December 2020

Tire Technology International

The tire industry is facing unprecedented challenges. As demand for tires grows, sources of natural rubber and carbon black are under pressure. Sustainability pushes are driving new green manufacturing and renewed emphasis on recycling/tire afterlife. Growing ridesharing and expanded delivery/logistics fleets are driving needs for lighter, more resilient tires. As tire manufacturers consider how to meet these challenges, leveraging new digital technologies is not only beneficial, but essential.

Automotive manufacturer Continental has launched its ContiConnect Live system, which is intended to complement its existing ContiPressureCheck and ContiConnect Yard tire monitoring systems. The company says its new system will allow for data on tire pressure and temperature to be sent in real time to the cloud using a central telematics unit. In addition, this unit transmits the vehicle’s location using GPS and records the operating hours of the tires.

This futuristic vehicle reaches a speed of 100 kilometers per hour in just 3.5 seconds and a single recharge is enough to travel more than 1,600 kilometers.

Michelin says it is working toward equipping all of its automotive tires with RFID technology by 2023 and expects to have delivered up to 1,500,000 RFID-equipped car tires as early as 2020. It notes that among other benefits, RFID enables improved tire management from the factory to end of life as well as opening up possibilities for offering predictive maintenance services to improve driver experience.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has released its Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics report for October-November 2020. It notes that world production of natural rubber (NR) fell by 8.5% year-on-year to 10.098 million tons, between Jan-Oct 2020. Anticipating a 10.8% drop during Nov-Dec 2020, the production during the full year 2020 is expected to be 12.597 million tons, down 9.0% from the previous year.

Everyone wants in on electrification, it seems, with no shortage of automakers stating their intent to gain a slice of the new pie. This year, a number of Chinese car brands have announced plans to introduce new electric brands in a bid to tap into the emerging market, with companies such as SAIC Motor, Changan Automobile and GAC among those looking to do so. Now, another name joins the list.

US-based Bolder Industries, a specialist in converting end-of-life tires into sustainable industrial products, and Continental Carbon Company have entered a co-marketing agreement to commercialize breakthrough sustainable products for the global rubber and plastics industry.

Tire Technology International

Nokian Tyres says it has invested in a new test center for its heavy tires division, with added automation and capacity over its existing facilities. The company notes that, due to Covid-19 restrictions, many phases of the construction process have been managed remotely. “This kind of flexible problem-solving has been typical for the whole construction project, and it has kept us on schedule,” said development manager Matti Kaunisto. “Hats off to the whole team that made it possible!”

Wards Auto

Extending the usable life of a tire is part of Michelin’s overall sustainability strategy, says Alexis Garcin, chairman and president of Michelin North America. In addition, the company is working to develop new sources of biomaterials.

Originating from Thailand, home-grown brand GPX Racing has launched its first scooter, the 2021 GPX Racing Drone. The entire design of the 150 cc scooter is GPX Racing’s own which technical development was done in conjunction with scooter maker SYM of Taiwan. The GPX Racing Drone is powered by a single-cylinder, 149.6 cc engine fed by EFI mated to a CVT transmission as is the norm for scooters. No power numbers for the engine are available but fuel is carried in a 7.

Bangladeshi migrant worker Sheikh Kibria recalls with horror the filthy, overcrowded dormitory where he was housed by the world’s biggest rubber glove manufacturer when a coronavirus outbreak erupted and infected thousands.

Yubaraj Khadka, a worker in Malaysia for Top Glove Corp, took two photos in May of fellow employees crowding into a factory of the world’s biggest maker of medical-grade latex gloves.

Malaysia will end the 28-day lockdown on Top Glove Corp.’s worker dormitories following a decline in positive Covid-19 cases, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement.

Farmers in Quang Nam Province have been left with little else but logs after Storm Molave swept their rubber plantations last month.