Hankook has announced that it has been selected as the original equipment manufacturer for the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class across all markets.

Hankook has announced that it has been selected as the original equipment manufacturer for the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class across all markets.

Hankook has announced that it has been selected as the original equipment manufacturer for the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class across all markets.Hankook has announced that it has been selected as the original equipment manufacturer for the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class across all markets.

In a release the company said that it is the “MO” label on the tyre wall that Hankook is particularly proud of, as the two letters stand for “Mercedes Original”. 

Only tyres with this seal are approved as original equipment for a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, which abide by aa criteria in this regard, the release said. A tyre has to fulfill up to 50 criteria to meet the strict quality requirements of the Mercedes-Benz Group in terms of safety, precision and comfort.

Jeongho Park, Executive Vice President and Director of OE Division at Hankook Tyre said, “’We are very proud to be the original equipment supplier for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is considered the absolute top of the luxury segment in the global automotive industry. We see this as confirmation that our products meet the highest requirements across different markets.” 

After Hankook was already represented with a basic tyre on a previous model, Mercedes-Benz has now included Hankook as original equipment manufacturer for a large number of different tyre sizes and types following its approval for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. For the current luxury saloon car presented in September 2020, Hankook supplies three different tyre types, for summer, winter and all-season in a range of different sizes.

In the European market, the Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3 summer tyres range from size 255/50 R 18 to 285/40 R 19. The Mercedes-Benz Group has approved the Hankook Winter i*cept evo 2 in sizes 255/50 R 18 and 255/45 R 19 as winter tyres for its top model. Hankook said it’s engineers were able to significantly improve the driving behaviour of both tyre types with an aramid hybrid reinforcement belt. 

The Hankook Winter i*cept evo 2 also has a further optimised tread stiffness, which is of benefit in terms of handling and mileage. Moonhwa Hong, Senior Vice President and CTO of OE Development Department at Hankook Tyre said, “During the transition from the first to the second casting, we applied additional cross-braces and a lower tread depth. Narrower, lateral tread grooves and a modified contour on the second upper groove once again brought about measurable progress in terms of noise comfort”. 

The Mercedes-Benz Group uses the “MOE” (Mercedes Original Extended) label to designate runflat tyres with reinforced sidewalls. They can continue to be driven at up to 80 km/h even in the event of a sudden loss of pressure. They guarantee sufficient mobility even in the event of a flat tyre, allowing the driver to get from the motorway or a country road to the nearest Mercedes-Benz dealership for example. 

In the United States, high speed indices play a minor role due to restrictive speed limits. On the other hand, this market, which is very important for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, has extremely high requirements when it comes to ride and noise comfort. American customers of this luxury model benefit from Hankook Ventus S1 noble 2 in size 255/45 R 19 and in the runflat design. 

The Ventus S1 noble 2 in size 255/40 R 20 is even more comfortable. The “MOE-S” label (Mercedes Original Extended Silent) on the tire wall indicates that the tyre is particularly quiet. In order to meet the stringent noise requirements for this category, Hankook engineers applied Hankook Sound Absorber. This involves integrating a special polyurethane foam plate into the tyre body during the manufacturing process. The plate minimises the vibrations of the air column inside the tyre which are perceived as a particularly unpleasant humming sound. Sound absorber tyres can reduce the peak noise level by five to seven dB(A) and are particularly suitable for ultra-high-performance tires with small cross-sections but large overall resonance cavities. 

Complex simulation tools were used when developing tyres for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, especially when optimising the pass-by noise. These tools make it possible to precisely compare the values calculated in advance with the actual noise development of prototype tires. While the main part of the development work took place in the high-tech R&D centre Hankook Technodome, which opened in 2016, the engineers mainly used test tracks in Germany, Finland or Spain for practical testing. 

Hankook said it’s engineers also identified potential for improvement in the manufacturing process. The all-season and winter tyres in particular have benefited from a new mold release method. While the even separation of the green tyre and the mold was previously ensured by eight mold sectors with almost identical angles, Hankook now uses nine or eleven sectors with different angles. The result of this is that the tyres now meet the strict uniformity goals of the premium manufacturer even better than before while also boasting more harmonious rolling characteristics. (TT)

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Tegeta Green Planet and Shine Energy, both affiliated with Tegeta Holding, have launched a joint educational initiative to raise environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility among young people. The project addresses modern challenges such as environmental protection and sustainable development.

Company representatives are visiting schools across Tbilisi to hold informational meetings, presentations and workshops. The programme begins with presentations, followed by interactive games and activities designed to help students retain the information. At the end of each session, participants receive symbolic gifts and prizes as motivation.

Tegeta Green Planet focuses on teaching students the principles of specific waste management, including how to properly handle used tyres, batteries and oils. The sessions explain why proper waste management is essential for environmental protection and how it connects to the circular economy. Meanwhile, Shine Energy educates young people on the importance of energy, its everyday use and why developing renewable and sustainable energy resources is crucial.

The initiative is not limited to schools. In the near future, both organisations will expand their efforts to universities, aiming to broaden awareness about environmental protection, waste management and energy efficiency. The ultimate goal is to foster environmentally responsible attitudes among the younger generation, helping build a more sustainable and conscious society.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Zeon has been recognised as a Supplier Engagement Leader in the 2025 Supplier Engagement Assessment (SEA) conducted by CDP, a United Kingdom-based international environmental nonprofit organisation. This achievement represents the first time the company has received the highest possible rating in this assessment.

The evaluation measures how corporations address climate change within their supply chains, focusing on responses to the CDP Climate Change Questionnaire across five critical areas. These include governance, emissions targets, Scope 3 emissions management, risk management and overall supplier engagement strategies.

Zeon earned the top rating for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through supplier collaboration, a group-wide initiative, alongside continuous dialogue maintained via procurement activities. Guided by its philosophy of contributing to planetary preservation and human prosperity, Zeon remains committed to sustainable management. The company reaffirmed that it will continue working with suppliers and other stakeholders to tackle climate change and meet societal expectations.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

German chemical group WACKER has announced a price increase of up to 15 percent for its resins, dispersions and dispersible polymer powders produced at its European and US facilities. The adjustment takes effect on 1 June 2026, or as existing customer contracts permit. The move is designed to allow the company’s Polymers division to maintain high product quality, deliver technological innovations and provide superior customer service and technical support. It will also support investments aimed at securing future growth in key markets.

Rising costs for raw materials and logistics have forced the pricing measure, with the Polymers division being particularly affected. The recent conflict in the Middle East has caused significant disruptions across global commodity markets. As a direct result, prices for energy, raw materials and transportation have climbed sharply.

Despite the increase, WACKER remains focused on sustaining its commitment to customer support and long-term capability. The company underscored that the adjustment is necessary to continue meeting market demands while ensuring operational stability and future-oriented development across its focus markets.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Pirelli North America has launched its first closed-loop circular recycling initiative, marking a significant step in the company’s broader strategy to increase recycled and bio‑based content in its tyre production. The project has received the Tire Recycling Foundation’s Value Chain Collaboration Award.

The programme recovers scrap tyres generated during Pirelli’s own North American manufacturing process. These materials are sent to Bolder Industries, which applies ISCC PLUS‑certified pyrolysis technology to produce BolderBlack recovered carbon black. Pirelli then reintroduces this material into new tyre production at its North American facilities, partially replacing virgin carbon black. The effort is part of a wider Pirelli plan to expand such industrial ecosystems across the group’s production network, aiming to valorise waste by reintegrating recovered materials into tyre manufacturing.

Beyond the award, the initiative reflects Pirelli’s broader circularity approach, which includes ongoing work to boost recycled and bio‑based material usage. The company targets over 80 percent bio‑based and recycled content in its best‑performing products and forty percent in total production by 2030.

Claudio Zanardo, CEO, Pirelli North America, said, "The Rome plant is one of the most technologically advanced manufacturing facilities in Pirelli. This initiative reflects an approach focused on increasing the use of recovered materials within existing production processes. It is part of a broader effort to gradually integrate raw materials derived from recycled resources into our products while maintaining consistency in performance and quality."

Tony Wibbeler, CEO, Bolder Industries, said, "Our collaboration demonstrates that a traceable, mass-balance approach to tyre-to-tyre circularity is not only achievable, but it's ready to scale inside a premium manufacturing environment, meeting real performance and certification requirements at every step. This is the kind of progress the industry has been working toward for many years."

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!