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)

Pirelli is all set to become the official tyre supplier to MotoGP from 2027. A new five-year agreement is in the works and will see the Italian tyre company become the single tyre supplier for the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 categories.

With the new MotoGP bikes and technical regulations scheduled to take effect in 2027, the approach of using a single supplier will offer the ideal progression ladder for the future champions to refine their skills while advancing to the top. Pirelli currently supplies tyres for Moto2 and Moto3 categories. With the new development, Pirelli will expand its presence to MotoGP and into MotoE, the electric world championship.

Michelin will remain the exclusive supplier for MotoGP and MotoE until the end of the current technical regulations at the close of the 2026 season, continuing to provide technical support, its products and world class technology over the next two seasons.

Nexen Tire’s NBlue 4S Van tyre has won the Best Light Commercial Tire award at the 22nd edition of the Tire of the Year Awards.

Neumáticos & Mecánica Rápida organised the esteemed awards ceremony, which took place on 30 January at the Novotel Madrid Center hotel. It honoured the top tyres of 2024 in the passenger vehicle, SUV, truck and agricultural tyre divisions. Key figures from the business, including executives from well-known tyre manufacturers such as Pirelli, Continental, Yokohama, Michelin and Bridgestone, attended the event. Raúl Jiménez, Nexen Tire’s Business Development Director for Iberia, accepted the award on behalf of the company from Eusebio Albert, Director of the Transport area at Versys Ediciones.

The NBlue 4S Van, a tyre made to satisfy the exacting requirements of commercial fleets and drivers, is recognised for its superior performance, safety and fuel efficiency with the Best Light Commercial Tire award. This accolade comes as Nexen Tire solidifies its position as a top producer of premium tyres by expanding its footprint in Europe and throughout the world.

Jiménez said, “We are honoured to receive this prestigious award, which is a testament to our ongoing dedication to providing award-winning products for our customers. The NBlue 4S Van is designed to offer superior performance and durability, and this recognition reinforces our commitment to delivering the best solutions to the commercial sector.”

Pirelli is mulling expansion of its tyre production capacity in the US to offset the impact of US tariffs that came into effect from 4 March, company executives said on a 2024 financial results call.

The company has a contingency plan in place to deal with the US imposing 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. CFO Andrea Casaluci clarified that although Pirelli's US business accounted for over 20 percent of company sales, the amount of tyre manufacture there is restricted. The company's Georgia plant can produce about 400,000 tyres annually. Pirelli imports about half of its US supply from Mexico and around 40 percent from Brazil and Europe in order to fulfil market demand in the US.

Pirelli has a backup plan to boost imports from Brazil and expand US production capacity in order to lessen the effects of tariffs. According to the CFO, the Italian tyre manufacturer has already begun modernising the automated MIRS production processes in Georgia. This will serve as the foundation for the initial phase of capacity development in the US.

Additionally, the inflationary scenario will be used to examine the group's commercial approach. The CFO stated that since 30 percent of the US tyre market is imported, some inflationary pressure is to be expected in the wake of tariffs. The contingency plan also includes cost-cutting measures, in addition to the EUR 150 million in savings in 2025 that are anticipated under its industrial plan.

Nokian Tyres has launched the Seasonproof 2 all-season tyre for the Central European market to provide top-class safety on snow and slush as well as exceptional performance in summer for its customers.

The all-season Seasonproof 2 was created to satisfy the demands of drivers in Central and South Europe. By the fall of 2025, the product line will be accessible to customers in sizes for contemporary passenger cars, SUVs and CUVs. All-season tyres are made to function safely in Central European circumstances throughout the four seasons. The Nokian Tyres Seasonproof 2 is legally certified for winter use since it bears the Snowflake emblem (3PMSF). 

The tyre range includes up to 38 percent recycled, renewable and ISCC PLUS certified materials, with two percent coming from bio-based, bio-circular and/or circular feedstock that has been certified using the ISCC PLUS mass balanced technique. The introduction is a significant step toward the company's non-financial goal of increasing the proportion of recycled and renewable raw materials in its products to 50 percent by 2030. Additionally, it is the first tyre range available on the market to be manufactured in Nokia's new Romanian facility, the first fully operational tyre factory with zero CO2 emissions.

Tommi Alhola, Senior Vice President of Passenger Car Tyres, Central Europe for Nokian Tyres, said, “Central Europe is an important strategic growth area for Nokian Tyres. Nokian Tyres Seasonproof 2 is produced in our zero CO2 emission tyre factory in Oradea, Romania, close to the Central European consumers and customers. Furthermore, launching a tyre range using up to 38 percent renewable, recycled and ISCC PLUS certified materials takes us significantly closer to our goal of using 50 percent renewable and recycled materials in our tyres by 2030.”

Teemu Soini, Vice President of Innovations and Development at Nokian Tyres, said, “By incorporating renewable materials, we have been able to boost the tyre’s performance while also lowering the rolling resistance. We are committed to finding renewable or recycled options for traditional fossil-based materials, and together with various partners keep researching for new innovative options.”