Being a global supplier of tyre oil, Nynas supplies its products to major tyre companies worldwide. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought unforeseen challenges in transporting goods through all three modes of transportations, and Nynas is no exception! In an interview with Sharad Matade of Tyre Trends, Rogier van Hoof, Head of Secondary Distribution Naphthenics at Nynas, says enhanced communication and exchange of information digitally will help the company handle the new challenges. He also added that the container availability is expected to be normalised in 2022 but road transportation will remain a challenge.

Ever since Covid-19 engulfed the world, the job of Rogier van Hoof, Head of Secondary Distribution Naphthenics at Nynas, has become more challenging. Though tyre production is coming back on track speedily, the challenges at the logistic front are still demanding. Recollecting the initial impact of Covid, van Hoof says, "For Nynas, it all started in early 2020, when the lockdowns in China forced factories to close down manufacturing activities. However, the initial shock was largely seen in truck movements. As part of the measures, drivers had to go into quarantine after a long haul drive. They could pick up a container, but they had to go into quarantine when they were back at the delivery point. So we saw an immediate effect on the truck availability. The cascading impact, I don't think anybody could have predicted. We are on a steep learning curve since the beginning of 2020."

van Hoof and his team swung into action and immediately enhanced the communication with its customers, forwarders and logistic partners to evaluate options to tackle the unprecedented challenges. "I don't think anyone was prepared for what had happened afterwards. Before Covid, people used to take logistics for granted that you order something and it's there when you want it. But with the Covid situation, people have realised to approach things differently, not only on the factory levels but also on the logistics sides on a day to day basis. There are still many limitations we have to deal with," says van Hoof.

According to van Hoof, in the last one and a half years, the just-in-time concept is out of the window and long-term planning has become the priority. "In the past, we knew there was a vessel going every week, and we had substantial free times in getting the containers in, getting them loaded and bringing them to the quay. Even if we would miss a vessel, we always could ship it next week, so the delay was manageable – but that has gone completely out of the window today. It is clear that if you miss a vessel, the next vessel with space will be there maybe in a month. This means everyone needs to plan much further ahead," says van Hoof.

Most countries are now recovering from the Covid impact; however, many major export destinations are still grappling with severe restrictions. Many main ports are congested and containers are either stacking up at cargo ports or in inland depots. This imbalance results in waiting time for space on vessels, according to reports, between three to eight weeks. The logistics supply chain is struggling to get back in balance resulting in extreme price spikes and unpredictable delays. "This is a situation which is unprecedented; we have never seen it before," adds van Hoof.

van Hoof says loyalty and predictability are helping the company sail through the rough time. "We have been working with our logistic partners for a long time and, therefore, they know that what we promise them, we deliver. Predictability towards the stakeholders like transporters, shipping lines, forwarders has become key. In desperation, many companies are making overbooking of containers but failing to utilise the booking fully. In our relationship with our forwarders and the shipping lines, we have been able to show loyalty and keep our promise. If we tell the shipping line that we will ship 50 containers this week, we will make sure that these 50 containers are there. Our loyalty is rewarded by the fact that they will treat us as a preferential client. Price is no longer the highest priority, and this is something people need to realise. There's always somebody who is prepared to pay more,” explains van Hoof.

van Hoof feels the container availability situation will be normalised by 2022, but the driver availability issue will remain a more significant issue.

Currently, the company has 23 depots worldwide, of which Antwerp, Houston and Singapore are central storage facilities and blending stations. Last year, the company transported around 700,000 tonnes of oil by sea. There were also 30,000 deliveries by road tanker, 10.000 container transports and 250,000 drums delivered to customers worldwide.

However, opening more depots to tackle the logistic challenges is not viable, thinks van Hoof. Around 2018-19, shipping costs for containers were at the lowest level ever; companies always preferred shipping over setting up depots. "Now our shipping costs have not only increased substantially, but the reliability of the shipping has gone down to the lowest ever. I think that less than 60 percent of the vessels arrive at the bars on time. So we are continuously looking at what is now the best solution. But you also have to consider that opening a depot in a country is not a temporary thing. It is something you do for the long run," explains van Hoof.

van Hoof also sees a possibility of working with its clients to manage container utilisation. "There are customers who are logistically shipping more than we do. So can we use the strength of both companies to find a solution? For instance, let's say we ship 100 containers to India and our customer ships 200 containers from India, so we are seeing if we can help each other, can we use their containers? We see more and more openness among the stakeholders in tackling logistic challenges," says van Hoof.

Nynas is currently implementing a transport management system within the company, which will allow it to digitalise the information. The transport management system allows exchanging data between stakeholders, including Nynas' depots, transporters, forwarders, inspectors and customs agents. "Today, everybody's under stress, and people need real information in real time," adds van Hoof.

The company plans to go into the second phase to integrate all that information with other stakeholders.

The Nynas executive advises the youngsters in the transporting job to be agile and eager to learn to tackle unusual situations. "You need to deal with much information and make sense of that information and use it correctly. So if you are somebody who gets up in the morning and goes to work, and has no idea what will happen during the day, then you're a suitable candidate for the job. For me, I make a little list of two or three things to do every day, and at the end of the day, I'm always happy that I've done two or three jobs, because, during the day, there are so many other things that need attention or immediate attention," concludes van Hoof. (TT)

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Doublestar Tire, a leading Chinese tyre manufacturer, recently showcased its flagship products at the 139th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, held in Guangzhou. The event reached a record scale, gathering exhibitors from over 210 countries and regions and highlighting cutting-edge technologies in advanced manufacturing, new energy and low-carbon environmental protection.

Doublestar presented three specialised tyres. The TBR mining tyre D170 was developed for complex mining conditions with enhanced wear, cut and puncture resistance. The new OTR tyre DFA603 offers high loading capacity, safety and durability, boosting support for construction machinery. The PCR star product DH03 provides superior road grip, low rolling resistance, fuel economy, reliable braking and reduced noise for driving comfort.

The company’s participation demonstrated its continuous research and innovation in professional fields and reaffirmed its commitment to overseas markets. Doublestar aims to provide safer, more energy-efficient and intelligent tyre products and travel solutions, earning widespread professional recognition.

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Continental is showcasing ‘The Sound of Premium’, an immersive installation, at Milan Design Week 2026 held at BASE Milano from 20 to 26 April. The experience translates the brand’s advanced tire engineering into a multisensory journey, redefining how urban mobility sounds. Key technologies on display included Continental’s noise-reducing ContiSilent and Urban Silent Technology, which actively lower rolling noise through sound-absorbing materials inside the tire and tread patterns optimised for city speeds.

Cities are dense with movement and noise, where even invisible elements like tyres shape the acoustic environment. Continental’s technologies reduce road noise at its source, enhancing both driving stability and interior comfort. The installation invites visitors to reconsider urban sound not as a nuisance to be eliminated but as an element that can be precisely engineered and controlled.

The exhibition unfolds in three distinct phases: chaos, harmony and quiet. Layered city sounds first create tension and disorientation, then gradually dissolve as rhythm and balance emerge. The journey ends in a state of calm defined not by silence alone but by acoustic precision. A tyre displayed as a design object underscores how engineering can improve urban well‑being.

An interactive installation of 25 touch points allows visitors to shape their own sound environment in real time, activating different acoustic layers through touch. Each participant creates a personal composition reflecting their rhythm and sensitivity. The resulting experience can be recorded and shared via QR code, extending the dialogue between technology and individual expression beyond the exhibition space.

As electric vehicles become more widespread, rolling noise has grown into a dominant source of urban traffic sound. Continental meets this challenge by applying its expertise at the tyre‑road interface, developing measurable reductions in interior noise. Through ‘The Sound of Premium’, the company positions silence not as emptiness but as a performance feature.

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Nokian Tyres plc has introduced a new long-term share-based incentive plan for management and key employees, as the company seeks to align executive rewards with shareholder returns.

The board of directors said the Performance Share Plan (PSP) would cover the company’s management and selected key personnel, with the aim of supporting shareholder value creation and reinforcing commitment to strategic objectives.

The plan, titled PSP 2026–2030, comprises three separate plan periods, each with a three-year performance cycle followed by the payment of potential share rewards. The start of each period will be determined by the board, and any rewards will be paid in company shares.

The first phase, PSP 2026–2028, will assess performance against three criteria: relative total shareholder return, weighted at 50 per cent; average return on capital employed (ROCE), at 40 per cent; and a 10 per cent weighting for reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions intensity.

Subject to meeting these targets, rewards will be delivered by the end of April 2029.

The maximum number of shares that may be distributed under PSP 2026–2028 is 1,258,000, representing the gross value of the rewards before applicable taxes are deducted.

Approximately 100 participants are included in the first plan period, including the president and chief executive and members of the group management team.

Under the plan’s terms, participants who leave the company before rewards are paid will generally forfeit their entitlement.

The president and chief executive, together with other senior executives, must retain 25 per cent of the shares received until their personal shareholding equals their gross annual salary from the preceding year.

The board said no new shares are expected to be issued under the plan, meaning it is not anticipated to dilute the company’s existing share base.

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The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) has launched a three-year collaboration with the Berlin-based social enterprise Elucid to provide healthcare access for 1,800 rubber farming households in Côte d’Ivoire. The initiative, funded through GPSNR’s Shared Investment Mechanism, will benefit approximately 9,000 individuals. Financial backing comes from 13 major tyre and rubber manufacturers, including Aeolus Tyre, Apollo Tyres, BKT, Goodyear, Hankook, Kumho Tire, Maxxis International, Nokian Tyres, Prometeon Tyre Group, Sumitomo Riko, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Toyo Tire and Yokohama Rubber. The programme directly confronts a long‑ignored reality within the natural rubber sector: the link between farmer health and supply chain stability.

Côte d’Ivoire ranks 187th out of 195 nations for quality of care, with only 32 percent of essential medicines available publicly. Although two‑thirds of the population are enrolled in national health insurance on paper, fewer than four percent used their card in 2025. Medical emergencies cost the country an estimated 853 million US dollars in cocoa exports in 2017 alone, and with many farmers growing both cocoa and rubber, the implications for the rubber sector are substantial.

The partnership integrates four measures: enrolling families into national insurance, providing an emergency care package covering WHO‑accredited medications, upgrading 15 local health facilities and running community awareness programmes. Elucid’s digital platform will track data in real time. The project aims to increase healthcare visits from under 200 to over 1,800, push insurance enrolment from below 30 percent to above 90 percent and prevent more than 150 catastrophic health expenditure events annually. Half of beneficiaries will be women, and 20 percent children.

Photo credit: Elucid

Farmer enrolment begins in August 2026, with improvements continuing until January 2029. Without reliable healthcare, medical emergencies force farmers to sell assets and abandon farm improvements, creating direct risks for supply chains. The programme seeks to reverse that dynamic, targeting long‑term sustainability by building cooperative capacity to maintain health support for members.

Stefano Savi, CEO, GPSNR, said, “We talk constantly about improving yields and farm management practices, but we’ve missed something fundamental. A farmer who can’t afford to see a doctor when they’re sick or who cannot go to the farm because their child is unwell can’t be productive. Healthcare isn’t separate from supply chain resilience. It’s central to it.”

Sambhavna Biswas, Partnerships Manager, Elucid, said, “This is about demonstrating what’s possible when the private sector invests in making national health systems work for farmers. This model can be replicated across rubber-growing regions and adapted to other agricultural sectors. Everyone in the value chain benefits when the people at its foundation are healthy and economically secure.”

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