rubber typically create a Faraday cage effect that impedes signals.

Inside the tyre, BANF's iSensor captures 3-axis acceleration, pressure, temperature and tread depth data at 4 kHz sampling rates. Rather than transmitting this raw information, the system performs onboard processing to extract key signals indicating wheel-nut loosening, slip events or reduced friction before sending concise alerts to the vehicle. This approach reduces communication load while accelerating response time. The integration of Silicon Labs' Secure Vault technology ensures automotive-grade security, protecting tyre data from tampering or spoofing for autonomous applications.

Power delivery has historically prevented advanced tyre sensing due to battery degradation from heat, centrifugal force and mechanical stress. BANF solved this through proprietary wireless power transfer technology. The Smart Profiler, mounted on the mudguard or fender, delivers continuous power to the iSensor using magnetic resonance, enabling battery-free operation with uninterrupted data acquisition at thousands of Hertz.

This real-time tyre intelligence feeds directly into chassis control, stability systems and autonomous driving algorithms for driverless trucks and buses where human intuition cannot detect traction loss. BANF plans to leverage accumulated data for predictive maintenance, route optimisation and insurance-linked services, positioning this solution as foundational infrastructure for next-generation mobility. Through this partnership, BANF and Silicon Labs have digitised the vehicle's last analogue domain.

Adam Sunghan You, CEO, BANF, said, "Tyres generate terabytes of data related to friction, load and mechanical stress, but until now there was no viable way to capture and transmit that information in real time. By combining Silicon Labs' BG22 with our wireless power technology, we have unlocked a new level of tyre intelligence."

Ross Sabolcik, Senior Vice President – Product Lines, Silicon Labs, said, "Compute is no longer confined to the CPU – it extends across intelligent peripherals and sensors. BG22 enables reliable, secure connectivity even in extreme environments, empowering innovators like BANF to digitise traditionally analogue systems."

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KraussMaffei Extrusion concluded a highly productive participation at the Tire Technology Expo 2026, held in Hannover from 3 to 5 March 2026. The company showcased its latest advancements in tyre extrusion technology alongside an enhanced portfolio of customer services. The exhibition booth attracted considerable attention from global trade visitors, with strong interest focused on systems designed to deliver precision, efficiency and reliability in the production of tyre components.

Dr Gerard Nijman, Senior Technical Expert Tire & Rubber at KraussMaffei Extrusion, highlighted the evolving dynamics of the global tyre market. He pointed to notable growth and transformation in regions such as India, Korea, Eastern Europe and increasingly Africa. This development is largely fuelled by the expanding global vehicle fleet. While Germany maintains a high vehicle density, emerging markets like India present substantial room for growth, accompanied by rising tyre demand.

Changing mobility trends, including the rise of electric vehicles and car-sharing models, are reshaping tyre specifications and manufacturing processes. Additionally, a growing emphasis on regional production is evident as manufacturers seek to minimise transportation expenses, shorten delivery timelines and navigate trade complexities. KraussMaffei Extrusion is strategically positioned to support this shift with its comprehensive technological offerings.

Central to the company’s exhibit were its high-performance Multiplex and Rollerhead systems. With decades of leadership in multiplex technology, KraussMaffei enables highly accurate co-extrusion of diverse rubber compounds, significantly boosting productivity. Its Rollerhead solutions further demonstrated capabilities tailored for cost-efficient production of components used in both passenger and truck tyres.

Dr Gerard Nijman, Senior Technical Expert Tire & Rubber

Beyond new machinery, the company emphasised the importance of modernising longstanding installations. Many systems from its predecessor brand remain operational after decades of service. Through customised retrofitting, KraussMaffei assists customers in upgrading existing lines to meet contemporary efficiency and production standards.

An expanded service portfolio was also unveiled, featuring a digital innovation that places QR codes directly on equipment. This allows for instant access to support services, with automatic capture of machine and order details enabling faster resolution of inquiries. Optional health checks can accompany QR code retrofits to ensure optimal system performance.

Sustainability emerged as a recurring theme throughout the event. Dr Nijman delivered a technical presentation addressing pathways to more sustainable rubber extrusion, engaging industry peers in discussions on future challenges and potential breakthroughs.

Buoyed by overwhelmingly positive feedback from clients and partners, KraussMaffei Extrusion looks ahead with confidence to ongoing developments in the international tyre industry and eagerly anticipates the next edition of the Tire Technology Expo.

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Gradeall International Ltd, a manufacturer of tyre recycling equipment and waste management machinery based in Northern Ireland, is drawing attention to an emerging environmental issue linked to the worldwide transition to electric vehicles. While EVs are effective in cutting transport emissions, they contribute to a new problem: accelerated tyre wear. As EV uptake grows across UK and globally, the resulting surge in end-of-life tyres is placing mounting strain on existing recycling systems. The Northern Ireland-based company is promoting the value of PAS 108 tyre baling as a practical solution for operators dealing with this increasing waste stream.

The accelerated degradation of EV tyres is largely due to the significant weight of their battery packs, which can add several hundred kilogrammes compared to conventional vehicles. This extra load, combined with the instant torque characteristic of electric motors and the friction generated by regenerative braking, leads to more rapid tread wear. These mechanical demands mean EV tyres require replacement sooner, intensifying the volume of waste material entering the recycling chain.

Evidence from industry research underscores the scale of the issue. Data from Epyx, analysing millions of vehicles, reveals that EV tyres wear out thousands of miles earlier than those on petrol or diesel cars. First replacements for EVs typically occur around 18,000 miles (approximately 28,968 km), a notable contrast with the longer lifespan of conventional vehicle tyres. Some estimates suggest EV tyres wear out up to half as quickly again, reinforcing the need for robust processing infrastructure.

Tyre baling has emerged as a widely adopted method for managing large quantities of waste tyres. Hydraulic balers compress whole tyres into dense, standardised units that are easier to store, transport and reuse. In the UK, PAS 108 sets the benchmark for tyre bale quality, defining standards for density, dimensions, and binding to ensure suitability in civil engineering projects like drainage and embankments.

Gradeall’s MKII PAS 108 tyre baler enables operators to process growing volumes efficiently while adhering to recognised specifications. As EV adoption accelerates across the UK and Ireland, such scalable equipment is becoming essential for responsibly managing the next wave of electric vehicle tyre waste.

Conor Murphy of Gradeall International said, “The EV revolution is great for emissions, but it is creating a tyre waste problem the recycling industry needs to address now. Electric vehicles wear through tyres 20–30 percent faster due to battery weight and instant torque. As EV fleets expand, the volume of end-of-life tyres entering the waste stream will increase accordingly. PAS 108-compliant processing provides a reliable way for operators to manage that growth responsibly.”

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