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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TYRESYSTEM, functioning as the digital arm of AZuR partner RSU, has made Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) its central pillar of expertise. This unit moves beyond simple product sales by offering specialised training focused on tyre pressure monitoring systems. Their inventory is substantial, featuring over 500 sensors designed to accommodate a wide spectrum of vehicle types, and this hardware is supported by complementary valves, service kits and diagnostic programming tools.

The importance of this focus became legally binding on 1 November 2014, when TPMS became mandatory for cars, motorhomes and off-road vehicles. For workshop operators, a neglected sensor is a serious liability, as it not only creates a safety hazard but also guarantees a failed roadworthiness test like the TÜV. Consequently, the seasonal tyre change has evolved into a critical checkpoint where technicians must rigorously inspect sensor batteries and overall condition to ensure compliance.

To address this industry need, TYRESYSTEM acts as a holistic online wholesaler for tyres, rims and complete wheels. Recognising that hardware alone is insufficient, they established the TyreSystem Academy to deliver practical TPMS training through both online and on-site courses. This educational push helps workshops master modern tyre complexity. Correctly maintained TPMS systems preserve optimal pressure, reduce tread wear and extend tyre life, directly supporting resource conservation and a functioning tyre circular economy within the AZuR network.

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Parcours, a British wheel brand specialising in aerodynamic, wind-tunnel-tested carbon wheelsets for road, gravel and triathlon cycling, has launched the Strade GT, the debut model in its new GT Series. At the heart of this wheelset lies VibraCORE, a technology developed alongside Lineat and Nottingham Trent University. VibraCORE embeds Lineat’s reclaimed aligned carbon fibre material, known as AFFT, directly into the rim’s spoke bed. This structural integration reduces vibration at its source rather than simply damping it after transmission begins.

The principle behind VibraCORE is straightforward: less vibration reaching the rider means less fatigue, allowing for longer, faster rides. Not all vibrations affect the body equally. Certain frequencies are either amplified by the human body or directly contribute to muscle exhaustion. VibraCORE targets these specific ranges, absorbing and dissipating vibrational energy before it travels through the wheelset to the rider. This approach directly addresses the harsh, high-frequency ‘road buzz’ that makes rough roads particularly draining.

In practical testing at standard road tyre pressures, VibraCORE reduces root mean square vibrational energy by an amount equivalent to lowering tyre pressure by roughly 10 to 15 psi. Crucially, this benefit comes without the usual penalties of softer tyres, such as reduced rolling efficiency or compromised handling precision. As a result, the Strade GT delivers a calmer, more controlled ride over long distances while retaining the stiffness, responsiveness and aerodynamic performance expected from a high-end wheelset.

To verify these claims, Parcours partnered again with Nottingham Trent University for controlled real‑world testing across multiple riders and surfaces. Using vibration sensors and frequency domain analysis based on power spectral density, the data showed that rims with VibraCORE reduced vibration energy by 19 to 23 percent compared to identical rims without the technology. This translates directly into a noticeably smoother ride on rough terrain and lower cumulative fatigue over extended rides.

Beyond comfort, the Strade GT represents an evolution of Parcours’ existing Strade platform. Its rim profile is optimised around a 30‑mm tyre, outperforming the previous model by 3.2W at 48 kmph, improving handling stability by 15 percent and achieving a weight of just 1,130g. VibraCORE also enables the use of lightweight Alpina Carbolite carbon spokes. Although sustainability is not the primary goal, the technology incorporates recycled carbon from Lineat’s AFFT process. Parcours is now developing a full circular pathway so that carbon recovered from old wheels, including those from its Crash Replacement Programme, can be reprocessed into VibraCORE components for future wheelsets. In this way, the Strade GT proves that speed and comfort need not be opposing forces.

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Continental is celebrating two decades of its Camaçari tyre factory, situated near Salvador in Brazil. This occasion represents a major milestone for the firm’s operations throughout the Americas, as the site has served as a trusted partner across South America since its April 2006 opening. The facility supplies both replacement tyres and original equipment manufacturers with high-grade products for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

Approximately 136 million tyres have rolled off the line at Camaçari over the last 20 years. Roughly BRL 1.2 billion (approximately EUR 235 million), has been invested there in the past 10 years alone to sharpen competitiveness through better efficiency, product quality and responsiveness to customers. The factory currently provides jobs for around 2,000 people, making it a leading industrial employer locally, with its future success built on team spirit, consistent quality and a strong customer focus.

The site began as a greenfield project in 2004 and was formally inaugurated in April 2006, with the first tyre, a ContiEcoContact 3, produced five months earlier in November 2005. Today, the factory supplies original equipment to major automotive names including General Motors, Volkswagen, Renault, Honda, Fiat and Mercedes‑Benz, proving its dependable and uniform product standards. This same drive for steady improvement supports the plant’s role in Continental’s wider environmental goals.

By constantly tracking energy use and managing it responsibly, the Camaçari plant ensures that all power generated or consumed on site is used as efficiently as possible. The facility relies entirely on LED lighting, which saves more energy than conventional options, and has carried out targeted production upgrades such as better insulation on critical machinery. These efforts have yielded annual energy savings, including a total cut of 10.4 gigawatt‑hours in 2025, equal to about five percent of the plant’s yearly energy consumption.

Shander Basílio, plant manager of the Continental tyre plant in Camaçari, said, "Our 20-year journey in Camaçari is a story of continuous growth, operational excellence and the deep commitment of our people to this region. I would like to sincerely thank all our employees for their outstanding contribution as well as to our customers for their continued trust. Looking ahead, we are dedicated to writing the next chapter of our plant’s success.”

Rodrigo Bonilha, head of Continental Tires South America, said, “I would like to congratulate our manufacturing team in Camaçari on their 20th anniversary. The production facility is a key asset for our business in the region. By manufacturing premium tires locally, we ensure a reliable supply for the Brazilian market while securing valuable local jobs. This ‘in the market, for the market’ approach is fundamental to how we deliver consistent product quality and performance for customers and consumers.”

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The Tire Industry Project (TIP) has announced the publication of a scientific study presenting a sophisticated model designed to track how tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) move through land and freshwater environments. Known as the Mass Balance Model, this tool provides a method for predicting particle concentrations within watersheds across different climates and regions, offering high spatial detail on how these particles travel from roadways towards rivers, lakes and estuaries.

Tyre and road wear particles are created unintentionally during normal driving, where tyres meet the road surface. As scientific and regulatory focus on these particles intensifies, reliable models are essential for understanding their environmental pathways. While research is growing, the behaviour of these particles in waterways remains particularly understudied, making this modelling advance especially relevant.

The model draws on global and local datasets and open-source frameworks, including the ERA5 global climate dataset by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Wflow catchment hydrology model by Deltares, a research institute. Its accuracy has been confirmed using field measurements from the Seine River basin in France, the Chesapeake Bay basin in the United States and the Yodo River basin in Japan – three very different watersheds. This validation shows the approach works across diverse watershed sizes, climates and stormwater management systems.

Applying the model to these three regions revealed that the share of particles reaching surface waters varies from just 2 percent up to 18 percent, depending on urbanisation, climate, basin size and drainage infrastructure. Importantly, improvements to stormwater systems could cut particle transport to surface waters by as much as half. This refined model builds on earlier work and is now globally applicable, with ongoing development aimed at making it accessible beyond the scientific community.

Nicolas Tissier, Director of Research at TIP, said, “Having a robust, reproducible model for TRWP transport and fate that can be applied worldwide is essential for advancing both scientific understanding and practical solutions. Our role at TIP is to support rigorous, transparent science that helps researchers, policymakers and industry make evidence-based decisions. By making this model open access, we aim to support broader collaboration across the scientific community around TRWP in the environment and to enable the development of more effective mitigation strategies.”

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