Amit Kumar Biswas, ex-vice chairman, Indian Rubber Institute, Kolkata Branch died last month.

He was 78-years old.

Amit Kumar Biswas worked as s a General Manager of Phoenix Yule Ltd. (Belting Division), and travelled around Europe and Asia and shared his expertise in polymer chemistry.

Amit Kumar Biswas, born in the village of Khardasingh, a few kilometres away from Kolkata, was not interested in selfish individualism. He believed that success is not a success unless he could ensure the flourishing of everyone around him. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, two sons-in-law, his dearest granddaughter, and niece. But most importantly, he is survived by all those who loved their Amit-da/Biswas-da.

“Amit Biswas, mostly known among us as ‘Biswasda’ is no more with us. When I got the information, it was so shocking to me that I could not talk for a long time. I could not believe my ears that our beloved and respected Guru ‘Biswasda’ is no more with us. When we joined Andrew Yule Belting Division in 1979 fresh from University, I was given the opportunity to work directly under him. From the very first day till the date of his retirement in the year 2000, I worked under him. In fact he guided us both in the field of technology and also in the field of development of Managerial skill and humanity. He had a very deep knowledge of rubber technology and was eager to percolate the same to us. Finally I thank God for giving me the opportunity to work with him. May his soul rest in peace in Heaven,” said Dr.Timir Bhattacharjee, Sr. VP, Forech India Pvt. Ltd.

Dr. R. Mukhopadhyay, Chairman, IRI-GC, “We are very sad to receive the unfortunate news of the sudden demise of Amit Biswas. We had a long association with him as a friend and valued member of IRI. He was very humble and straight forward in his approach. On behalf of IRI Governing Council and my family, we pray to Almighty that the departed soul rests in peace. I pray that God gives your family enough courage to tide over this very unfortunate loss.”

“Amit Biswas was not only a friend of mine; he was considered a member of our family. It is unbelievable that he is no more. We used to spend time when in business with lots of gravity and seriousness. But in time of leisure, we knew how to spend time with friends. Really he was a friend indeed when in need. It is needless to mention his professional knowledge and ethics. At times he became saviour and came for rescue. His sense of humour needs no mention. In get-togethers of friends his absence was highly felt and the enjoyment was considered not full to the brim.I have become speechless with the sad demise of my beloved friend Amit Biswas. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” said Mihir Bhattacharyya, Ex-works Manager, Phoenix Yule Ltd

Pirelli is all set to become the official tyre supplier to MotoGP from 2027. A new five-year agreement is in the works and will see the Italian tyre company become the single tyre supplier for the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 categories.

With the new MotoGP bikes and technical regulations scheduled to take effect in 2027, the approach of using a single supplier will offer the ideal progression ladder for the future champions to refine their skills while advancing to the top. Pirelli currently supplies tyres for Moto2 and Moto3 categories. With the new development, Pirelli will expand its presence to MotoGP and into MotoE, the electric world championship.

Michelin will remain the exclusive supplier for MotoGP and MotoE until the end of the current technical regulations at the close of the 2026 season, continuing to provide technical support, its products and world class technology over the next two seasons.

Nexen Tire’s NBlue 4S Van tyre has won the Best Light Commercial Tire award at the 22nd edition of the Tire of the Year Awards.

Neumáticos & Mecánica Rápida organised the esteemed awards ceremony, which took place on 30 January at the Novotel Madrid Center hotel. It honoured the top tyres of 2024 in the passenger vehicle, SUV, truck and agricultural tyre divisions. Key figures from the business, including executives from well-known tyre manufacturers such as Pirelli, Continental, Yokohama, Michelin and Bridgestone, attended the event. Raúl Jiménez, Nexen Tire’s Business Development Director for Iberia, accepted the award on behalf of the company from Eusebio Albert, Director of the Transport area at Versys Ediciones.

The NBlue 4S Van, a tyre made to satisfy the exacting requirements of commercial fleets and drivers, is recognised for its superior performance, safety and fuel efficiency with the Best Light Commercial Tire award. This accolade comes as Nexen Tire solidifies its position as a top producer of premium tyres by expanding its footprint in Europe and throughout the world.

Jiménez said, “We are honoured to receive this prestigious award, which is a testament to our ongoing dedication to providing award-winning products for our customers. The NBlue 4S Van is designed to offer superior performance and durability, and this recognition reinforces our commitment to delivering the best solutions to the commercial sector.”

Pirelli is mulling expansion of its tyre production capacity in the US to offset the impact of US tariffs that came into effect from 4 March, company executives said on a 2024 financial results call.

The company has a contingency plan in place to deal with the US imposing 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. CFO Andrea Casaluci clarified that although Pirelli's US business accounted for over 20 percent of company sales, the amount of tyre manufacture there is restricted. The company's Georgia plant can produce about 400,000 tyres annually. Pirelli imports about half of its US supply from Mexico and around 40 percent from Brazil and Europe in order to fulfil market demand in the US.

Pirelli has a backup plan to boost imports from Brazil and expand US production capacity in order to lessen the effects of tariffs. According to the CFO, the Italian tyre manufacturer has already begun modernising the automated MIRS production processes in Georgia. This will serve as the foundation for the initial phase of capacity development in the US.

Additionally, the inflationary scenario will be used to examine the group's commercial approach. The CFO stated that since 30 percent of the US tyre market is imported, some inflationary pressure is to be expected in the wake of tariffs. The contingency plan also includes cost-cutting measures, in addition to the EUR 150 million in savings in 2025 that are anticipated under its industrial plan.

Nokian Tyres has launched the Seasonproof 2 all-season tyre for the Central European market to provide top-class safety on snow and slush as well as exceptional performance in summer for its customers.

The all-season Seasonproof 2 was created to satisfy the demands of drivers in Central and South Europe. By the fall of 2025, the product line will be accessible to customers in sizes for contemporary passenger cars, SUVs and CUVs. All-season tyres are made to function safely in Central European circumstances throughout the four seasons. The Nokian Tyres Seasonproof 2 is legally certified for winter use since it bears the Snowflake emblem (3PMSF). 

The tyre range includes up to 38 percent recycled, renewable and ISCC PLUS certified materials, with two percent coming from bio-based, bio-circular and/or circular feedstock that has been certified using the ISCC PLUS mass balanced technique. The introduction is a significant step toward the company's non-financial goal of increasing the proportion of recycled and renewable raw materials in its products to 50 percent by 2030. Additionally, it is the first tyre range available on the market to be manufactured in Nokia's new Romanian facility, the first fully operational tyre factory with zero CO2 emissions.

Tommi Alhola, Senior Vice President of Passenger Car Tyres, Central Europe for Nokian Tyres, said, “Central Europe is an important strategic growth area for Nokian Tyres. Nokian Tyres Seasonproof 2 is produced in our zero CO2 emission tyre factory in Oradea, Romania, close to the Central European consumers and customers. Furthermore, launching a tyre range using up to 38 percent renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS certified materials takes us significantly closer to our goal of using 50 percent renewable and recycled materials in our tyres by 2030.”

Teemu Soini, Vice President of Innovations and Development at Nokian Tyres, said, “By incorporating renewable materials, we have been able to boost the tyre’s performance while also lowering the rolling resistance. We are committed to finding renewable or recycled options for traditional fossil-based materials, and together with various partners keep researching for new innovative options.”