Nexen Tire, a leading global tyre manufacturer is celebrating the continued success of its nearly decade-long partnership with Manchester City Football Club (Manchester City).

The tyre major states that the collaboration has not only yielded excellent results for both the company and the football club but also serves as a benchmark for sports marketing success. Over the past 10 years, Nexen Tire has grown into a global brand with annual sales of 2.7 trillion KRW (approx. USD 2 billion), while Manchester City has made football history with a record-breaking four consecutive Premier League titles, amongst other accolades.

It was in 2015, when Nexen Tire first entered into a partnership with Manchester City. Since then, fans across Europe and around the world have seen the Nexen Tire brand on digital boards at Manchester City's home, the Etihad Stadium. The partnership has enabled Nexen Tire to leverage the club’s image and sponsorship rights, engaging in various marketing activities to enhance global visibility.

At the time, Nexen Tire states its brand awareness in Europe was relatively low, making the partnership with Manchester City a bold investment. With Manchester City’s global fan base, this partnership offered Nexen Tire an unparalleled opportunity to boost its presence in the global market.

The partners are said to share a common trait: they are both fast-growing entities in their respective fields. This mutual ambition has strategically strengthened the partnership, with Travis Kang, Global CEO of Nexen Tire, describing it as a "key investment in targeting the European market" during an interview at the beginning of the partnership.

Leveraging sports

It was in 2010, Nexen Tire's foray into sports marketing began in Korea, when it became the official sponsor of the professional baseball team, ‘Nexen Heroes’. Seeing the synergy between its dynamic brand image and the vibrancy of sports, the company actively expanded its sports marketing strategy.

Since then, Nexen Tire has continued to engage in differentiated marketing through sports sponsorships tailored to specific regional characteristics. In Europe, Nexen Tire has extended its partnerships beyond Manchester City to include clubs such as Juventus in Italy’s Serie A and SK Slavia Prague in the Czech league. It has also partnered with Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres in North America, as well as UAE football team Al Nasr and Lithuanian basketball team Zalgiris.

The partnership between Nexen Tire and Manchester City has been renewed four times, increasing brand visibility and marketing effectiveness. In 2017, Nexen Tire became the Premier League’s first-ever official sleeve partner, expanding its sponsorship reach. By having the Nexen Tire logo on the left sleeve of Manchester City's jerseys and on LED advertising boards at the stadium, the brand has achieved maximum global exposure.

The tyre major has also leveraged its partnerships for various marketing activities, reaching out to not only football fans but also buyers and customers worldwide. It regularly invites global business partners to fixtures, offering them unique experiences. In 2023, Nexen Tire hosted its ‘Purple Summit’ global dealer conference in Manchester, featuring a range of activities including conference sessions, match viewing, and a Manchester City stadium tour.

Nexen Tire states it has worked with Manchester City to extend its reach to global customers, activating as part of the club's Asia tour last year, which included popular YouTube content and football academy programs. Last July, Nexen Tire also supported Manchester City’s USA tour, further promoting the brand to North American football fans.

Since partnering with Manchester City, Nexen Tire has achieved significant milestones. In 2014, prior to the partnership, Nexen Tire’s European sales stood at 333.2 billion KRW. By 2023, this figure had tripled, surpassing 1 trillion KRW. European sales increased from 18.9 percent to 37.2 percent of total sales at Nexen Tire. Despite challenging market conditions, Nexen Tire’s active investments — including the establishment of a European manufacturing plant in the Czech Republic — have created synergy with its sports marketing efforts, including its collaboration with Manchester City.

Manchester City has also flourished, with the men’s first team winning four consecutive Premier League titles from the 2020/21 season to the 2023/24 season, in addition to a historic Treble winning 2022/23 season cementing its status as one of Europe’s top football clubs. Nexen Tire has celebrated Manchester City's victories by hosting promotions and giveaways for customers to commemorate these historic achievements.

Travis Kang, Global CEO, Nexen Tire, said, “Our partnership with Manchester City has been instrumental in raising global awareness of the Nexen Tire brand. We look forward to continuing this strategic partnership and exploring new marketing programs together.”

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Ecolomondo Corporation, a Canadian developer of sustainable tyre recycling technology, has released its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ending 30 June 2025. The period was marked by significant progress in commercialising its Hawkesbury thermal decomposition facility, particularly within the recovered carbon black (rCB) department. A major milestone was reached with the installation and commissioning of new milling equipment, a critical step for the plant to achieve full operational capacity, as rCB is its primary revenue generator.

Following the quarter's end, the company's main rCB client formally approved the product quality, leading to five consecutive purchase orders for multiple truckloads delivered between July and August. A separate US-based customer has also approved the rCB quality, with bulk purchase orders anticipated imminently.

Financially, Ecolomondo secured USD 1.5 million through private placements and finalised a significant agreement with Export Development Canada (EDC). This arrangement provides a temporary postponement of principal and interest payments on three existing loans, improving the company's working capital and investor confidence. This debt modification resulted in a gain of USD 2,495,209, which contributed to a reported net profit of USD 1,452,712, for the quarter, despite an operating loss, which stood at USD 1,042,497 for the quarter, compared to USD 443,418 for the same period of 2024.

Revenue saw substantial growth, increasing by 212 percent to USD 395,149 compared to the same period in 2024, driven by product sales and tipping fees at the Hawkesbury plant. Capital expenditures for the Hawkesbury TDP turnkey facility totalled USD 51,358,723 after accounting for depreciation, while the company’s cash and cash equivalents stood at USD 1,508,645. Over the coming 12 months, Ecolomondo anticipates utilising an additional USD 2.0 million, which will be primarily allocated to covering ongoing working capital requirements and essential capital purchases for the Hawkesbury facility.

The company also advanced its global expansion strategy, signing a definitive agreement with ARESOL, a renewable energy group, to construct four turnkey recycling facilities in the European Union. The first plant is planned for Valencia, Spain. At its Annual General Meeting, all management proposals were unanimously adopted by shareholders.

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The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA), alongside 13 other European business organisations, has signed a Joint Statement urging the European Commission to ensure a strong and ambitious implementation of the Data Act.

The coalition, including numerous SMEs and Small Mid-Caps from the digital and industrial sectors of European companies, has urged the European Commission to uphold the regulation against pressure to dilute its core provisions, identifying it as a crucial framework for unlocking industrial data across the EU economy. The signatories contend that a robust implementation is vital for fostering a competitive market and unleashing innovation, particularly for smaller businesses.

The coalition highlights the Act’s benefits, which include empowering SMEs with data portability rights, protecting them from unfair contractual terms and mandating that data sharing occurs on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. A key provision requires cloud providers to facilitate switching through open standards, combating vendor lock-in. The statement expresses concern that lobbying efforts for delayed enforcement, weaker interoperability definitions and reliance on global standards without fairness guarantees threaten to undermine these objectives.

For the Data Act to be effective, the coalition insists on full implementation to open data markets to genuine competition and prevent SMEs from being excluded by legal complexity. The statement also calls for a proportionate approach, requesting practical guidance, standard contractual clauses and well-resourced enforcement authorities to support smaller companies. It notes that in certain sectors, supplementary legislation may be needed for full clarity.

The coalition concludes that strong enforcement is paramount, asserting that without it, the Act's rights will remain theoretical. They warn that any delay or softening of key provisions risks reinforcing the very market barriers the regulation was designed to eliminate. The signatories urge the Commission to ensure robust enforcement to secure a competitive and innovative Single Market for all companies.

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has been selected as the official tyre supplier for the groundbreaking FIA Extreme H World Cup, the world's first hydrogen-powered motorsport series. The company will supply its GEOLANDAR brand of tyres for the championship, which is scheduled to commence next month in Saudi Arabia. The company will also continue to supply GEOLANDAR tyres for the Extreme E off-road electric vehicle series, which holds its final event on 4–5 October in Saudi Arabia.

Central to both the Extreme H and Extreme E series is a shared mission to advance sustainability and equality. The championships serve as dynamic platforms to promote environmental awareness and demonstrate cutting-edge technologies while also enforcing a strict mandate for gender parity by requiring each team to field one male and one female driver. The Extreme H series will feature eight international teams operating the Pioneer 25, a cutting-edge hydrogen fuel cell vehicle capable of generating 550 horsepower and accelerating from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.5 seconds. The global significance of this new championship is expected to draw a worldwide television audience across multiple continents.

As the predecessor to Extreme H, the Extreme E series utilised the high-performance all-electric Odyssey 21 vehicle. All teams competing in the new hydrogen series will also participate in this final Extreme E event, marking the conclusion of the electric championship as it transitions towards a hydrogen future.

In alignment with the environmental principles of these series, Yokohama Rubber will provide a specially developed prototype tyre based on its GEOLANDAR X-AT model. This tyre has been engineered with a significantly increased ratio of sustainable materials, comprising 38 percent renewable and recycled content. It has also been fortified with enhanced durability characteristics to withstand the unique demands of heavy hydrogen-powered and electric off-road racing vehicles.

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Hankook Tire is advancing its future mobility leadership through strategic open innovation and collaborative design projects. This effort was showcased at the company’s recent Design Innovation Day 2025, held at its Pangyo Technoplex headquarters. The event serves as a platform to present new solutions integrating sustainability, innovation and design while reinforcing partnerships with global technology leaders.

A major focus was the unveiling of two key outcomes from Hankook’s ongoing Design Innovation Project. The first was ‘Sustainable Concept Tyre’, an embodiment of the company’s ESG vision. Developed using advanced 3D printing technology, it is constructed from renewable and recycled materials. Its distinctive organic design was realised in collaboration with Harvestance using specialised engineering software.

The second reveal was the WheelBot 2, a multi-directional mobility platform developed with robotics startup CALMANTECH. This advanced robotic wheel system, equipped with tri-axial spherical tyres, demonstrates new possibilities for movement. Its potential was illustrated through a live demonstration of the PathCruizer, a two-seater pod concept powered by the WheelBot technology.

Beyond product reveals, the event highlighted Hankook’s commitment to knowledge sharing, featuring a presentation on 3D printing advancements from LG Electronics. These collaborations are central to Hankook’s strategy of strengthening its technology leadership. Since 2012, the company has partnered with world-renowned design universities and technology firms, consistently earning prestigious international design awards and solidifying the premium stature of its global brand.

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