Hankook Tire has partnered with DriverReviews, a platform for verified tyre reviews of current models in the UK, to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions.

The reviews provided by the consumers will be verified and published on the tyre maker’s UK website, making it the first tyre maker in the UK to do so. Hankook Tire currently has over 5,000 product reviews on its website.

Zoe Baldwin, Marketing and Communications Manager of Hankook Tyre UK, said, “As reviews have become a very important force in online consumer decision making, it seemed a natural progression to provide genuine reviews of our products on our website. This will enable consumers to make an informed choice when selecting their tyre brand. We have partnered with DriverReviews to ensure consumers are confident in their choice of Hankook tyres before purchasing. As the reviews are requested at three intervals of ownership, after 3 months, 12 months, and 18-24 months, consumers can provide the most accurate, honest opinions across the product’s lifecycle.”

Adam Butcher, Head of Product at DriverReviews, said, “We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Hankook – one of the fastest-growing and leading premium tyre makers in the world. Thousands of customers have already used DriverReviews to review and voice their opinion on Hankook’s wide range of high-quality and high-performance products, and it is exciting that our partnership will enable Hankook to syndicate these reviews into their marketing communications. It’s an important step for DriverReviews to collaborate with partners such as Hankook to ensure that more customers are given the opportunity to read genuine authentic tyre reviews to guide their future purchases and help them make the right choice in a sometimes-complicated customer experience.”

Although DriverReviews is currently only integrated into the UK website, Hankook plans to roll out across more countries in 2022. (TT)

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Michelin-backed Biotech Open Platform has commenced operations at its new facility in France, with its first advanced fermentation projects now underway. The EUR-20-million site is located in the Sustainable Materials Centre within the Michelin Innovation Park – Cataroux in Clermont-Ferrand.

The platform supports start-ups, industrial companies and R&D organisations in developing, optimising, scaling up and validating fermentation-based processes, aiming to ensure more innovations progress from laboratory scale to conditions representative of industrial production. It offers integrated fermentation, purification and bioprocess development capabilities, including a complete fermentation line with a capacity of up to 15m³ and semi-industrial purification systems that remain rare in Europe. These capabilities meet the most stringent standards, particularly those applicable to food production, and enable production of sufficient volumes for application testing and validation stages preceding potential commercial production.

As scrutiny of fossil-based ingredients and resources grows, industrial biotechnology and advanced fermentation are opening opportunities to produce molecules, ingredients and materials from renewable resources. Advanced fermentation, including precision fermentation, uses microorganisms such as yeasts, bacteria, microalgae and fungi as ‘microfactories’ capable of producing proteins, enzymes, food ingredients, cosmetic actives and bio-based materials for sectors including food and beverages, cosmetics, agriculture, chemicals and biomaterials.

Announced in 2024, the platform was born from a joint initiative by Danone, Michelin, DMC Biotechnologies, Crédit Agricole Centre France, Clermont Auvergne Innovation and Greentech. Dedicated teams and its own infrastructure guarantee strict project confidentiality and intellectual property protection, while Clermont Auvergne Métropole and the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund, have supported creation of this strategic biotechnology infrastructure.

Florent Menegaux, Chairman, Michelin Group, said, “With the inauguration of Biotech Open Platform, we are turning a strong conviction into an industrial reality: biotechnology will play a major role in the sustainable transformation of many sectors. By providing companies with an open infrastructure and leading expertise, we want to accelerate the transition from research to industry. For Michelin, this is an opportunity to explore new ways of replacing certain molecules currently derived from petrochemicals with more sustainable, bio-based alternatives. More broadly, this platform aims to become a catalyst for innovation in support of European competitiveness.”

Khadidja Romari, Chief Executive Officer, Biotech Open Platform, said, “Biotech Open Platform was created to address a very concrete challenge in biotechnology: how to move from a promising process at laboratory scale to a robust process that can work at industrial scale. The infrastructure is important, but equipment alone is not enough. Scale-up requires experience, technical know-how and the ability to solve the issues that appear as the process moves from one scale to another. Confidentiality and protection of intellectual property are also essential for the companies we work with. Our role is to help them move faster and more securely towards industrialisation.”

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Maxam Tire has broadened its range of solid skid steer tyres by launching the MS705 NM, a non-marking iteration of its current MS705 model. The new tyre targets construction machinery operated indoors or on surfaces where leaving marks is undesirable.

By pairing the resilience of a solid tyre with a non-marking tread compound, the MS705 NM suits jobs that demand protection for finished flooring and other delicate surfaces. Its solid design removes the risk of punctures and sidewall failures while also doing away with regular air pressure checks, which helps lower maintenance demands.

The tyre incorporates a three-stage, all-rubber build and an aperture sidewall that together produce a gentler ride. Steel ring reinforcement internally works to prevent wheel slip, while a heat-resistant cushion centre compound adds durability for tough applications. With this non-marking option, Maxam now gives customers greater flexibility in matching skid steer tyres to specific jobsite needs.

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Evonik, a global speciality chemicals company, has outlined a three-year strategy to sharpen its focus and accelerate growth, assigning distinct roles across its business portfolio and setting specific tasks for its major German sites. Targeted growth projects are also intended to improve the group's geostrategic balance. To fund these investments, the company is relying on its Evonik Tailor Made restructuring programme to further reduce its cost base. The plan involves cutting 3,200 jobs worldwide, with roughly 2,150 of those losses falling in Germany.

At the annual strategy meeting, the executive and supervisory boards reviewed plans through 2030. Interim CEO Claus Rettig said the industry faces a structural and economic crisis, and Evonik will use this polycrisis to reshape old structures and improve its positioning. Many parts of the business are still growing, so efforts will concentrate on strengths, future topics and lucrative markets, with better cost positions creating room to manoeuvre.

Transformation will proceed at every level. Healthcare and biotechnology projects in Canada and Slovakia, worth several hundred million euros, will strengthen the portfolio, while business units are aligned by role as growth drivers or cash generators. A new business line, Designed Polymer Solutions, bundles growth areas in aerospace, automotive and gas separation, including biogas and hydrogen. Asia and America offer strong opportunities, and further investments there are under review. Each of the six major German sites will receive a clear profile, with implementation starting shortly.

Evonik is also exiting activities with no internal prospects. Rettig said long-term leadership requires leading in what the company does, and volatility demands flexible responses. Closures of smaller sites fit this approach, and divestments of C4 chemicals and infrastructure are progressing as planned. Tailor Made's second phase begins in 2027 and runs to 2029. Measures will be finalised by late 2026, including unfilled vacancies, early retirements and voluntary severance departures. Chief Human Resources Officer Thomas Wessel said Evonik has long lived social responsibility and maintained intensive dialogue with employee representatives, and this transformation will be completed together.

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Continental recently showcased its new TerrainContact A/T2 tyre during a five-day driving event in Iceland, held from 14 to 18 September 2026. Journalists and invited customers tested the tyre across winding roads, rugged highlands, glaciers and volcanic terrain.

Starting at Þingvellir, the group travelled through Iceland's Western Highlands and the Kaldidalur valley, where gravel routes highlighted the tyre's blend of on-road comfort and off-road traction. The TerrainContact A/T2 targets pickup and SUV owners who mainly drive on pavement but require extra grip when conditions change.

Compared with its predecessor, the tyre offers better wet braking and snow traction while preserving a quiet ride and off-road ability. A new tread compound boosts wet performance, greater tread depth aids snow grip, and optimised zig-zag grooves and traction teeth add control on loose or snowy surfaces. It carries the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol and is engineered with electric vehicles in mind.

Okan Sen, National Marketing Manager, Continental Tire Canada, said, “The TerrainContact A/T2, as one of the best-balanced performance all-terrain tyres in the market, was developed for drivers who want the freedom to explore without compromising their everyday driving experience. Iceland was the perfect setting to bring that versatility to life, giving attendees the opportunity to experience the tire across the kind of changing terrain it was designed to handle.”

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