Around six years ago, JK Tyre joined hands with Pune-based Treel Mobility, which has now been acquired by the tyre company. Today JK Tyre is the only tyre company in India that indigenously manufacturers Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) based on sensor technology. TREEL provides live data on the most important variables: tyre temperature, tyre pressure, tyre positions, locations, distance travelled and expected tyre life through our algorithm thus capture almost full health of the tyres. We provide our TMAS software for tyre management.

JK Tyre offers sensor technologies for both OE and aftermarket.

“The sensors can alert if the air pressure increases and drops by more than one psi. Our sensors are a multi-utility product and come with around five years of life,” Misra said, adding that the company’s sensor technologies are getting good response from the market.

JK Tyre’s manufacturing operations comprise of 12 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. The company has nine modern plants in India (three plants in Mysuru, three plants in Haridwar and one plant each in Banmore (M.P.), Kankroli (Rajasthan) and Chennai and three plants in Mexico – an aggregate production capacity of around 32 million tyres per annum.

The company is engaged in the manufacture and marketing of automotive tyres, tubes and flaps. JK Tyre’s products comprise Truck/Bus Radial & Bias, Passenger car radials, 2/3-wheeler tyres, LCV & SCV Bias & Radial, off-highway tyres (OTR and Farm), as well as speciality tyres for military/ defence, industrial and farm applications besides racing tyres.

Data generated through the sensors is not only helping JK Tyre to develop better products but provides an efficient and cost-effective service to its customers, especially in Truck Radial tyre space. “Service efficiency is what makes the difference to a customer. It is very important factor,” explained Misra.

JK Tyre is also in “Mobility Solutions”, where the company takes complete control of the tyre management and sells tyres by kilometres to the customers.

“Having such solutions availed, fleet owners do not have to worry about the most capital intensive part tyres. They do not have to buy tyres. We provide the right quality of tyres as per their requirements and then we make sure that tyres are optimally used and well maintained. To ensure performance and better life of tyres, we need lots of information and timely data collection which is not humanly possible. But now we can have all the data since tyres are fitted with sensors,” said Misra.

Misra claims that JK Tyres is the first company in India to provide such kind of services to the fleet companies.

“JK Tyre will continuously keep looking into the enhancement of sensor technologies in future,” he said.

With the help of JK Tyre’s service management and support around 3% fuel can be saved with the better pressure, alignment and maintenance of the tyres, whereas the tyre life is improved anywhere between 5% to 10%. “We have also seen big improvement in the downtime of the vehicles as well,” added Misra. The company extended this solution across more than 800 fleet owners. JK Tyre today has over 50 state-of-the-art Truck Wheels centres across the country which provides services enabled by high-quality machinery including computerised wheel alignment, wheel balancing, automated tyre changing, tyre rotation, nitrogen for tyre inflation, all under one roof to provide a 360-degree solution and excellent experience to the customer.

For EV mobility, the company is getting aggressive. JK Tyre has done benchmarking in the markets where the EV is largely being used. “We have tested and kept the tyres ready for EV cars. We have developed special tyres and have also done benchmarking with tyres which are being used by cars like Tesla / Kona,” said Misra. We intend offering special tyres for EV application backed with sensor technology.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is planning to introduce star rating, like electric appliances, for tyres based on their rolling resistance, wet grip and rolling noise. In Europe also, the labelling is provided on tyres for rolling resistance, braking on wet surfaces and external noise.

However, India did not have facilities to test wet grip in India till recent times. For the export purpose, the Indian tyre companies used to get their tyres tested for wet grip from outside India.

“In India, the star ratings have been principally agreed and accepted. The levels from 1 to 5 for RR and wet grip have also been finalised for all type of tyres. The star rating will come soon in India,” said Misra. However, the data for wet grip & rolling noise is yet to be generated to confirm the specs so far considered.

Initially, the star rating will be voluntarily for the first two years and then it will become mandatory. “It will be interesting to see how star rating will influence customers’ buying behaviour,” he added.

The company is also establishing its wet grip testing capability. JK Tyre has become the first tyre company in India to buy a traction trailer to test wet grip. The traction trailer has been installed at NATRiP, Indore. International Centre for Automotive Technology and Automotive Research Association of India are in also in the process of certifying complete infrastructure for testing for Indian Tyre Industry for all category of tyres under review.

“Based on the readiness at ICAT and later at ARAI, the tyre industry will generate data on wet grip,” and approach certification body to align the specifications.

The company is currently using the traction trailer for its own purpose and will explore possibilities to provide wet grip testing service to other players in the Indian market.

For the commercial tyre business, the company’s recent breakthrough is Fuel Saver Technology, which saves up to 8% to 10% fuel. The company introduced its fuel-saving technology for its TBR tyres and now it will be brought for tubeless tyres which has also been extended to Tubeless Truck Tyres. The company has also successfully launched a radial mining tyre in the country.

As for as the passenger vehicle tyres, JK Tyre will launch an ultra-high-performance tyre, being developed in Europe. “We have tested our ultra-high-performance tyre up to 300 km/h on one of the best tracks available in Germany by test experts against best in class- tyres. We also picked up an Indian brand which declared their tyre as UHP tyre. Our tyre is far superior in terms of overall- handling, performance, control, wet grip and noise. We will launch this product soon,” said Misra.

In the auto industry, traditional rivals are coming together to meet future demand and tackle various challenges. For instance, BMW and Daimler have come together for autonomous cars. According to reports, the agreement to develop automated driving technology will focus on assisted driving systems, automated driving on highways, and automated parking. However, regarding this Misra does not see possibility of such collaborations on new technology sharing or development in the Indian tyre industry.

“Being a member of various committees in the industry, we had jointly mooted an idea of having a common research and development centre with the support of the Government of India where we have every possible capability for technology development. Even if we get into that, it will not be technology sharing but yes a great platform can get created for Technology development.

For JK Tyre, fuel economy, longevity and safety is paramount for its products. “Safety is expected to be inbuilt, though customers awareness needs to be enhanced. Now fuel efficiency and rolling resistance are gaining traction, particularly from OE perspective. For the aftermarket, longevity continues to be the top priority,” said Misra.

JK Tyre is also building capabilities in various fronts. JK Tyre’s new Research and Development (R&D) facility - Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence (RPSCOE) at Mysore has capabilities for all aspects right from testing the raw rubber sourced to creating simulations and predictive techniques for future offerings. Along with the installation of the traction trailer, the company was the first to have the Semi-Anechoic Chamber that uses specialised software for noise, vibration and harshness and data analysis. The company also has a centre of excellence at IIT Madras which is a joint venture between the company and IIT Madras. “We have developed many predictive technologies and other solution at the Centre. The virtual proving ground has been setup where you can establish the actual performance for the tyres on a vehicle without having actual tyres or vehicle. This is a very advanced concept. We are developing lot of techniques to master and get the full benefit in this virtual proving ground. Various data for the vehicles and a tyre is fed into the software and you can put data of any test track and drive the car with different speeds. You can feel the real performance. With this virtual proving ground capacity, we can generate data for tyres and determine what kind of tyres are best suited for a particular car.”

The company also uses a steering robot to collect data to have accurate and objective information.

For two-wheeler tyres, JK Tyre is focusing on tubeless tyres. The company plans to expand its two-wheeler tyre production from the current capacity of 650000 tyres per month. “We are in the process of expanding the range for high-end bikes. We are also planning to penetrate deeper into the OE space,” said Misra. The company is already OE supplier of two-wheeler tyres for Hero and Bajaj.

The biggest challenge for a technical person in the tyre industry is to anticipate the customer requirement stated as well as unstated and develop the right tyre. “The main challenge is to keep improving the performance and keep the cost low,” added Misra.

The Indian customer is very aware and knowledgeable hence continuous upgradation of technology and products is the key to success.

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Wallace Instruments, a globally recognised leader in rubber testing equipment, has expanded its United Kingdom-manufactured specimen preparation lineup with the launch of the WAS3 Pneumatic Cutting Press. The new device joins the company’s range of rubber testing equipment.

Unlike manual cutting methods, pneumatic systems apply consistent force on every cycle, eliminating operator fatigue and variability. Poorly prepared specimens with uneven edges or internal stress can compromise test accuracy, while the pneumatic approach also reduces repetitive physical strain, supporting technician wellbeing during long production runs.

The WAS3 prioritises safe single-operator use through a two-button activation system requiring both buttons to be pressed within half a second, preventing any hand contact with the cutting area. Additional three-sided protective guards further enhance operational safety.

Delivering 15 kN of cutting force, the press easily cuts through 10-mm thick, 95 Shore A rubber sheet using five bar of filtered air pressure. It works with existing Wallace cutting dies, so laboratories can integrate the unit without replacing current tooling, and its compact footprint suits both lab and production environments.

Chris Norval, Managing Director, Wallace Instruments, said, "Specimen preparation is the foundation of accurate rubber testing. With the WAS3, we focused on practical safety, dependable cutting performance and drop-in compatibility. Labs get a compact pneumatic press that fits the air lines already in place, uses their current Wallace dies and delivers consistent results for every operator – because when specimen quality is controlled, you can have confidence in the results that follow."

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DUNLOP (company name: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.) has teamed up with Fujitsu Limited to create an artificial intelligence (AI) surrogate model that predicts tyre performance rapidly and with high precision. The breakthrough was validated in a proof of concept tied to DUNLOP’s digital transformation strategy. When applied to tyre deformation upon road contact, the technology slashed analysis time by 90 percent, from 45 minutes to just 5 minutes while processing nearly 600,000 mesh elements.

Based on these results, both firms will build a design support tool, aiming for deployment at DUNLOP by April 2027. The system runs on FUJITSU MONAKA, a next-generation energy efficient Arm-based CPU.

Tyre design typically relies on finite element method (FEM) analysis, where finer mesh grids boost accuracy but increase calculation time and costs. To tackle this, the partners developed an AI surrogate model that solves FEM equations using past data. The model, based on the Graph Neural Network algorithm, predicted contact shape with 87.7 percent accuracy, enabling faster decisions and lower costs.

Select findings will be shared at the 31st Computational Engineering Conference starting 3 June 2026. By December 2026, both companies will test the model on a FUJITSU MONAKA prototype to refine speed and power use.

Under its long-term strategy R.I.S.E. 2035, DUNLOP seeks to provide new experiential value from rubber. Through this co creation, the tyre maker will enhance its analytical technologies and strengthen innovation. Fujitsu will promote this approach across large scale FEM analysis in automotive and other manufacturing sectors, contributing to carbon neutrality via an AI platform combining FUJITSU MONAKA and GNN.

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Starrett-Bytewise has appointed GL Inspect GmbH as its new European sales representative. The German firm, led by Christian Lantzsch and based in Hargesheim, will oversee regional operations. The partnership aims to provide local expertise for demanding measurement challenges across tyre plants, steel mills and extrusion lines.

Lantzsch and the GL Inspect team bring a sophisticated understanding of non-contact metrology. Their technical background aligns with the diverse industrial sectors served by Starrett-Bytewise, ensuring that European customers receive support tailored to specific materials and production environments. The collaboration strengthens local technical knowledge and on-site application assistance.

Under this agreement, European customers gain direct access to local consultations and expanded on-site evaluations led by Lantzsch’s team. Laser measurement solutions can be better integrated into individual production lines. The partnership also streamlines communication and support, building on existing European infrastructure to enable seamless transitions to automated in-line inspection.

The appointment represents a significant investment in European infrastructure. Having GL Inspect on the ground shortens the distance between Starrett-Bytewise’s U.S. engineering team and local factory floors. Faster application assessments, more frequent site visits and industry-specific language support are key outcomes of the new arrangement.

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NTE Holding has officially established NTE Mechatronics Srl, a new entity focused on developing advanced mechatronic machinery and systems for the tyre industry, with specialised emphasis on the off-the-road (OTR) and agricultural sectors. The company is headquartered in Rovereto, within the Trentino innovation ecosystem, and represents a strategic evolution of the holding’s industrial vision to integrate process engineering, automation and intelligent mechatronics for next-generation manufacturing solutions worldwide.

Built upon the industrial legacy and technical expertise of the former Marangoni Meccanica organisation, the new venture goes beyond a simple asset acquisition. According to Fabio Novelli, NTE Holding’s President and CEO, the goal was to relaunch and transform a historic industrial competence into an innovation platform for the future. NTE Mechatronics merges deep knowledge in industrial automation, process technologies and mechatronics with the broader NTE Group’s engineering capabilities, working closely with NTE Process, which is known for advanced upstream technologies such as dense-phase conveying, storage, dosing, and batching systems for the rubber and tyre sector.

Strategic collaborations with Trentino Sviluppo, the University of Trento and the ProM Facility support accelerated research, reverse engineering, metal 3D printing and rapid industrialisation. Today, the company is rapidly expanding its engineering and organizational structure to strengthen capabilities in advanced mechatronic integration, AI-driven process optimisation, predictive monitoring, smart diagnostics, energy-efficient manufacturing and custom-engineered machinery for next-generation tyre production. Core to its philosophy is a strong belief in the value of Italian engineering and manufacturing culture.

For 2026, NTE Mechatronics has set strategic priorities that include reconnecting with former Marangoni Meccanica customers, reinforcing international commercial activities and developing new technologies specifically for the OTR and agriculture tyre sectors, with Europe and the United States as primary target markets. The establishment of the company marks a significant advancement in the group’s growth trajectory, reaffirming its commitment to technological excellence and industrial specialisation.

Novelli said, “We saw the opportunity to remodel a significant industrial legacy into an innovation platform. This approach has enabled us to preserve specialised expertise, ensure industrial continuity and relaunch a historic Italian company with a forward-looking vision. At NTE Mechatronics, we believe that Italian engineering represents far more than technical competence – it is a culture of craftsmanship, creativity and industrial vision. Companies choose Italy when they are looking for something beyond standardisation: distinctive solutions, superior quality, advanced engineering and a different way of thinking about manufacturing.”

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