Historically, the tire industry’s focus on sustainability has been driven by energy consumption and CO2 emissions. I know, because I just published a report on the whole subject of tire industry sustainability. Sustainability focussed on energy footprint It is drilled into tire engineers that around 80% of the total energy footprint of a tire depends
Category: AA-commentaries
China Tire Intelligence, monthly report – April
By David Shaw Tire makers still in a bad way China’s tire makers are still in a bad way. Spring has not yet arrived after the long economic Winter caused by US tariffs, the economic slowdown and other factors. Nevertheless, there are signs that the last snows have fallen and a few early flowers might
Tire labelling in China and Europe: part 3
In the last month there have been some significant developments in the tire industry with respect to labelling. First, China has developed its own label. It was shown at a press conference in Beijing on 22 April 2016. Second the EU has published a major study on tire labelling Third, the EU has begun a
Tire labelling in China and Europe: part 2
In the last month there have been some significant developments in the tire industry with respect to labelling. First, China has developed its own label. It was shown at a press conference in Beijing on 22 April 2016. Second the EU has published a major study on tire labelling Third, the EU has begun a
Tire labelling in China and Europe: part 1
In the last month there have been some significant developments in the tire industry with respect to labelling. First, China has developed its own label. It was shown at a press conference in Beijing on 22 April 2016. Second the EU has published a major study on tire labelling Third, the EU has begun a
Concept tires trigger huge interest
You have probably read about Goodyear’s two main concept tires shown at the Geneva motor show (See images above). They generated a massive amount of publicity in the automotive and general press and on websites around the world. I think this demonstrates – despite widespread opposition to the idea – that many people in the
Apollo in motion
Apollo Tyres and its Vredestein unit are developing a new brand strategy and making structural changes to their European operations. Speaking exclusively to Tire Industry Research at the Geneva Motor show, Apollo CEO, Neeraj Kanwar said the company is changing its brand strategy. The change is driven partly by a drive to build OE contracts
Tire testing comes under intense scrutiny
Last week, Nokian implicitly admitted that it rigged magazine tests of tires. In this column I want to look at how and why it might have done that and then look at some of the implications of the admission. Nokian admits rigging tests First, the facts as we know them. Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti last week
Tariff pressure on Chinese truck tires grows
In the evening (US time) of 29 January, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) formally announced its decision to investigate allegations of dumping of China-made truck tires and a separate allegation of unfair subsidies. These could result in anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties respectively. Late last night in the US, the ITC posted a timetable
How to…Uniquely identify every tire
Today’s tire industry is struggling with methods to securely identify a specific tire together with its size and history data. In the mix we have RFID chips, replaceable sensors, tire registration and a few other technologies. Under the radar, however there’s a different approach favoured by premium car makers. Laser-engraved QR codes Just before the

