As far as Quality Management System (QMS) certification is concerned, my first exposure was to ISO 9000: 1994, about seven years after the first ISO 9000 standard emerged from the former BS 5750. The 20 + auditable QMS requirements has resulted in a bewildering and voluminous mass of documentations. It was virtually a system of documents, contrary to a documented system. According to the standard, the company was expected to establish, implement and maintain a documented procedure for all the auditable requirements of the standard. It was a period when the standard was spreading like bush fire, creating a gold mine for Consultants who thrived on the ignorance of the client companies. Preparation and maintenance of the documentation alone, engaged considerable managerial time, and hence the tendency to consider ISO 9000 based QMs as an area separate from the Quality Assurance and other operational functions which has still continued to the present day. This created some dichotomy between the ISO Department and the other functional sections resulting in conflicts. On doing the QMS audits, as an independent auditor for many companies, I have the experience of being confronted with a cart-load of files and documents. This was of course before, the soft copy methodology firmly got established. Many of the External Auditors, spent considerable time, in checking Document and Records, in scrutinizing document reference and revision numbers of even the less significant documents and formats, rather than concentration on the more important requirements. In this respect, I have a great respect for one of the very senior officers of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, whose approach was to study the operational relationships and their effectiveness.

The transition in to ISO 9001:2000 saw some very significant and far-reaching changes, which the industries, took about one to two years to fully realize. It was a challenge for the auditors and the Certification bodies as well. A careful scrutiny of the eight principles of quality management, will show that they are nothing else but common business sense. The eight principles are:

• Customer focus
• Leadership
• Involvement of people
• Process approach
• Systems approach to management
• Continual improvement
• Factual approach to decision making
• Mutually beneficial supplier relations.

 A casual glance at the principles, will reveal that it is about common sense of good managerial practices., irrespective of whether one goes for certification or not. However, it was an uphill task to grapple these concepts and integrate them holistically in to the quality management systems. Process approach in very simple terms means how to relate the inputs to outputs through the value adding conversions and how to control the activities, realize the desired results. It is directly related to the traditional definition of productivity, namely the ratio of out puts to inputs. What was difficult to comprehend was the fact that, the other seven quality management principles also provide inputs for the process approach. As an example, the auditors found it a grey area when it comes to evaluating leadership, in the context of the process approach. Regarding the establishment of the Quality Policy, which in turn is a requirement under leadership, I have seen many quality polices with attractive wordings which more often serve as show pieces. Very few companies have used the quality policy to provide direction for the setting up of quality objectives. One of the meaningful but concise quality policies I have seen is “We do everything, correctly, right first time at all times’’.

While the 2008 version of the ISO 9001 standard consisted of some notional changes only, the 2015 version signified a complete change of the concept of quality stressing the importance of quality in business strategy, by considering the impacts of external and internal factors and the expectations of internal and external parties on quality and including risk management as an important aspect of quality. Although the prime focus on ISO is product or service quality, companies cannot ignore the impact on quality, which covers product quality (Q), Price (P), and Delivery (D). The recent impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on the above aspect of quality, was amply seen throughout the world. The above requirements under the Organization Context, is a move in the right direction, in integrating quality in to all aspects of the business. However, most companies and even auditors, consider this in isolation as another requirement of the ISO 9001, which need minimum compliance. Similar comments can have made on the Identification of the risks and opportunities of the operational processes.

Product and service quality is used by most companies as means of maximizing the profit. The Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Milton Friedman in 1970, stated that the sole responsibility of a business is to “use its resources to increase its profits. As a result of the rapid growth in consumerism, both locally and globally, business firms operate in a challenging and continually changing business environment. The rapid change is supported by rapidly expanding technology, and particularly of information technology. Dynamic organizations are making serious efforts to keep abreast of developments, in the changing business environment, while many traditional and conservative organizations are failing. Change has become inevitable.”

While we cannot find any fault with this approach, one cannot overlook the Social and Environmental bottom lines, which together with the Economic bottom-line, constitute the Triple Bottom of Sustainable development. The role of quality management on the social and environmental bottom lines, is a concept that has great potential in the modern-day concept. The reduction of scarp and rejects, especially in the tyre industry, will improve the environmental performance, while reducing the health and fire risks, often caused by irresponsible dumping.

 Internal and external communications under the requirement 7.0, Support of the ISO 9001 and 14001:2015 standards are another area where adequate attention has been given. Despite the great advances in ICT, we can trace miscommunications as the root cause of most of the Non- conformance report raised during the QMS audits.

John Ruskin, the English author, (1819 -1900 ) once said, “ Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligence effort.” I have seen this famous quote adorning the walls in some offices of CEOs and Senior Managers. However, the perennially repeating non-conformances related to quality in a large number of companies, make me to wonder whether the management and the mangers, “walk the talk.” Companies have in their procession, a handy tool, in the disguise of ISO 9001:2015, to enable them to establish the standard procedures, (SOPs), operate them and control, but many consider it as something to worry about only during the external audits of the certification bodies.

In this respect, it is worthy of mentioning that, in my country Sri Lanka, there is a famous Buddhist Cultural Pageant, in August every year, that attracts locals as well large numbers of tourists from across the globe. For the past 400+ years, this event follows the SOPs, without any, awareness of the ISO 9000, emphasizing that there is no magic or mystery about ISO, but the prevalence of good common sense. (TT)

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The Goodyear Highway Hero Award is actively seeking nominations to honour the exceptional bravery of commercial truck drivers. The programme, now in its 42nd year, recognises those who perform courageous acts that extend far beyond their typical job responsibilities to aid others and enhance public safety on North American highways.

To qualify for consideration, a nominee must hold a current Commercial Driver's License and drive an eligible vehicle, which includes long-haul trucks, vocational and infrastructure trucks and non-lifesaving emergency vehicles with rim sizes exceeding 19 inches. The incident must have taken place within the United States or Canada during the 2025 calendar year while the driver was officially on duty.

The nomination period remains open until 31 January 2026. Submissions require a detailed account of the event and are made through Goodyear’s dedicated online portal. Following a review of all entries, a panel of judges will evaluate the approved nominations to select one winner and up to two finalists. The grand prize winner will receive a cash award and a ride aboard the Goodyear Blimp, while the finalists will also be granted monetary prizes. The recipient of the award will be officially announced in early 2026.

Joe Stuglis, Vice President, Commercial Sales North America, Goodyear, said, "Truck drivers are the unsung heroes of our roads and communities. For more than four decades, the Highway Hero Award has celebrated those who step up in critical moments to protect others. We're proud to continue this tradition and shine a spotlight on their inspiring stories."

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The Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC) has made a proposal to Tyre Retreaders Education Association (TREA) for mandating certain standards that will improve the quality of retreads.

Speaking to Tyre Trends about the move, a source privy to the developments explained, “We have sought TREA’s views on mandating the retread standards and we are currently awaiting their formal response on the subject. Once an agreement is reached with TREA, a formal proposal will be submitted to BIS for consideration. At present, the retread sector is largely unorganised with more than 10,000 retreaders operating. Once the applicable standards are mandated, all retreaders will be required to comply with the relevant BIS standards and mark their products with the BIS certification marks.”

“Considering the large number of retreaders operating in the market, enforcing retread standards will be a significant challenge for BIS,” he added.

As per an ICRA report, the Indian retreaded market was valued between INR 580 billion and INR 600 billion with a cumulative annual growth rate of 7–9 percent between FY23-26. As the market continues its projected trajectory, quality and efficacy become paramount not only to bolster recognition and usage but also to make a name at the global level.

The documents that were accessed by Tyre Trends signal a major restructuring of test procedures and physical property norms across key retreading standards.

At the centre of the exercise is remarks from Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), supplemented by inputs from a major tread maker, covering four foundational BIS retread standards, namely IS 15725, IS 15753, IS 15524 and IS 9168.

TREA members are yet to assess proposed updates to the physical-property criteria for uncured rubber including tread, belt, undertread, base and cushion gum compounds.

The technical work on retread-casing standard IS 15704 represents the most sensitive part of the proposal. Furthermore, ITTAC has partially aligned Indian requirements with ECE R109, the European regulatory benchmark.

Key alignments include widening allowable outer-diameter growth for tyres with section widths above 305 millimetre, raising permissible deviation from two percent to 3.5 percent for high-aspect-ratio radial tyres and four percent for bias-ply constructions.

ITTAC also endorsed the addition of a one percent deviation allowance for snow tyres, consistent with R109 clause 7.1.5.2.

The recommendations in the proposal also contains inputs from Michelin Tyres. The company had proposed a full R109-based clause on minimum material thickness above the breaker for diagonal-ply casings.

ITTAC did not accept the full wording, arguing that IS 15704 already covers requirements for both radial and bias tyres, but acknowledged that the minimum 0.80 millimetre non-repair spot thickness must be explicitly stated to prevent accidental exposure of the belt package during buffing operations, informed the source.

Alluding to how these changes will be incorporated, he noted, “As far as process is concerned, like in case of new tyres, retreader will apply to BIS for getting the license. After reviewing the application, a BIS auditor will visit the retreading facility and collect samples for testing at BIS-authorised laboratories. The laboratories will conduct tests as specified in the standard and submit their reports to BIS. If the sample successfully meets all requirements, a license is issued to the retreader, allowing them to mark their retreaded tyres with the applicable ISI mark.”

India’s retreading sector now stands at a defining crossroads. The push by ITTAC to formalise and mandate BIS standards marks a decisive shift from a largely fragmented landscape to one governed by measurable, certifiable quality benchmarks.

For more than 10,000 retreaders, the transition will not be easy as compliance, auditing and testing will demand new investments, capabilities and mindsets.

Yet, this transformation also presents an unprecedented opportunity. Standardisation could elevate Indian retreads from a cost-driven alternative to a globally credible, technically assured product category.

As TREA prepares its response and BIS gears up for the next drafting phase, the onus now lies on industry players to embrace this moment. If executed well, the reforms could not only improve safety and performance but also position India as a competitive force in the international retreading arena.

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Linglong Tire has recognised its top-performing global dealers at a five-day event in London, bringing together partners from several regions as the Chinese manufacturer seeks to strengthen its international distribution strategy.

Dealers from Australia, El Salvador, Egypt, Finland, Italy, Poland, Turkey and Uzbekistan were among those invited. The company said participants were selected for achieving the highest sales of Linglong Group products in the first half of 2025, covering its core Linglong range as well as regional brands such as Atlas Tires in Australia and Benchmark in Turkey.

The event included corporate and product briefings, during which Linglong awarded certificates to all attendees. Several dealers also presented their own business strategies, outlining how they position the brand in their respective markets. Linglong said the exchanges enabled participants to compare marketing approaches and share regional insights.

The programme concluded with a group visit to a Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC. Linglong is a global tyre partner of Chelsea and is represented on LED boards at all home games at Stamford Bridge.

Shandong Linglong Tire Co., founded in 1975, operates seven research centres and seven manufacturing bases, including facilities in Thailand and Serbia. The company employs more than 19,000 people and supplies tyres to over 200 vehicle-production sites worldwide. It retains a presence in original equipment supply for manufacturers including Volkswagen, Audi and BYD.

Linglong said it intends to continue evaluating potential sites for future overseas capacity as part of its long-term global expansion strategy.

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European replacement tyre demand was broadly stable in the third quarter of 2025, although overall volumes remain weaker than last year as economic softness and rising imports continue to weigh on the market, according to new figures from Tyres Europe.

The industry association said sales across the consumer segment — which includes passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles — were flat in the quarter and down slightly in the first nine months of the year. Adam McCarthy, Secretary-General of Tyres Europe, said: “Tyre markets were generally stable in the third quarter of 2025, although demand in the Truck & Bus tyre segment remained weak. Data for the first three quarters shows tyre volumes generally lower than the same period in 2024.”

The data point to an ongoing shift in consumer purchasing patterns. Sales of summer car tyres declined, while demand for all-season and winter products continued to rise. McCarthy added that “demand for car tyres is clearly shifting from summer tyres toward all-season and winter products”.

Truck and bus tyres recorded a sharper downturn. Third-quarter declines followed similar weakness earlier in the year, reflecting subdued freight activity and stronger competition from imports. Year-to-date sales fell about 1 percent. McCarthy noted that the segment’s performance “reflect[s] subdued economic activity across the region and an increase in imported tyres”.

Agricultural tyre volumes remained well below pre-pandemic levels, though quarterly figures were broadly stable. Moto and scooter tyres showed modest growth.

The update highlights significant changes in the region’s import landscape. Imports of passenger car and light truck tyres into the EU27 and UK rose 10 percent in the first eight months of 2025, although growth slowed sharply after a strong end to 2024 and early 2025. China retained a dominant market share of more than 70 percent, but Vietnam’s exports expanded rapidly from a low base, exceeding volumes from India. Truck and bus tyre imports increased nearly 14 percent, with Thailand and Vietnam accounting for more than half of extra-European shipments. China lost share and fell to third place.

Underlying mobility trends also point to a mixed recovery in tyre usage. Miles travelled by light vehicles across Europe are expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2025, but car mileage in Western Europe will not fully recover until 2026 or later, according to the analysis. Truck mileage remains closely tied to GDP growth but has lagged behind owing to efficiency gains, larger vehicles and structural shifts in the European economy.

The report also emphasised regulatory barriers that continue to affect the recycling sector. Tyres Europe and Recycling Europe repeated their call for harmonised EU-wide End-of-Waste criteria for rubber derived from end-of-life tyres. “Standardised End-of-Waste criteria will boost demand for high-quality secondary raw materials and reduce dependence on virgin resources,” said McCarthy.

Tyres Europe represents 13 manufacturers whose global sales account for 70 per cent of the worldwide tyre market and collectively operate more than 70 production sites and over 20 research centres in Europe. The sector supports almost 500,000 jobs across the EU.

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