Six currencies, with an estimated population of 184 million - the East African community exists around the Great Lakes Region. “The Cradle of Mankind” is what it is called. This region lies in the heart of Africa and is home to both flora and fauna as it may have existed in the primordial times, undisturbed – SMART.

Mobility has changed considerably in this region by the way the tyres here have found their way into this market. In 1998, Truck Tubeless Tyre Conversions began in Kenya and quickly spread out to the neighboring regions. Presently 95% of the tyres found in fleets are tubeless and there is 100% conversion rate on Passenger and 4x4 range of vehicles. It was the SMART thing to do. The millennium saw an influx of Fleet Management softwares, Tyre Management Contracts, with the help of Budini Tyre Management Software. Unprecedented tyre training, growing investments in tyre machinery, tools and accessories investments. Technology and processes peaked and the bubble burst.

On the tyre spectrum 12.00R20, which was the predominant tyre size, was replaced by the low profile 315/80R22.5 (not the 13R22.5) which continues to hog 60% of the truck tyre market. The 8.25R16 was replaced by the 265/70R19.5 and 295/80R22.5 (together with 12R22.5) replaced 11.00R20. On the tyre spectrum and front we were ahead of developed, space (nuclear) age countries like India and the Gulf where tubeless conversions were less and the predominant sizes remained to be 10.00R20 and 12.00R24 respectively.

Tubeless rims became the order of the day and even when Trilex Split rims (80 years technology) are still in use in the Gulf. For a market that churns out approximately 600,000 trucks tyre casings per year, tyre retreading is the environmentally SMART thing to do. The cold procured tread process replaced the hot casing damaging process.  East Africa has not been left  SMARTing in this field either.

What went wrong:

1.  Intelligent Organisations. Any intelligent system must be data-driven

The primary objective of any successful organisation is to analyse large pools of data accumulated over long periods of time in their areas of operations (This includes transporters, tyre importers and distributors and tyre manufacturers). Increasingly organisational decisions are NOT taken by managers’ intuition and common sense but algorithms and data derived electronically from recording of our interactions and experiences with customers. Selling tyres has ceased to be a contact sport it has degenerated in some quarters into a Nintendo like encounter.

Intelligent organisations normally SCALE (Sense, Comprehend, Act, Learn and Explain) their environment with managers/ owners / directors ceding authority over certain decisions while acquiring new capabilities and roles for themselves. As conjoined twins, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) and SCALE goals must be matched.

Let me give illustration with a story. In Africa we love to do so. Reader’s discretion is advised!

A (SMART) priest arrived late at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain, for a climbing expedition the following day. Exhausted, he searched for a room in the nearest inn. Only one room was available which he was requested by the motel owner to share with a beautiful lady wearing a stunning fishy (SCALEy) dress who had arrived late for the same expedition. To make matters worse, there was only one mattress. The exhausted lady prepared and slept on one side of the mattress, while the honorable  priest laid the sheet and slept on the cold floor two meters away. The following morning at the breakfast table the priest formally introduced himself to the beautiful lady as asked her where she was from. She on the other hand enquired of the priest as to his mission at the Kilimanjaro. “ I have come to climb and conquer this greatest mountain in Mother Africa,” he said proudly trying to impress her. She paused and after a sigh said to  the priest in a low voice, “Tell me exactly how you intend to climb this mountain when you cannot SCALE up a six-inch mattress?!”  Moral of the story: No matter how good your SMART goals are, you must act on SCALE-ing the heights.

2. Smart Technologies portend a smart working force

Tony Nicolini – Founder of the Budini Tyre Software and Systems, puts it beautifully when he says “Technology is only as smart as the users want it to be.”  The exponential growth of data capturing capability has not been matched by its harnessing and channeling into useful avenues largely because investments are low in the field of tyre education and  tyre infrastructure. Having experience Tyre related trainings in different parts of the world, our region receives but a trickle of the much-needed skill laced training that would sharpen their senses in order to tyre SCALE better.

The three aspects related to Smart Tyre Technology are:

Smart transporters

Zul is a transporter who runs a successful bus company. Operating from the heart of Nairobi, to most parts of Kenya. He keeps meticulous records on all his tyre records. These records were the basis for decision making for a transport company that has had the least number of fatalities in the country. Zul represents about 5% of transporters in this region who have scrupulous, readily available  data that is open to scrutiny not only by his own company but can be used by suppliers.

In 2012 I had a chance to visit Tyre Heaven, a company in Sao Paulo. They invited Nicolini (Budini) and me to visit their premises. With over 700 trucks and trailers, there were there only three persons working in the tyre department. Cradle-to-Grave tyre data is maintained for all tyres. Once or twice a year, like a pilgrimage, representatives major tyre suppliers congregate in the transport premises to tender openly for 8,000 tyres.

Smart processes

Special Sales approaches to the market determine the success or failure or a sales person. Many transporters, tyre importers or dealers approach to own products with little comprehension on the conditions of use. Mismatch between tyres and vehicles, tyre and routes, have only added to the chagrin on the end-user. Professional ethics prohibit me from dwelling too much into these sales processes to end-users and dealers, but to say the least, these methodical approaches have no substitute. As a result of tyres being treated as a commodity, where price is the only point of discussion, SMART tyres with lipstick and high-heels have found their way into a hostile market that has unpaved roads, untrained staff and uncaring drivers in some instances.

The readers of this article may have had access to better tyre optimisation processes than the ones I will mention below. Yet I can say without a doubt now will match the dedication and follow-up that is offered by the Budini Tyre Management Systems.

• The Tyre Optimisation Process is a non-patented process that was arrived at by a team of tyre experts on casing (yet not tyre optimisation) in order to achieve the lowest cost per Kilometer in a particular fleet. Pocket Suit, Survey Web and TMS are worth a glance.

Feature Benefits and Evidence (FABEs) is the way tyres were sold, sadly price has over-shadowed all three since both  the purchaser nor the seller are reluctant to discuss the matters relating to performance. Benchmarking of tyre mileages across fleets is more often than not misleading.

Smart sales people

Ajay, Yves, Mick and Tony belong to a fading rare breed of people who were tyre  fleet problem solvers. These gate-keepers and well-trained mentors in process described above played and continued to give solutions and on-site training in the harsh environments. What is common about this people in how  SMART or wise they are. It is the extremely long span of attention they dedicate in their line of duty. It is therefore worrying that today when the tyre is being treated as a commodity and not a Safety Engineering piece of equipment, Africa and Africans without secure gate keepers and anti-dumping laws will fall prey to fast talking sales persons with tik-tok attention spans. If I were to be the Chief Tyre General –  Certain Tyres would only be sold on prescriptions.

In  South Africa, it was uncommon for representatives of different companies to meet at a major transporter and conduct a joint scrap and claim analysis. Just like doctors conducting a post-mortem, sample casings from each brand would be analysed and reported before they would rest back for a Friday  Brae and Beer. SMART. I know this may be happening in other parts of the word any it is the reason we now have the Radial Tyre Damage Book.

RFID, push alerts, Translogic tools, TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems) are all example of Smart technologies that many sales persons, managers, owners and directors are aware of but are not capable of implementing just yet. However, training might be that essential key that unlocks the thirst for the much-needed necessities.

I end this article with the SMARTest thing I have heard this year and maybe for a long time. It comes from a great mind in Tyre Management “It does not matter how you record (label) tyres in whatever system you have….what matters is what you do with that tyre after that. A basic tyre system understood by all is the best way to involve others and come out with shining success. It beats even the tyre RFID systems - Marcio Olievera (Budini Systems – SMARTyre SCALER).

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Goodyear is heading back to the lunar surface as part of a major new space initiative. Under NASA’s Artemis programme, the tyre manufacturer will equip Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) with specialised tyres designed for astronaut missions scheduled to begin in 2028.

The Pegasus vehicle is built for the harsh conditions of the Moon’s South Pole, where extreme temperatures, rocky ground and low gravity pose constant challenges. Goodyear’s lunar tyres will help astronauts travel longer distances and conduct scientific work safely, relying on engineering developed from decades of Earth-based and space-based experience.

Lunar Outpost leads the vehicle’s development alongside General Motors, Goodyear and Leidos. This partnership combines expertise from multiple industries to support the next phase of human exploration, aligning with Goodyear’s broader goal of leading tyre innovation both on Earth and in space.

Chris Helsel, Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, said, "From breaking land speed records to traversing the Moon's surface to pushing the limits of the world's toughest race circuits, Goodyear innovations have been helping people travel safely on their own journeys for more than 125 years. Goodyear tyres first left tread marks on the Moon during the Apollo mission, and since then, Goodyear technology and the people behind it have kept making tyres worth bragging about."

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Tana Oy, a Finnish environmental technology company specialising in manufacturing mobile solid waste shredders, screens and landfill compactors, has unveiled a new digital tool called Tana Wingman, designed as an operator assistant for its line of TANA shredders. The system transmits live hopper camera footage and real-time equipment metrics directly to machine operators, with the stated goals of improving on-site safety and boosting processing efficiency. This digital assistant allows for more attentive monitoring of the shredding action and faster reactions to fluctuating feed conditions.

The solution is available as an optional upgrade for TANA Hammerhead and TANA Shark models, merging visual oversight with performance data on a tablet interface positioned inside the loading machine. Operators gain immediate access to critical readings without exiting their cabin, which promotes quicker judgments, consistent material flow and a safer work environment. A notable feature is its self-contained design, as Tana Wingman functions entirely on-site without relying on cloud servers or an internet link, keeping all data local.

This release strengthens Tana’s wider strategy of delivering smarter waste management through connected machinery, embedding practical intelligence directly into daily operations. By adding this tool to its digital suite, the company continues to focus on practical, machine-level enhancements rather than cloud-dependent solutions.

Retrofit kits are available for existing D series TANA Hammerhead and TANA Shark shredders, while new machines can receive the system during production. The setup uses a local Wi-Fi connection between the shredder and any commercial Android tablet running the Tana Wingman application, downloadable from the Google Play Store, with no need for proprietary hardware. Among the reported benefits are superior hopper visibility, fewer interruptions to leave the cabin, safer feeding practices, reduced risk of loader damage, transparent production capacity readouts and fully localised operation. Further details are accessible through authorised Tana distributors.

Petteri Tiainen, Product Marketing Manager – Digital Solutions, Tana Oy, said, “Tana Wingman gives operators immediate access to the information they need exactly where they need it. By combining a live hopper view with machine data, it supports faster decision-making, smoother material flow and safer day-to-day operation.”

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Citira, a Sweden-based company specialising in circular tyre management, has reached an agreement to acquire the Swedish truck and bus maintenance firm Malte Månson from the private equity group Accent Equity. The combination of Citira’s tyre expertise with Malte Månson’s vehicle servicing is designed to create a convenient, full-service offering for heavy vehicle fleets initially in Sweden, with further expansion planned across Europe.

For 108 years, Malte Månson has operated as a renowned independent maintenance partner for truck and bus operators throughout Sweden. The company has established a strong reputation for reliable day-and-night service, comprehensive drivetrain and ancillary equipment repairs and a warm customer approach. In 2025, the firm reported revenues of SEK 773 million (approximately USD 82.31 million).

The transaction remains subject to standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals, with finalisation expected in the third quarter of 2026. Following the deal, Staffan Lindewald and his fellow members of the management team are set to become co-owners of Citira.

David Boman, CEO, Citira, said, “Together with Malte, we can build a unique service offering for heavy vehicle fleets and users, delivering convenient and sustainable uptime, with only one point of contact for the customer. I am deeply impressed by the high-calibre team at Malte, which will be an excellent fit with our network of tyre shops.”

Staffan Lindewald, CEO, Malte Månson, said, “Citira felt like a natural fit for Malte. We share a position as an independent service-focused challenger. We share the same type of heavy vehicle customers for which we provide complementary services. With Citira, we can reach more customers, provide additional services to our existing ones and accelerate Malte’s growth journey.”

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Epsilon Carbon Pvt. Ltd., a leading global manufacturer of carbon black, speciality carbon and coal tar downstream products, has been recertified under the Responsible Care programme by the Indian Chemical Council, with the certification valid through March 2029. The recertification applies to the company’s integrated manufacturing complex in Vijayanagar, Karnataka, recognised as one of India’s largest fully backward integrated carbon complexes. This facility has an annual capacity of 215,000 tonnes of carbon black and 220,000 tonnes of speciality carbon.

Responsible Care represents the global chemical industry’s leading voluntary initiative, focusing on safe chemical management throughout the product lifecycle. The programme has helped Epsilon Carbon embed safety and responsibility into daily operations, employee training and cross-functional decisions, moving beyond mere regulatory compliance.

For customers, partners and investors, the recertification offers third-party verification of operational integrity from raw material handling to product dispatch. Many industrial manufacturers accept Responsible Care certification as a sufficient global standard, and Epsilon Carbon has secured long-term supply contracts as a preferred supplier, reinforcing trust regardless of the company’s growth scale.

Gaurav Mathur, Chief Executive Officer, Epsilon Carbon, said, "We adopted Responsible Care early in our journey, well before it was a norm for a company of our scale. At that time, our focus was on building it right, not doing it quickly. That discipline has shaped our safety culture, our systems and the trust we have built with global customers and financial partners. As we expand into Odisha and grow our product portfolio, this recertification is a signal that our commitment to responsible operations continues to scale alongside our ambitions."

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