In that respect, tyre industry should continue to improve New Product Development (NPD) process to a different level by expanding R&D efforts. Consequently, innovative tyre technology and tyre knowledge will be extremely important to compete in the future, more than at any time in the past. As we all know, there are several key processes to design and to produce the right tyres to meet the customer requirements.

In the new tyre development process, duration is getting more crucial and all manufacturers are trying to shorten it by using modern simulation and modeling technics. TIC - Tyre Industry Consulting - and AccuPredict LLC believe in “Speed to market with right solutions and innovation.” In that respect, Virtual Technologies enable companies to launch world-class product faster and more cost effectively than ever. Therefore, we recommend using the Virtual technology which is essential to understand how all the various parts of the tyre interact and add up to whole. With modeling and simulation, you will foresee the full effects of cascading events as well as novel events that our mental models cannot even imagine.   

Tyre, as a component of a vehicle, can largely influence the performance of the vehicle. On the other hand, to design tyres with high quality and high-performance, not only the characteristics of tyres such as tread pattern, tyre structure, material, local stress and thermal properties are also important, but the running conditions such as the load of a vehicle, the road roughness, temperature changes are equally critical. Considering the rapid advancement in electric vehicle, tyre will be the major source of noise for the modern vehicles. European regulation on tyre pass-by (PB) noise has been restricted to be less than 72 dB (A) and set the future noise level at a limit of 68 dB(A) after 2025 (phase 3). Tyre models based on virtual technology provide a comprehensive evaluation of key aspects of tyres. To ensure that the tyres are designed with high quality and good durability, and also in compliance with regulation, simulating tyres and predicting the tyre performance under various conditions can largely improve the tyre develop efficiency. The following tyre simulation and modeling are a few examples to showcase the vast potential of the tyre virtual technology.

• Components of tyre simulation - creation of rim, carcass, ply, and belts, reinforcement modeling, tread pattern meshing method, element types, etc.
• Footprint and force/moment prediction – Quasi-static footprint prediction with normal force, lateral force, torsion, and camber; steady-state rolling with brake and acceleration, cornering, and camber, etc.

• Integration of tyre structure and tyre Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) – pitch sequencing, tyre profile and structure, tread blocks, void area, non-skid depth, angle of groove, shape of footprint, local stress distribution and tyre uniformity can be investigated in combination with tyre impact noise, air-pumping noise and cavity noise to obtain the tyre radiation noise model for tyre design optimisation.
• Rolling resistance – Deformation analysis, radial stiffness (R deflection) prediction, tread pattern and side wall stiffness may be included to a finite element model for specific tyre designs and then simulate the energy loss under different tyre running conditions to obtain the optimal rolling resistance level.
• Thermal stress and fatigue analysis based on fluid dynamics - fluid-solid coupling simulation, creation and evaluation of detailed tread design, and dynamic meshes for tyre structure and rotating machinery fields will collectively provide precise understanding of the thermal distribution of given tyres. In particular, the analysis can predict the thermal stress of tyre molds accurately.

We do recommend applying Virtual analysis in design and development phases regarding; sizing, carcass line design, pattern design, footprint, tyre structure, materials, running conditions, durability, rolling resistance, noise and others.

TIC-Tyre Industry Consulting and AccuPredict LLC Subject Matter Experts (SME) have vast hands on experiences for above topics and ready to support your activities. We provide specialised technical solutions for your challenges and we guarantee a high standard of professional-ethical principles that we have kept and developed for years.

In addition to those services, we also provide Simulation and Modeling Technical Courses that design to give your workforce the skills, mind set and competences. Our trainers guide participants through a learning journey featuring workshops, case studies and the latest educational technologies.

• www.ctyreindustry.com. Contact: halukkizilay@outlook.com
• www.accupredictllc.com. Contact junhan08@yahoo.com

Haluk Kizilay has built over 30 years an impressive career that spans everything from tyre design & development to strategic planning, marketing and business development with global leaders including Bridgestone Turkey and Cooper Tire & Rubber. In 2019, he established TIC (Tire Industry Consulting). Haluk is one of the authorised judges of EU Horizon 2020 work programme and one of the registered researchers of TUBITAK, the Scientific & Technological Research Council of Turkey. In this article he focuses how to enhance New Product Development (NPD) process.

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Jun Han Ph.D. has more than 15 years of experience in solving mechanical problems related to structural sound and vibration, tyre NVH, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), thermal, and numerical modelling. His exceptional modeling work won him the Outstanding Contribution to Innovation Award in 2019. He was a Senior Engineer at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (OH) and has served as the core technical support for Cooper Tire’s Global R&D centers in the US, China and Europe. His work in reducing total tyre pass-by noise won him the prestigious Chairman’s Award at Copper in 2016. In 2020, Jun Han established his own technology company AccuPredict LLC

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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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