Hankook Tire has won in the Professional Concept and Communication categories at the iF Design Award 2021 for its Design Innovation Project 2020.

The Design Innovation is Hankook’s R&D project held every two years, in collaboration with one of the world’s leading design universities. For the project, Hankook has collaborated with professors and students from the Department of Industrial Design at the University of Cincinnati in the U.S.

The project visualised the transformation of cities geared by mobility under the theme of ‘Urban Reshaping’. It showcased mobility as part of living spaces rather than a stand-alone vehicle in the future where augmented automation infrastructure and technologies such as eco-friendly technology, autonomous driving and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are to be adopted.

In the Professional Concept category, a platform which Hankook proposed and named as ‘Hankook Platform System (HPS)-Cell’ took the winning place. In particular, it received high scores in the Form criterion which evaluates aesthetics and execution as well as in the differentiation criterion which evaluates individuality and intrinsic value.

The tyre of HPS-Cell is an airless tyre featuring a unit-cell structure. It is a concept tyre that uses sensor technology to not only identify tyre treads and road conditions in real-time but also to respond to wear-out risks and change tread patterns according to the road condition utilizing variable wheels and optimized infrastructure.

Not just this but the Design Innovation Film 2020, the concept film that had been produced to bring the conceptual tire and HPS-Cell platform to life, won the award in the Communication category. The film illustrates how this kind of mobility platform could be utilised. It was evaluated highly in the Impact criterion which evaluates sustainability and social contribution.

Jimmy Kwon, Vice President of Hankook Tire Brand Lab, said, “It’s an honour to receive global recognition for our innovative design philosophy and capabilities.  This recognition demonstrates our design leadership in the industry as well as our vision for future mobility. By incorporating new ideas with our cutting-edge technology, we are continuously exploring design concepts for the next generation and strengthening our premium brand asset.” (TT)

LANXESS, a specialty chemicals company, has successfully placed a six-year-tenor euro benchmark bond with a coupon of 0.0 percent in the European capital market.
The company, with about 14,800 employees in 33 countries, will use the funds to finance the planned acquisition of IFF, a US-based chemical company involved in microbial control.

The new bond is listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange in denominations of EUR 1,000.

Michael Pontzen, CFO, LANXESS, said, “We have secured the first step of financing already quickly after the announcement of the acquisition of IFF Microbial Control and are happy about the very receptive reaction of the capital market to our offering.” (TT)

Goodyear has launched its new RT-3B bead-to-bead tread in US and Canada in sizes 20.5R25 and 23.5R25 for off-the-road (OTR) tyres.

The new retread provides all-around performance for loaders and graders. Joining the existing lineup of premium off-the-road Goodyear tyres, the retread provides up to 60 percent savings compared to a new tyre.

Used extensively in gruelling OTR applications, retreading helps extend the life of tyres while delivering high traction and minimal tread wear. Additionally, retreading promotes sustainability by reducing unnecessary waste.

The new Goodyear RT-3B is cured in a mould and press method to generate low heat through long hours of usage via its 115-level tread depth. Strongly cut-resistant in nature, the centerline lugs and open shoulder provides optimal traction.

Loic Ravasio, General Manager, Global and Americas OTR, Goodyear, said, “We are always focused on delivering high value and low cost of ownership to our OTR customers. The RT-3B is a substantial addition to our retread portfolio providing another great option for operators to help drive efficiency, reduce costs and protect the environment.” (TT)

Anshuman Singhania, Dy. Managing Director of JK Tyre, has been appointed managing director of the company, effective October 21,2020.

Anshuman Singhania joined the Company as an Executive and over the years has been deeply involved in various activities of the Company in different positions, said the company.

Singhania is also Vice Chairman of ATMA

He is a graduate from Oxford Brookes University, UK and an alumnus of London Business School. As a young leader, he started his career from the shop floor as an apprentice and has held several positions in Planning, Production, Product Development, Quality Control, Stores & Purchase, Finance as well as Sales & Marketing. Being a techno-savvy person, he has played a key role in implementing the latest technologies in the manufacturing process at JK Tyre.

Yokohama Off-Highway Tires recently held the groundbreaking and foundation stone unveiling ceremony of its new plant at Atchutapuram, Visakhapatnam - Andhra Pradesh, India.

In the online event, Masataka Yamaishi , President & Chairman of the Board, Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd broke the ground to commence construction work.

Yamaishi San unveiled the Foundation Stone virtually in the presence of Atao Kishi San: Chairman - ATC Tires Pvt. Ltd. and Managing Officer - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., Nitin Mantri – CEO and Anil Gupta – COO and the leadership team at Yokohama Off-Highway Tires.

The new plant will have a daily production capacity of 55 tons (rubber weight), with planned capital investment totalling US$165 million. The plant, which will be the company’s third plant in India, will manufacture its three brands ALLIANCE, GALAXY and PRIMEX brand tyres.

 Yokohama Off-Highway Tires currently has two tyre plants in India—the Dahej Plant in Gujarat and the Tirunelveli Plant in Tamil Nadu.