The unprecedented lockdown imposed in March last year turned the supply chain of companies upside down, and the tyre companies were no exception. However, the intensity of disturbance was relatively high for Yokohama Off-Highway Tires (YOHT), which exports more than 90 percent of its production. According to Padmakumar G, Executive Vice President – SCM at YOHT, unprecedented lockdown led to unprecedented initiatives for YOHT. “Most importantly, we learned the importance of being able to react, adapt and set up crisis management mechanisms to weather situations of uncertainty,” says Padmakumar G.

Q) Was Yokohama Off-Highway Tires (YOHT) ready for the unprecedented lockdown?

Padmakumar G: The whole of 2020 was an extraordinary time when ‘business as usual’ was not an option. From the beginning of the year, it was clear that we were braced for a marathon and not a sprint.

At work, we had a unique period of simultaneous supply and demand shocks. Our plants in India were closed for a couple of weeks. As they (plants) were finally allowed to operate, we faced government-mandated operating restrictions and labour shortages that prevented us from running the plants at total capacity.

On the positive side, our plant in Israel was running at full capacity and continued shipments as planned. All sales and administrative employees at global locations were working from home and were doing their best to be accessible at all times. In North America, our network of national warehouses was open, stocked at historically high inventory levels and operating at full local, regional, and national distribution capacity to ensure continued deliveries to locations.

Our competitive position, market share, brand and diversification of our businesses in products and regions helped us see some all-time highs during these challenging times.

Q) Vendors and customers got panicked because of the uncertainties instilled by the lockdowns. How did you keep their morale and confidence intact in those tough times?

Padmakumar G: Unprecedented lockdown led to unprecedented initiatives for YOHT. The acute restrictions and lockdowns created many urgent situations that required immediate attention in the early days of the pandemic. At YOHT, we believe that no crisis should go to waste.

Adaptability, inventiveness and tenacity of our team paved the way to a ‘recovery mode’, and we started planning for the longer-term proactively. We did not face substantial business and operational disruptions – from mitigating the effects of reduced supply to managing disruptions to logistics suppliers and hurdles in meeting their contractual obligations to customers.

YOHT has an agile team that quickly reprioritised the customers’ requirement and ensured critical supply continuation through our multiple sourcing locations. We closely integrated with suppliers, vendors and customers to have better visibility. Consistent communication and streamlining the complexity helped us keep our commitments while keeping the morale and confidence in the most challenging times.

Q) YOHT is mainly into export of products and imports of raw materials? How did you cope up with the supply-demand situation?

Padmakumar G: Prioritisation of critical supply with effective utilisation of available inventories of finished goods, raw materials, and production capacities were the immediate focus in the lockdown situation. What also helped is that we have a wide base of sourcing raw material from multiple sources. We were able to keep our facility running at full efficiency to meet market requirement. We stepped up all measures to ensure that our customers get our products in the earliest shipments.

Q) ATG is now a part of Yokohama, a global giant in the tyre industry. What changes has Yokohama brought in the supply chain?

Padmakumar G: Yokohama has a strong legacy of quality, and its manufacturing and supply chain is very process-driven. The Kaizen processes and digitalisation of our daily supply chain activities helped us improve our process and culture. 

Q) What did you learn from the pandemic?

Padmakumar G: The importance of supply chain resilience and risk management is more apparent than ever. Most importantly, we learned the importance of being able to react, adapt and set up crisis management mechanisms to weather situations of uncertainty. 

Q) There has always been pressure to reduce cost and improve efficiency by shortening the order-to-delivery period. Could you share a couple of examples highlighting the company’s efforts that reduced the cost and enhanced supply chain efficiency?

 Padmakumar G: To shorten the order to delivery, YOHT has initiated Strategic Inventory build-up through S&CP (Sales & Capacity Planning) and effective cost management through strategic buying of raw materials. We have also increased the manufacturing flexibility to reduce delivery in our business of handling 3500+SKU’s.

Q) What new ideas will the company implement at the Visakhapatnam plant to have better supply chain management?

Padmakumar G: Investment in technology that will gain data insights like MES & digitalisation, improving transparency and considerations on sustainability in the supply chain will be key focus areas of our SCM processes in the Visakhapatnam plant. 

Q) What are the current challenges in the business?

Padmakumar G: Current situation of increased raw material cost, an aggressive demand for containers and increased shipping cost are some of the major challenges in SCM across industries. 

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Cooper Tires is strategically reinforcing its all-season tyre portfolio across passenger cars, sport utility vehicles and light commercial vehicles to meet the growing demand for versatile, year-round driving solutions. This expansion addresses the practical needs of drivers who encounter fluctuating road and weather conditions throughout the year.

Leveraging over a century of tyre manufacturing expertise, the company has broadened its all-season range to deliver reliable, balanced performance and durability tailored for real-world driving across the EMEA region. The enhanced product line now achieves an 89 percent market coverage rate for key European vehicles, ensuring a wide array of suitable options for customers.

The comprehensive portfolio includes the Cooper All-Season for cars and SUVs and the Cooper All-Season Van for light trucks. Both ranges carry the 3PMSF symbol, signifying certified winter capability. The passenger car and SUV line incorporates 3D blading technology for effective braking, an optimised footprint for even wear and extended tread life and a robust carcass for stable handling. This range comprises 84 SKUs, spanning sizes from 14 to 20 inches, and is engineered to be electric vehicle ready.

Specifically developed for commercial use, the Cooper All-Season Van emphasises strength, high mileage and reliability for daily fleet operations. Its deep treads and high-density siping enhance all-season braking, while a reinforced casing supports heavy payloads and demanding work environments. This van-specific line includes 18 SKUs, covering 15- to 17-inch diameters, and is also EV-ready. This strategic investment underscores Cooper Tires’ commitment to delivering its characteristic toughness and straightforward dependability through a versatile all-season offering in the region.

Ben Glesener, Senior Technology Director Product Development Consumer EMEA, said, “Cooper is focused on doing what really matters for drivers – delivering dependable tyres with strong coverage, proven performance and real‑world durability. Backed by more than 100 years of heritage and a renewed investment in product and brand across Europe, our all‑season portfolio is designed to give customers confidence all year round, whatever the road or the season.”

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Goodyear executed its largest-ever endurance operation at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a feat defined by 188,747 kilometres driven, 377.5 million wheel revolutions, and 44 cars competing across the LMGT3 and LMP2 classes. The Goodyear Racing Eagle tyres delivered relentless performance, supported by over 120 experts and a stock of 8,000 tyres that sustained racing throughout the entire week.

The tyres' exceptional consistency allowed teams to extend stint lengths significantly, saving precious time during pit stops. Most LMGT3 squads completed four stints, or forty laps, before changing rubber, while LMP2 entries routinely managed five. One LMP2 team notably kept a single set for 56 laps, covering 761 kilometres, a distance comparable to travelling from Le Mans to Monaco.

Pace did not diminish despite the high mileage, with the fastest LMGT3 car posting a 100-lap average 1.2 seconds quicker per lap than the previous year, marking the fastest Le Mans of the LMGT3 era. Goodyear’s off-track presence was equally robust, featuring the Goodyear Blimp, a new grandstand, a popular fan activation, a museum collaboration and the introduction of the Goodyear Passerelle.

Ahead of the race, Goodyear reaffirmed its commitment to LMGT3 through a joint announcement with the FIA and ACO, extending its exclusive supply into a fourth season in 2027 with a new tyre composed of 66 percent sustainable materials. The WEC now moves to the 6 Hours of São Paulo on 12 July, though many Le Mans teams will first compete at the European Le Mans Series’ 4 Hours of Imola on 5 July.

Stephen Bickley, Goodyear Endurance Program Manager, said, “When you look at the distances covered without compromising on pace, it underlines the consistency and reliability of our Goodyear Racing Eagle tyres throughout one of the toughest races in the world. It was a special Le Mans for us, felt through our fan activation, partnership renewal and icons old and new at – and above – the circuit.”

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Tegeta Green Planet recently conducted an educational workshop at AlterBridge University, focusing on sustainable development, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Extended Producer Responsibility system. The session provided students with essential knowledge regarding proper waste management and the environmental consequences of daily consumer choices.

Organised in partnership with Shine Energy, the event featured an interactive format that included a discussion segment, an engaging game and a concluding ceremony to recognise the workshop's top performers. This collaborative effort aimed to make the learning process both informative and participatory.

As a pioneering entity in Georgia, Tegeta Green Planet holds official authorisation from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture under the EPR framework. The organisation is actively involved in the circular economy by managing the collection, transport and recycling of used tyres, oils and batteries.

Throughout the workshop, students posed inquiries to industry experts and explored how personal actions influence ecological well-being. Attendees received symbolic gifts and certificates for their participation. This initiative is part of a broader educational campaign by the organisation to visit universities and schools throughout Georgia, with the ultimate goal of fostering environmentally conscious citizenship among the youth.

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The Tire Industry Project (TIP) has initiated a pilot study in collaboration with the Greater Paris Sanitation Authority (SIAAP) and the sustainability consultancy ERM to assess the potential of wastewater treatment plants to remove tyre and road wear particles. The research is being conducted at the Valenton wastewater treatment facility near Paris, which ranks as Europe’s second-largest plant and features advanced treatment technologies representative of modern municipal systems. This investigation is scheduled to continue through 2026.

In numerous urban centres globally, stormwater and road runoff are channelled into wastewater systems prior to being discharged into natural waterways. A clearer understanding of how effectively these treatment processes capture TRWP could guide the broader adoption of optimised wastewater management practices. Currently, systematic data quantifying the removal of these particles within treatment plants remains scarce, and this project aims to generate comprehensive, end-to-end evidence to bridge that knowledge deficit.

The study represents TIP’s first real-world application of a priority mitigation strategy identified in its white paper on addressing tire and road wear particles. Over the coming months, researchers will collect and analyse samples from key stages of the Valenton plant’s treatment cycle using advanced pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The findings are expected to estimate the total removal efficiency across the entire process and will be submitted to a scientific journal, with publication anticipated in early 2027.

The scientific understanding of TRWP is complicated by a lack of standardised methodologies, the variable nature of the particles and their transformation products, and the diverse environmental pathways they traverse. In response, TIP and its member companies have committed to advancing research on quantification, characterisation, environmental migration and potential impacts while collaborating with value-chain stakeholders to support science-based interventions. A 2024 TIP publication reviewed over 50 mitigation measures and prioritised nine based on upstream and downstream potential, employing a prevention, containment and removal framework.

That review also concluded that no single measure has been proven effective specifically for TRWP and that on-ground validation is essential. Moreover, the paper stressed that no universal solution exists, requiring coordinated, large-scale implementation across multiple actors, including the tyre, road construction and automotive sectors, as well as municipal authorities, academia and other public and private entities. The Valenton pilot thus marks TIP’s inaugural effort to test wastewater management’s real-world efficacy, uniting diverse stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in this critical research.

Larisa Kryachkova, Executive Director, TIP, said, “This pilot is an important step in going beyond understanding the subject in the laboratory to field-based evidence. We expect to identify best practices that can be applied far beyond this project, supporting TIP’s ambition to support science-based mitigation.”

Sabrina Guérin, Head of Innovation Department, SIAAP, said, “As the public authority responsible for wastewater treatment in the Paris region, SIAAP is committed to emerging science that protects waterways. By taking part in this TIP study, we will gain an early, science-based view of TRWP movement in solid waste. The findings can help inform and accompany future treatment planning and readiness for upcoming regulatory requirements.”

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