Audi has selected bespoke Bridgestone Turanza ECO summer and Blizzak LM005 winter tyres as OE fitment for its Q4 e-tron compact SUV.

The tyres for the fully electric, compact SUV are custom engineered with ‘ENLITEN’ technology, which reduces tyre rolling resistance by up to 30 percent and weight by up to 20 percent to extend the driving range and reduce environmental impact.

The Turanza ECO summer tyre offers better rolling resistance than the European ‘A’ label grade threshold while maintaining on-road stability.  A rear traction vehicle, the Audi Q4 e-tron with bespoke Bridgestone tyre is now available in the European market. (TT)

Bridgestone Corporation has officially announced its motorsports plan for the year 2025. The company will continue to support various domestic and international motorsports, ranging from top-level professional race series to grassroots amateur races.

Bridgestone will mainly assist top-tier professional race series by providing Bridgestone POTENZA tyres for Japanese SUPER GT car races. Additionally, the business will supply Bridgestone BATTLAX tyres for the Endurance World Championship (EWC), the world's premier endurance motorcycle race series run by Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), and the All-Japan Road Race Championship. The company is the only tyre provider for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, which includes the INDY500, the most prestigious racing series in North America, with Firestone FIREHAWK tyres for auto races.

As the official tyre supplier for Super Taikyu Series events, the company will continue to provide tyres to grassroots racing. Furthermore, it will provide tyres for Mazda's grassroots motorsport events, the All-Japan Gymkhana Championship, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup and the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge, a beginner-level grassroots racing rally. The POTENZA Circuit Challenge, an open-participation event that gives novices the chance to take their first drive around the circuit, will continue as the brand looks to grow its motorsport fan base. Also, beginning this year, Bridgestone will become the official tyre supplier for the KYOJO CUP, a series of races for female drivers.

Bridgestone will provide competitors with tyres that include ENLITEN technology and a larger percentage of recycled and renewable materials. Additionally, the business will continue to sponsor and promote the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup, an international competition in which amateur drivers compete in zero-emission vehicles with an emphasis on power saving.

The International Rubber Conference Organisation (IRCO), the association of rubber societies from around the world and the organiser behind International Rubber Conference (IRC), sees India’s rubber industry booming over the last few decades. Tyre Trends recently caught up with Michael Clayton, Executive Chairman, IRCO, and Dr Matthew Thornton, Secretary General, IRCO, at the sidelines of Rubber Con 2024. Edited excerpts.

What is the underlying change you are seeing in the rubber conference globally?

Dr Thornton: I think the global rubber industry as a whole is facing similar challenges and bits. Rubber Con being a global conference, the themes have certainly changed over sort of the last 15 years and definitely we are seeing as we should, a trend and focus on sustainability, sustainable materials and sustainable practices.

What about India’s present and future role in the global rubber industry?

Clayton: I think it’s clear to see from the number of delegates at the three-day Rubber Con 2024 being nearly 1,000 that the Indian rubber sector is booming over the last 15 years. This is the third or fourth time we are in India for the IRCO event and plans are there for the future as well. Every time we come here, you can see the depth of the research that’s being done in India and the impact that that’s having globally on the international rubber sector.

Dr Thornton: I think with the population in India, the growth of the automobile sector, it’s (Indian rubber industry) got to be part of the global industry. As we move forward, it’s going to be a huge market for the rubber industry and a huge producer of rubber that goes into the automotive sector globally as well.

Given the disruption in natural rubber production and companies looking at alternative materials, will natural rubber lose its dominance?

Dr Thornton: I think natural rubber is going to play an important role, maybe more of an important role going forward. The move towards sustainability is something that we have seen over certainty in the last five years. Almost every conference now has a focus on sustainability, and being able to use natural rubber, as opposed to synthetic oil derived rubbers from fossil fuel sources, is going to play a key role. And certainly, using alternative feed stocks for natural rubber as well, like dandelion and guayule, is going to be important as well.

What is your take on repurpose, reuse or recycling of tyres?

Dr Thornton: In the UK and Europe, there’s a huge focus on recycling tyres, which I think will extend globally as well. Going forward, companies like Birla Carbon, who are part of Aditya Birla Group in India, are building plants in the Netherlands and investing EUR 100 million in a new facility in the Netherlands to recycle tyres into recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oils. I see that happening across Europe, in the UK, and I am sure going forward that will happen globally. We can’t just continue to leave old tyres in the environment; there have to be some kind of recovery mechanism. For producers and manufacturers, that is something that has to be high on their agenda and ensure that we don’t damage the environment or have an impact on the ecosystem for future generations.

Rubbercon 2024, hosted for the first time in Kerala, India, marked a milestone in the global rubber and tyre industry by addressing key sustainability challenges and opportunities. Held in Kochi from 5 to 7 December 2024, the event attracted over 850 delegates from around the world, including MSMEs, machine manufacturers, tyre producers and leading researchers.

On 5 December 2024, the stalwarts of the rubber industry ecosystem gathered in Kochi, Kerala at Rubbercon 2024 to discuss and debate the current and future trends facing the global as well as Indian rubber industry.

This also was the first time that Rubbercon was hosted in Kerala, which also is the base of natural rubber producers in the country. The 3-day event saw participation of over 850 delegates from all across the globe ranging from rubber producers, raw materials suppliers, machine makers, MSMEs, rubber product makers, universities and even tyre manufacturers.

Tyre industry veteran and former Chief of R&D at Apollo Tyres P K Mohamed said, “We have selected Kochi, the Financial capital of Kerala. At present, Kerala accounts for 90 percent of natural rubber production. I am fortunate enough to start my career with a product that is immensely rich in elastomeric materials, commonly known as rubbers, that revolutionised the life of mankind and made them wealthier, happier and more mobile. The mobility the world enjoys today would not be possible without rubber, which is the basic component used to manufacture tyres.”

He highlighted that since the invention of vulcanisation by Charles Goodyear in 1839, the scientific community has been working to improve the rubber goods, performance and failure properties to match the expectations of never-ending customer requirements.

“In recent years, the industry has been tested by numerous challenges, such as the electrification of automobiles, mobility-related issues, sustainability, circularity, carbon neutrality and regulations. The World Institute study published in the year 2015 indicates that coal, crude oil and natural gas, which are the primary materials used for the production of monomers such as isoprene, styrene, butadiene and other critical materials, may disappear by the end of this century. The price of petroleum products and natural rubber is shooting up daily, and the industry is finding it difficult to pass on this price increase to its customers. It is also observed that the industry’s bottom line is shrinking daily, some industries are even sinking into the negative bottom lines. We use approximately 18 kg to 25 kg of natural rubber and petroleum products to 130-140 litres of oil in a truck tyre. These reasons prompted the conference’s organisation to select the theme of sustainable development in the rubber industry – challenges and opportunities to create awareness and impart new knowledge among the rubber community,” added the industry veteran.

Mohamed was also honoured with Hancock Medal in recognition of his contribution to the global and Indian tyre industry.

R Mukhopadhyay, Chairman of the Indian Rubber Institute (IRI), in his address, mentioned that the per capita consumption of rubber in the country was set to double from the current 1.3 kg to 2.5 kg by 2030. This means that in addition to capital investment, the industry will also require human capital to take advantage of the numerous growth opportunity across the natural rubber ecosystem.

He also highlighted the pivotal role of IRI in advancing global expertise in rubber technology from education, research to skill development, aligning with international standards.

Mukhopadhyay shared that to accelerate and support innovations in the rubber industry, IRI is setting up The Centre of Excellence in Polymer Science and Rubber Technology at JSS Science and Technology University Campus, Mysore. Expected to be ready by April 2025, it is estimated that the world-class facility will see an expense of INR 5 billion.

Dr Tessy Thomas, Former Project Director of Agni Missile and Currently Vice-Chancellor of Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, Chief Guest at the event, said, “Sustainability is no longer an aspiration – it’s a necessity.”

She outlined concerns such as deforestation, biodiversity loss and emissions tied to rubber production, as well as raw material shortages driven by climate change and geopolitical uncertainties.

Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & MD, JK Tyre & Industries, addressed the gathering virtually.

Roopak Karnik, Managing Director, Bekaert India, spoke about ‘Transformational Journey of Bekaert with Steel’ on how the company was developing new advanced products with high degree of dematerialisation in sustainability. “Adding recycled content will only exponentially support the sustainability drive by reducing the emission during life and usage of tyres,” he explained.

Srikanth Chakravarthy, MD, Eonix Management Solutions, gave a brief presentation on the topic of ‘Co-Creating a Sustainable Future’.

MAKING MOBILITY SUSTAINABLE

The topic of sustainability is now a global concern, with each stakeholder expected to do their bit to make tomorrow greener and better.

Rubbercon 2024 saw experts present and share their views on different aspects ranging from sourcing, manufacturing to processes, applications and even recovery & recyclability of rubber.

The speakers, ranging from technocrats to researchers to professors, represented various organisations such as University of Lincoln; Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur; Rubber, Chemical, and Petro Chemical Skill Development Council (RCPSDC); Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); Emissions Analytics; Cabot Corporation; Birla Carbon; Coesfeld & Co; Tekna Automazione e Controllo; Xingda International; Balkrishna Industries; Synthos; Silpara Technologies; Solvay and Kumho Petrochemicals, among others, shared their perspectives on a wide variety of topics pertaining to the rubber and tyre industry.

Several topics had a niche focus for the tyre industry ranging from the need for skilled manpower for rubber tapping to recycle of tyre waste rubber and extraction of diesel like oil and pyrolytic carbon black to tyre emissions.

Some interesting presentations also focused on solid tyres, truck/bus tyre applications, to the industry’s commitment towards enabling sustainable mobility and the need to meet strict EU regulations.

Retreading truck tyre test – breakthrough for natural rubber silica/silane systems, green tyre technology, sustainable rubber processes, role of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to advance sustainability in tyre industry, moving towards green supply chain strategies & technology were some of the presentations made by industry speakers.

The event also saw over 90 presentations and 18 poster sessions from experts across the rubber and tyre value chain from India, Germany, Sri Lanka, South Korea, China, Italy, France, UK and US, among others.

The conference concluded with a focus on collective action, emphasising the importance of collaboration across the value chain. From sourcing raw materials to recycling end-of-life tyres, stakeholders demonstrated their commitment to sustainable practices.

Rubbercon 2024 reaffirmed its position as a key forum for driving innovation, fostering collaboration and shaping a sustainable future for the global rubber and tyre industry.

Two associates of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Taylor Davis, Staff Electrical Engineer, and Jingwei Yu, Finance Director – Asia Pacific Operations, have been named 2025 Women MAKE Award winners.

The Manufacturing Institute (MI), the National Association of Manufacturers' workforce development and education partner, presents the annual Women MAKE Awards, which honour female leaders in manufacturing and encourage recipients to mentor and inspire the next generation of women in the industry. The awards are a part of MI's Women MAKE initiative, which gives women a chance to highlight the diverse and exciting prospects in manufacturing. At the Women MAKE Awards event in Washington, D.C., on 24 April, the MI will honour Davis and Yu together with 130 other award winners. Each honouree’s story, including their leadership and manufacturing achievements, will be highlighted during the evening.

Davis's early-career ability to take on technical difficulties and provide solutions that satisfy Goodyear's clients and consumers earned her the title of Women MAKE Emerging Leader. With Goodyear's Global Engineering team, Davis also started a reverse mentorship programme in which she coaches new Goodyear associates as well as students.

Yu has been named a 2025 Women MAKE Awards Honouree in recognition of her financial leadership in Goodyear's development and sustainability initiatives. The advancement of Goodyear's industrial innovation in the area is facilitated by her leadership in deploying Industry 4.0 automation and digitalisation capabilities. Yu also serves as a coach for Goodyear's future financial and manufacturing executives and has played a key role in establishing collaborations with educational institutions to inform students about STEM vocations.

Don Metzelaar, Senior Vice President – Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Goodyear, said, "Whether she's tackling complex projects or identifying growth opportunities for herself and her teammates, we celebrate Taylor's commitment to continuous learning and receipt of this award. Taylor's career is off to a strong start, and her contributions help to continually advance our manufacturing processes and inspire incoming talent."

Nathaniel Madarang, President – Asia Pacific, Goodyear, said, "Jingwei's finance leadership has been transformative for Goodyear's manufacturing and supply chain operations in the region. Her efforts to connect our manufacturing plants with local universities to foster STEM education mutually benefits Goodyear and the local community."