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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Liberty Tire Recycling partnered with Henry County staff and volunteers for a three-day Tire Amnesty Event at the County Barn last week, during which thousands of scrap tyres were collected from residents seeking free and responsible disposal. The recurring programme, offered every three years, drew a steady stream of vehicles ranging from cars and trucks to trailers and farm equipment, generating sizable piles of tyres and underscoring both strong community participation and the persistent need for proper recycling.

County personnel, including Jason Stanley, Jeremy Raisor, James Nutgrass, Darrell Abbott, Zach Smith and Travis Buchanan, worked continuously to unload and organise tyres as residents arrived. Among those taking part was New Castle resident Charles Miller, who delivered over 100 tyres, many from demolition derby vehicles, and also brought tyres on behalf of several family members so that materials from multiple properties could be recycled.

Photo by The Henry County Local

Stanley reported that turnout substantially exceeded the previous amnesty event held three years ago, with residents arriving consistently throughout the collection period. Such events offer a convenient way to remove scrap tyres that might otherwise accumulate on properties, create safety hazards and serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests, thereby reducing environmental risks and advancing sustainable waste management.

Officials applaud the Kentucky Division of Waste Management and its local partners for organising these programmes, noting that states collecting mandatory tyre disposal or recycling fees can reinvest them in amnesty days that channel waste tyres into the recycling stream and deter illegal dumping. While the final tally remains pending, county officials anticipate the total will rank among the most successful amnesty events in recent years.

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Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of the season for the Bahrain Grand Prix, lapping fastest at 1:35.130. Lewis Hamilton took second with a 1:35.428. Pirelli’s Soft compound played a decisive role, as the top three all set their best times on the red-marked tyre. Isack Hadjar originally qualified third but will not start from that grid slot due to a penalty.

Kimi Antonelli, fourth fastest in qualifying, will instead line up third. Hamilton began qualifying on the Medium before switching to the Soft, a strategy mirrored by Charles Leclerc, Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. The remaining drivers relied solely on the C4. Verstappen used four new Soft sets and improved his benchmark in the final sector on his last flying run.

Track temperatures peaked at 54°C during FP3 before cloud cover arrived. All three compounds appeared in the session, though most drivers concentrated on the C4. Leclerc alone ran the Hard before moving to a new Soft set. Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Verstappen and Hadjar used the Medium, with the reigning champion setting his best time on the C3.

Antonelli topped FP3 at 1:36.302, ahead of Verstappen on 1:36.580 and Hadjar on 1:36.860. The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Alvin Chong, a Malaysian actor and singer recognised across Malaysian and Chinese entertainment.

Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director, said, “Track conditions improved progressively throughout the day, allowing the Soft compound to deliver a very competitive level of performance in qualifying. Despite this, lap times remained significantly slower than those predicted by the simulations, indicating that the track evolution was not sufficient to close the gap. In the attempt to extract the maximum potential from the C4 immediately, the degradation generated on the compound meant that no genuinely competitive laps could be completed after the first flying lap today. At the same time, in yesterday’s running it demonstrated that it can maintain an acceptable level of consistency over race distances when it is brought gradually into its correct operating window over the opening laps. This characteristic could prove particularly important tomorrow, given the number of Soft sets retained by several teams.

“Tomorrow’s Grand Prix looks especially interesting from a strategic perspective. Most drivers have two sets of Hard tyres available, which should provide a solid option for the longer stints thanks to their greater thermal resistance and lower degradation compared to the softer compounds. On paper, the Medium-Hard-Hard and Soft-Hard-Hard combinations appear to be among the most competitive. There are, however, some particular situations, such as those of Verstappen and Leclerc, who each have only one set of C2 tyres available and may therefore consider different approaches, making greater use of the Soft and Medium compounds or even evaluating three-stop strategies. In this scenario, the range of possibilities becomes much broader, with shorter stints and increased flexibility. By contrast, we are unlikely to see one-stop strategies, which on paper offer no advantage in terms of total race time at a circuit where overtaking remains possible at several points around the track. Finally, there remains an element of uncertainty related to the weather, with a chance of rain that could influence the teams’ strategic choices.”

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American tyre brand General Tire is marking 111 years since its founding on 29 September 1915, when William O’Neil and Winfred Fouse established the General Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. What started as a regional tyre maker has evolved into an internationally recognised brand, especially noted for durable tyres suited to SUVs, off-road vehicles and pickups. Since 1987, the company has operated as part of Continental.

The brand’s history tracks closely with the growth of the North American automotive sector. During the 1920s, General Tire earned attention for its ‘General Balloon Jumbos’, which helped push tyre technology forward. As operations grew, the company widened its international reach and became a supplier to major vehicle manufacturers.

William O'Neil, Founder of General Tire

General Tire and Continental first connected in March 1949 through a cooperation agreement covering the exchange of technical expertise and know-how. By the late 1950s, General Tire had opened a tyre testing facility in Uvalde, Texas, then regarded as the largest of its kind worldwide. Continental’s 1987 acquisition opened a new chapter, giving the parent company a global production and sales network for the first time while allowing General Tire to pair its American heritage with worldwide development and manufacturing strength.

Today, the portfolio spans applications from the Grabber GT Plus road tyre and Grabber Cross A/S all-season tyre to the Snow Grabber Plus winter tyre and the Grabber AT3 Plus and Grabber X3 off-road models, all reflecting performance, reliability and American heritage. For the anniversary, General Tire introduced the next-generation Grabber AT3 Plus, an all-terrain successor to the Grabber AT3 with better snow traction, improved wet-road grip and a tread pattern built for demanding off-road use.

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Dunlop Motorcycle Europe is set to support a star-studded rider roster at this weekend’s FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in Ernée, France, aiming to cap another standout motocross season. The tyre range available to competitors includes the sand-focused Geomax MX14 for loose surfaces, the intermediate Geomax MX34 and the Geomax MX54, which has become the preferred choice across a wide range of intermediate and hardpack tracks.

The company will supply tyres to 32 riders representing 16 nations, drawing talent from the FIM Motocross World Championship, North America’s Supercross and Pro Motocross series and other competitions. The event follows last weekend’s season-ending MXGP of Australia, with many of the sport’s top names returning to action in pursuit of the Chamberlain Trophy.

Dunlop has built a formidable recent record at the MXoN, having equipped riders from every winning nation over the past four editions. Team Australia took consecutive victories in 2024 and 2025, Team France claimed the title in 2023 and Team USA won in 2022. This year, Australia arrives with an entirely new lineup in Jed Beaton, Alex Larwood and Aaron Tanti, while the United States fields an all-Dunlop trio led by three-time 450 cc AMA Supercross champion Cooper Webb, joined by Julien Beaumer and Levi Kitchen.

For France, MXGP runner-up Romain Febvre spearheads the Dunlop contingent and is joined by fellow Kawasaki Racing Team rider Mathis Valin. Two-time MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado will represent Spain alongside newly crowned MX2 World Champion Guillem Farres. A host of other leading MXGP and MX2 competitors will also run Dunlop, including Camden McLellan for South Africa, Liam Everts for Belgium, Pauls Jonass for Latvia and Jeremy Seewer for Switzerland.

The MXoN serves as a fitting finale to a season of significant success for Dunlop across European and North American series. In the United States, Ken Roczen captured his first 450 cc AMA Supercross title on Dunlop, extending the brand’s streak of winning every AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross championship since 2010.

In the FIM Motocross World Championship, Guillem Farres secured the MX2 crown and led Triumph Racing to a one-two finish with teammate Camden McLellan. The pair combined for 11 of 19 Grand Prix victories. In MXGP, Romain Febvre finished runner-up, while Kiara Fontanesi narrowly missed a historic seventh WMX title, winning at Foxhills in July and adding three second-place finishes.

Wim Van Achter, Motorcycle Motorsport Manager EMEA, Dunlop Motorcycle Europe, “The fact that so many top riders continue to choose Dunlop Geomax tyres underlines the Geomax range’s performance credentials. We work closely with top riders to develop new Geomax products, using their feedback to refine our tyre technology. Our most recent innovation, Geomax MX54, makes the Geomax range our strongest and most versatile motocross range yet, drawing on our knowledge from winning top professional championships. With its broader scope, it could be the tyre of choice for Ernée’s traditional hardpack clay circuit this weekend.”

Eddy Seel, MXGP Event Leader, Dunlop Motorcycle Europe, said, “We are honoured that Dunlop Geomax tyres are the products of choice for 32 of the world’s most talented riders representing 16 different nations. The level of competition is always high at MXoN, but Dunlop has a history of success. Our riders have already proven the performance and reliability of the Dunlop Geomax range all season long, so we’re ready to continue with that this weekend. Allez!”

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