Falken has reiterated its commitment to offer tyres for all road and weather conditions to its dealers and consumers this summer. The tyre maker is ready with its summer product portfolio that includes tyres for lorry, electric vehicles (EV), ultra, super-ultra-high-performance as well as motorsport and off-road tyres.

The newly launched Falken AZENIS RS820, the new generation of super-ultra-high-performance tyres designed for ambitious sports car drivers, leads the summer lineup. For speeds of up to 300 km/h, the tyre will be offered in 40 sizes ranging from series 30 to 45 with diameters of 19 to 21 inches. The Tyre Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence nominated the AZENIS RS820 for ‘Tyre of the Year’.

The Falken e. ZIEX is available in 29 sizes in series 40 to 65, with diameters ranging from 15 to 21 inches. It was initially created for EVs, but drivers of internal combustion engine vehicles that value environmental performance and fuel economy are also targeted. The Falken AZENIS FK520 UHP summer tyre comes in 129 dimensions, from 17 to 21-inch diameters in series 30 to 65. All specifications are also satisfied by the Falken ZIEX ZE320, which comes in 60 sizes with a diameter of 16 to 18 inches in series 45 to 65. The tyre provides excellent noise reduction.

The EUROALL SEASON AS220 PRO is an all-weather tyre developed specifically for vehicles that are all about performance. Fo speeds up to 270 km/h, it is available in 54 sizes from 17 to 21-inch diameters in series 35 to 65. The WILDPEAK R/T 01 is aimed at heavy pick-ups and SUVs that love off-road tracks. The R/T model from Falken is available in eight sizes with 17 to 20-inch diameters from series 55 to 70. Finally, the LINAM VAN 01 summer tyre is aimed at transporters and vans. It is available in 37 sizes in series 55 to 82 in 12 to 17-inch diameter with the speed index R / S / T / H.

Pirelli has launched the fifth generation of its iconic P Zero ultra-high-performance (UHP) tyre, the flagship model of the P Zero range.

Thanks to enhanced handling, as demonstrated by track tests on both dry and wet roads, and shorter stopping distances, the P Zero has two main advantages: superior performance and safety. The European wet grip label has given the new tyre an ‘A’ rating since its introduction. In order to improve cornering grip, the contact patch and grooves were updated as part of the development approach, which concentrated on the tread design and tyre structure. To guarantee constant performance over the course of the tyre's life cycle, a more balanced contact patch enhances both braking performance and wear rate. New designs with contrasting marks on the sidewall make the new P Zero visually stand out as well.

With more than 50 models now on the market, the fifth-generation P Zero tyre is available in sizes ranging from 18 to 23 inches. Together with the other P Zero family tyres, these offer comprehensive coverage for the premium and prestige market in all application types. The majority of the new lineup includes Pirelli's specialties, such as Elect, a technology package for electric and plug-in hybrid cars that uses solutions made especially to manage high torque and cut down on noise, increasing range by up to 10 percent because of decreased rolling resistance.

UHP products in the P Zero series are made for a variety of applications, such as track racing, electric vehicles and winter driving. Every driving demand is met by other members of the extended family in addition to this most recent P Zero. These include the P Zero R, which is made to optimise driving pleasure and sporting performance for high-performance cars and SUVs, and the P Zero E, which combines e-mobility and safety (as evidenced by the triple ‘A’ rating on the European tyre label) with a reduced environmental impact (thanks to the use of more than 55 percent natural or recycled materials). Pirelli's P Zero Trofeo RS, which is also approved for road usage, is designed for track driving. The range also includes the P Zero Winter 2 for wet or snowy surfaces.

KraussMaffei Extrusion successfully concluded the KraussMaffei TecDays ‘World of Extrusion’ in Laatzen near Hannover, Germany, with a focus on topics such as pipe & profile, recycling and circular economy.

The three-day event was held from 25 to 27 March and was graced by around 300 visitors from 44 countries. The event provided participants with an ideal platform to exchange ideas on innovations and sustainable solutions in the field of extrusion. Apart from high-profile keynote speeches from industry and research partners and live demonstrations at the state-of-the-art Technology Centre, the event saw the world premiere of the new PVC multi-layer pipe head and a new machine concept for upcycling post-consumer plastic waste.

Extrusion of pipes and profiles was the main topic of the event's first section. Prominent keynote addresses from KraussMaffei Extrusion partners and specialists, including Borealis, Baerlocher, Omya, Plastics Europe and Georg Fischer, offered intriguing perspectives on global extrusion industry difficulties and future trends. The business offered cost-effective and environmentally friendly answers to the urgent problems facing the plastics sector. The ‘Smart Factories’ concept was introduced by Kabelwerk Eupen as a vision of the automated and digitally transformed factory of the future.

A live demonstration of the new PVC multi-layer pipe head, which creates three-layer pipes from virgin material and foamed core, was the focus of the first section. Spider wires and other such weak areas are avoided by the creative distribution method. The new pipe head adds to increased sustainability because of its material versatility, which includes processing recycled materials. Visitors also saw live demonstrations of PVC granulation and PE-PA pipe manufacture.

A novel machine design for the regulated upcycling of post-consumer plastic waste into premium automobile compounds was unveiled during the event's second section, which concentrated on recycling and the circular economy. Accurate, repeatable colours were guaranteed by the groundbreaking ColorAdjust technology. Additionally, a live demonstration of the scalable and energy-efficient manufacture of food-grade rPET granulates was conducted.

The TecDays offered in-depth explanations of several recycling procedures in addition to live demonstrations. The most recent advancements in the circular economy were discussed, along with mechanical, solvent-based and chemical approaches. Prominent research institutes including IKV Aachen and IKK Hannover, as well as industry partners PureCycle Technology, Veolia, Lober, Polymetrix and Exxon Mobil, provided insightful presentations on recent advancements and trends. Innovative technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) in compound production, smart sensors for inline quality monitoring and solutions for cable compounds in an electrified future were included to the programme.

A special event was held in the evening for celebrating 100 years of partnership with Kabelwerk Eupen AG.

Orion S.A., a global speciality chemicals company, has appointed Reciend Group as its distributor of speciality carbon black product lines in Peru. Reciend has been Orion's distributor and agent in Colombia for over 20 years.

Eduardo Belisle, Technical Business Manager, Orion, said, “We know the same dedication and technical work that transformed the Colombian market will be the key factors to drive the evolution for the coatings and plastics market in Peru. We look forward to supporting Reciend on this new journey.”

Highlighting that the collaboration is a strategic milestone that strengthens his company’s mission of bringing specialised solutions to Andean markets, Alejandro Mejía, Chief Strategy Officer of Reciend, said, “It is an excellent opportunity to create even more value for our customers and principals through our talented team, committed to delivering high-performance solutions to industrial markets – such as coatings, plastics, printing systems and battery applications – where we have strong expertise and a broad ingredients portfolio. After decades of working with Orion’s carbon blacks, we’ve established a solid foundation, and now the expansion of our collaboration into Peru enables us to replicate that success in this important and growing market.”

Apollo Tyres, one of the leading tyre manufacturers in the country, has appointed Rajeev Kumar Sinha as its new Chief Manufacturing Officer. He also joins the company’s Global Executive Committee.

Sinha is expected to further strengthen the company’s global footprint by driving the manufacturing agenda, including strategy and planning, performance optimisation, plant management, integrated manufacturing services (IMS), corporate industrial engineering (IE) and deployment of Advanced Manufacturing Systems, including AI/ML solutions.

He comes with three decades of experience, having worked in multiple senior roles with multinationals such as Cipla, Glenmark and PepsiCo, among others.

In his last stint, he was Cipla’s Global Chief Manufacturing Officer and member of the Management Council and Non-Executive Director in select group Companies.

Neeraj Kanwar, Vice-Chairman and MD, Apollo Tyres, said, “Rajeev is a global manufacturing leader who comes with over 35-years of rich experience in operations and supply chain domain across diverse industries such as chemical, FMCG, foods & beverages and pharmaceuticals. He will play a critical role not only in our growth journey, but also in maintaining our competitive advantage. He joins us as a key member of the Global Executive Committee.”

Based out of Gurugram, India he will report to Neeraj Kanwar. 

Rajeev Kumar Sinha, said, “I am delighted to join this dynamic and growing organisation, and excited by the possibilities the future holds for Apollo Tyres. I look forward to steering innovations, especially pertaining to AI/ML solutions, and Industry 4.0 and 5.0, driving the manufacturing agenda of the organisation.”