Hankook Tire has commenced the expansion of its European production plant in Rácalmás, Hungary. With an investment of around EUR 540 million, the expansion project is scheduled for completion in 2027 and expected to create 450 new jobs.

A new truck and bus tyre production line with a capacity of up to 800,000 units annually will be created as a consequence of the expansion. The new plant will manufacture tyres from the new e-SMART series, which is especially made for electric commercial vehicles, as well as Hankook's premium long-haul and mixed application products, SmartLine AL/DL 50 and SmartFlex AL/DL 51. Furthermore, the production line will allow Hankook to provide additional goods for every use, from construction sites and winter usage to long-distance and regional transportation, in order to satisfy the demands of clients in Europe.

A key component of Hankook's European growth, the Hungary plant has been operational since 2007. With its cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, the European factory can presently produce 17 million passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres. The new plant will also use the newest technology in tyre manufacturing, including 3D additive manufacturing for tread moulds and sustainable, renewable and recyclable materials. The industrial site's overall sustainability is shown by the Hungarian plant's achievement of the coveted ISCC PLUS accreditation (International Sustainability & Carbon accreditation).

Jongho Park, President and COO, Hankook Tire Europe, said, “We are very happy with the progress so far. After getting necessary approvals, we were able to commence the building works as planned and preparatory soil construction is underway. Once the new production line is complete, we will be manufacturing truck and bus tyres for the European market in Europe, which will shorten our transport routes. With the investment, we are strengthening the European business location and creating more jobs.”

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.”