Valebridge Media Services (VMS), the organisers of the 2023 Recircle Awards, has revealed the final four award categories for the 2023 edition. This year these four categories will be judged by the 14-strong Nominations Committee, which consists of independent industry experts, primarily industry journalists and trade association professionals. 

The four new categories and their respective nominees are as follows:

Business Breakthrough Award:

Now in its third year, the Business Breakthrough Award aims to recognise a significant impact in terms of new market entry or growth by a company active within the tyre retreading or recycling sector. The nominees are:

-Black Star

-Contec

-Italmatic

-Pyrum

-Tyromer

Spirit of Retreading Award: 

This award is now in its third year and was conceived to recognise the contribution made to the industry by small, medium-sized or regionally focused tyre retreading companies. The nominees are:

-Medina Med

-Power Retreads

-Recapagens Budini

-Tyresoles

-Yashina

Industry Achievement Award for the Tyre Retreading Sector:

The Industry Achievement Award was introduced last year. As an exceptionally flexible category, this year, it has been decided to offer two awards recognising historical and technological achievements in the retreading and tyre recycling industries, respectively. The nominees in the retreading category are:

-B&J Rocket – for its historically revolutionising the buffing process with the introduction of the B&J Rasp System

-Lukatec – for its contribution to the development of robotic buffing technology

-Matteuzzi – for its development of the world’s first computerised buffer RAS 90 DC

-Presti Industries – for its historical development of the seamless retread envelope

-VMI – for its development of cushion to casing smearing technology

Industry Achievement Award for the Tyre Recycling Sector:

For the tyre recycling sector, the nominees are as follows:

-CM Shredders - for developing the Liberator, one of the best sets of equipment for removing wire from tyres

-Eldan – for building some of the biggest and most reliable tyre-shredding equipment 

-Regom – for its current development work in tyre identification machinery

-Rubberjet Valley – for its development of water jetting technology in tyre recycling

-Scandinavian Enviro Systems – for its pioneering work in the tyre pyrolysis sector 

David Wilson, Managing Director of Valebridge Media Services, commented, “We are delighted to be able to announce our final four award categories for the 2023 Recircle Awards. As always, our aim is to be able to offer an inclusive experience for the whole of the tyre retreading and recycling industry, to encourage engagement in the awards process, and to provide a balanced selection of awards that recognise excellence across the whole of the industry.”

VMS has also confirmed that the voting process is now open for all 15 of the Recircle Awards categories, subject to the public vote. Members of the public can vote for their preferred nominees by casting their vote via the Recircle Awards website at https://recircleawards.com/categories-2023/. Voting is restricted to one vote per person per award category.

The voting process will close at the end of September 8, 20223, and the winners of the Recircle Awards will be announced on November 16, 2023. 

As part of a strategic effort to increase its presence in the region's premium original equipment (OE) market, Kumho Tire has confirmed its plans to establish its first tyre production facility in Europe by 2027.

The company has shortlisted Poland, Serbia and Portugal as possible locations for the plant, which is projected to need an investment of more than KRW1 trillion (USD 705 million). The decision is closely linked to Kumho’s ambition to strengthen its partnerships with European automakers and was revealed by Kumho Tire CEO during the South Korean premiere of Kumho's new Ecsta Sport tyre line.

Kumho has recently secured OE supply contracts with major brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen Group. At the moment, Kumho runs eight tyre production plants in China, Vietnam, South Korea and the US. Its capacity to compete in the premium OE market, however, has come to be perceived as being constrained by the absence of a European production base. Through the benefits of local production, the new facility will improve response to European client requests, save freight costs and shorten delivery times, all of which will strengthen the company's partnerships.

Sentury Tire USA has opened pre-enrolment for its two associate dealer programmes (ADPs), the Delinte HYPERDRIVE Associate Dealer Program and the Landsail Elyte Associate Dealer Program, underscoring the company’s commitment to rewarding dedication and partnership to the Landsail and Delinte brands.

The ADPs, which are customised for each brand and intended to encourage dealers, will formally start on 1 June 2025. Both programmes give dealers access to special benefits, incentives and strong tools to help them expand their businesses. This involves dependable customer service, effective marketing and worthwhile financial incentives to promote dealers' success at every stage.

Beginning in Q3, dealers may earn up to USD three per tyre through the Delinte HYPERDRIVE Associate Dealer Program. Dealers can receive retroactive benefits for purchases completed in Q2 if they register before 1 June. The awards are available for all Delinte PTR, LTR and the new DV3 LMD AS last-mile delivery tyres. For all Landsail PTR and LTR tyres, independent dealers that sign up for the Landsail Elyte Associate Dealer Program can also earn up to USD three per tyre. For customers who sign up by June 1, the new LMD 100 AS last-mile delivery is also eligible for the benefits and will get the same early bird incentive for Q2 2025.

No initial order is necessary. Dealers only need to register to begin making money. According to the monthly programme rewards structure, 48 tyre purchases each month are eligible for a reward of USD one per tyre, 120 tyres are eligible for a reward of USD two per tyre and 240 or more tyres are eligible for a reward of USD three per tyre.

ENSO, a London-based tyre manufacturer engaged in the production of sustainable tyres specially designed for electric vehicles (EVs), has launched its new ENSO Premium range of EV-specific ultra-high-performance (UHP) tyres aimed at drivers of high-performance EVs such as the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Specifically designed for electric passenger vehicles, the ENSO Premium range comes with A/A EU-label ratings for both energy efficiency and wet grip. The tyres are designed to provide safety, increased range and a reduced total cost of ownership. Conventional tyre designs frequently fall short of the special performance needs of electric vehicles, which include greater vehicle weight, regenerative braking and higher torque loads. By lowering tyre wear and rolling resistance, ENSO Premium takes care of these issues.

The company is an authorised provider of replacement tyres for LEVC's electric taxis and has partnered with Uber to install its tyres in high-mileage metropolitan areas. The company now plans to grow throughout Europe and North America, and with ENSO Premium, it is now offering its services to individual EV owners throughout the United Kingdom. According to ENSO, the range offers advantages including longer tyre life and fewer replacements, lower energy usage, fewer charging stops and lower CO₂ emissions and tyre particle pollution.

Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, CEO and Co-Founder, ENSO, said, “We’re plugging a long-standing gap in the tyre market by offering EV drivers a purpose-built, affordable, premium EV tyre alternative that matches the innovation of their EV.”

Kraton Corporation, a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value bio-based products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, has announced a general price hike in North America for its SBS, SIS and HSBC product lines with effect from 1 May 2025.

Following a careful analysis of the effects of recently implemented tariffs, related cost increases and a conclusion that the company cannot independently absorb these repercussions, Kraton is adopting these pricing hikes, according to a company statement. The company further said that it will keep an eye on the scene and reassess these measures promptly in the event that conditions and US import tariffs alter.