Omni United Pte. appointed Stéphane Clepkens as Test Manager, hiring a veteran tyre expert to oversee the Singapore-based manufacturer's testing operations and performance analysis.

Clepkens, who has more than 25 years of tyre testing experience, previously held senior positions at Continental AG and Nokian Tyres Plc. The company said he will manage relationships with independent testing organisations while conducting hands-on analysis as a professional handling driver.

"We are thrilled to welcome Stéphane to the Omni United team. His extensive experience and hands-on expertise will be vital in our mission to make premium, high-quality products affordable to all. Stéphane's appointment reinforces our commitment to innovation, quality, and delivering exceptional value to our customers worldwide," said GS Sareen, president and CEO of Omni United.

The hire brings specialised expertise to Omni United's testing programme, including extensive experience at Germany's Nürburgring-Nordschleife racing circuit. Clepkens has worked as a freelance tester with multiple automotive and tyre manufacturers.

The appointment strengthens Omni United's technical capabilities as the company competes with larger global tyre manufacturers in performance and testing validation.

"I am thrilled to join Omni United and am committed to ensuring Radar Tyres are rigorously tested to outperform premium brands while remaining affordable. This opportunity allows me to collaborate with a dynamic team that shares my passion for innovation and excellence in tyre technology," said Clepkens.

Apollo Tyres has appointed Parmeshwaran Iyer as Chief Supply Chain Officer with immediate effect.

Iyer, a seasoned supply chain professional, brings 30 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods, healthcare, oil and white goods industries. He has extensive expertise in end-to-end planning, procurement, logistics and customer management.

Before joining the Indian tyre maker, Iyer spent over 18 years at Beiersdorf AG, where he held multiple leadership roles across Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and India. Most recently, he served as Global Vice President of Digital Supply Chain, spearheading digitalisation initiatives.

Prior to that, he was Global Vice President of Supply Chain Management, leading a team responsible for planning, logistics, and customer service strategies, including Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), cost-to-serve analysis, and logistics excellence.

Iyer also led regional supply chain operations for Beiersdorf, overseeing end-to-end supply chain management across 88 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Russia/CIS, and Southwest Asia, including India.

His career also includes stints at Johnson & Johnson, TOTAL Energies India and Daikin Airconditioning.

He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management with a specialisation in Material Management and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Mumbai.

Michelin North America and HAAS Alert are rolling out a new safety initiative that uses digital alerts to protect stranded truckers and roadside technicians across the United States and Canada.

The system integrates HAAS Alert's Safety Cloud technology with Michelin's ONCall emergency roadside service. When truck drivers request roadside assistance through ONCall, the system automatically sends alerts to nearby motorists through navigation apps like Apple Maps and Waze, as well as built-in vehicle systems in several auto brands.

These alerts warn approaching drivers to slow down and move over, providing up to 30 seconds of advance notice before reaching the breakdown site.

"Since 2009, Michelin ONCall has responded to almost 3 million roadside emergency service calls in the U.S. and Canada," said Ed Quigley, Director of Sales & Operations, Connected Solutions at Michelin North America, Inc. "That's why this partnership with HAAS Alert is so important. We want to help improve the safety of everyone on the highway, including commercial truck drivers and service providers, as well as consumer vehicle drivers like you and me."

The partnership comes as research demonstrates the effectiveness of digital alert systems. A 2021 Purdue University study found that such alerts can reduce hard braking incidents by up to 80 percent.

"This new product is designed to help protect commercial vehicle operators by alerting approaching drivers who are using pertinent navigation apps, through Safety Cloud until help arrives," said Tom Parbs, VP of Sales at HAAS Alert.

Michelin ONCall, launched in 2009, aims to respond to service requests within two hours and has handled nearly 3 million tyre and mechanical emergency roadside service events.

Satish Sharma recently joined BKT as Senior President for Strategy and Business Development.

Sharma brings a rich experience of over three decades in the tyre industry.

Prior to this appointment, Sharma was the President spearheading Apollo Tyres’ operations across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa regions. Sharma oversaw key functions, including manufacturing, sales and marketing, customer relations, and regional profitability.

Sharma holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, and a post-graduate diploma in Business Management from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad.

A veteran of India’s automotive sector, Sharma previously served as Chairman of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA).

Hans Beckhoff, Founder and Managing Director of Beckhoff Automation, was honoured for his entrepreneurial achievements on 29 January 2025 by German business newspaper Handelsblatt, KPMG and the Stiftung Familienunternehmen (the Foundation for Family Business) and inducted into the Hall of Fame for Family Businesses.

Beckhoff, 70, was honoured in front of more than 170 family business owners during a ceremony in Munich, Germany. For 45 years, he has maintained a high rate of innovation at his technological business, which is no small feat. Instead of being driven by the digital transition, he is driving it. He has also not lost sight of today's global issues, including climate change. According to Beckhoff's slogan, ‘Engineers must save the world’, sophisticated automation technology is crucial in this context since it establishes the groundwork for enhancing sustainability as well as energy and resource efficiency.

The company's technological inventions, many of which have established worldwide market standards in automation, have proven groundbreaking, substantiating its claim to be a pioneer in the field. The core Beckhoff philosophy of PC-based control technology, which leverages the vast development potential of the IT industry for industrial applications, is a perfect illustration of this. PC-based control, which Beckhoff introduced to the market in 1986 and is today essential in a variety of sectors, including the semiconductor, automotive and packaging industries, is where automation and IT meet. It is especially used for high-performance applications.

Another milestone is the bus terminal, fieldbus technology in terminal block format, which was introduced in 1995. This fundamental automation building block allowed for the implementation of strong, small, modular and finely granular control systems that were customised to meet specific needs. The ultra-fast EtherCAT communication technology, introduced by Beckhoff in 2003, has grown to become a crucial global standard for high-performance automation. Today, more than 8,000 businesses from all around the world support this intriguing technology as members of the EtherCAT Technology Group. Despite its reputation for inventions and revolutions, Beckhoff's system idea is still widely used. Today, Beckhoff technology handles all aspects of control tasks: from machine vision and control cabinet-free automation with a comprehensive hardware and software suite to modular I/O components, flexible drive technology, intelligent product transport and TwinCAT control software with artificial intelligence (AI) features, powerful industrial PCs, and EtherCAT.

The next generation has also benefited from Beckhoff's passion for automation and innovation, as seen by the fact that his children, Frederike and Johannes Beckhoff, have long held prominent roles within the business. As a result, Beckhoff Automation is still a family business 45 years after it was founded.