In 2014, Zivojin Sekulic was presenting a concept about Serbia as a future hot spot for tyre production in Shandong, in China, one of the world’s biggest tyre production province. By then, nobody was bullish on Serbia and saw the country as the next tyre production hub, but Sekulic applied analysis and research methods to support his prediction.

Sekulic has been with the industry for over a decade, and has been responsible for developing, managing and supporting operations in  Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Several reasons could support Sekulic's claims. One of the reasons for that prediction was geopolitical relations between China, USA, EU and Euroasia. To de-risk trade tension, many tyre companies are exploring alternative production locations, and Serbia is emerging to be a viable place to target major markets. Also, Also, 'made in EU' effects are needed for OEM contracts which also help to brand building.

Having those reasons in mind, Sekulic forecast that Chinese tyre companies will come to the Eastern and South-Eastern Europe to setup tyre plants to avoid anti-dumping duties, apply made in EU effect to their brand and to get some OEM contracts as they need to be close enough to automotive plants due to specific logistic delivery contracts.

Five years later, Linglong Tire in 2019 started to build a tyre plant in Serbia with an investment of almost one billion USD. "Serbia is China's first strategic partner in central and eastern Europe and has a favourable environment for development and investment," said the Chinese tyre company. After the completion of the project, the annual output of various high-performance radial tyre will reach 13.62 million units, with yearly revenue of $ 600 million.

In the same year just a few months later, another Asian Tyre producer, Toyo Tire announced that it will setup a plant in Serbia.  The Japanese company will invest around 3.91 million euros in the plant, which will produce tyres for passenger vehicles with an annual capacity of five million tyres. Toyo Tire will start construction of the Serbian Plant in May 2020, and manufacturing operations are expected start in January January 2022, with a capacity of five million tyres annually (based on tyres for passenger vehicles) by the summer of 2023.

Cooper Tire Serbia, a subsidiary of Cooper Tire & Rubber is also increasing production capacity at its Kruševac tyre manufacturing plant. With a strategic manufacturing footprint investment of approximately $55 million in equipment upgrades and facility expansion, the project will increase the size of the Kruševac facility to more than 882,000 square feet.

Cooper Tire Serbia will produce new, larger diameter tyres being demanded in Europe and other global markets. Total annual production capacity at the Kruševac plant will increase by approximately one-third after this expansion, which is expected later this year and will establish a footprint which could further double capacity with additional equipment and people.

"We can say that 2019 was an amazing year for the tyre Industry of Serbia. With already four tyre manufacturing plants of Michelin, Copper Tire, Mitas and Trayal, the country will have two more manufacturing plants soon. That is a huge success for Serbia as we all know that even countries with a bigger population and bigger size have lesser number of tyre plants in Europe," says Zivojin Sekulic.

A chat with Zivojin Sekulic:

Why are tyre companies showing increasing interest in Serbia for setting up plants – and generally in eastern Europe?

The reason for setting up tyre plants in Serbia is because of its specific geopolitical status. Serbia is in Europe, but not in the EU. That means particular goods produced in Serbia can be exported with 0% duty to EU, Russia, USA and countries of CEFTA and EFTA agreements and that's the market of almost one billion people. Comparing to anti-dumping duties for tyres produced in China, sounds like a good benefit, right?

Also, another reason is the label of “Made in EU” for tyre brands. The “Made in EU” effects help tyre companies to become recognisable and increase the prices, comparing to prices of tyres produced in China, and that means more significant profit.

Take the example of Hankook and their plant in Hungary. Only a few years after setting up their plant in Hungary they were selling more than 30% of their total annual production in EU and today with OEM contracts, excellent marketing strategy and outstanding R&D teams, they are in the race to become premium brand. So, imagine one day, maybe in five to eight years from today, Linglong can be close to the premium tyre brand and with the right strategy and marketing activities, if they decide to go that way.

One more reason is OEM contracts. Before setting up the plant in Serbia, Linglong signed a deal with VW and Renault, and now tyres produced in the Chinese company's tyre plant in Serbia will be delivered to these two automotive giants.

What benefits/ incentives that Serbia offers?

There are several benefits that country like Serbia is ready to offer to foreign investors. But I would like to highlight the benefits in general, not to go deeper in an analysis of specific incentives as that depends from situation to situation.

For example, the government is offering land where investors can set up a plant free of charge. There are also some tax incentives for more significant investments which are happening in the tyre industry. For instance, Cooper Tire's expansion project is supported by around $8 million in incentives provided by the Serbian government. Some investors can even get incentives per each employee that they will hire (basically like cashback card ). So, a general conclusion is that country like Serbia is really generous to foreign investors, and they should have that in mind.

Which companies are in the process of setting up?

At this moment Linglong is building the tyre plant in the city of Zrenjanin and Toyo announced that they will start building a plant in the city of Indjija very soon.

On the other side, there are major tyre companies - Mitas, Michelin, Cooper Tire, Trayal, which are producing tyres the country.

What's the future of tyre industry in Serbia?

Even I was right six years ago with a prediction that Asian tyre producers will setup tyre plants in Serbia in the near future that doesn't mean I will be right this time. But I genuinely believe that in Serbia there is a place for one more tyre plant. Specifically, I am thinking about a TBR , Agri and OTR tyre plant that can be built in a place where now Trayal's old plant is located which is still working and producing tyres for agriculture.

Going forward, the future of the Serbian tyre industry will move in another direction. After setting up plants, we will see R&D centres and Testing grounds and facilities in the country. I am predicting this because, for R&D, you need to have an excellent workforce and Serbia really has top-notch engineers and amazing developers. Currently, Continental has an R&D centre in the city of Novi Sad where several hundreds of engineers are employed.

In my working experience of 14 years in the tyre industry and 10 years in the IT sector, and having experience from Silicon Valley, I can tell you that engineers, researchers and software developers in Serbia are outstanding and not expensive like in the western EU or Silicon Valley. So, I am pretty sure that future intelligent tyres that will be based on sensors and specific software and machine learning will be designed and produced in some of the R&D centres based in Serbia.

Regarding testing facilities. Well, why should someone go to Spain or to Nordics to test summer or winter tyres if they can do it in Serbia as our climate is changed, so we have very hot summer and extreme winter, the perfect climate for tyre testing.

Q) Please share some information on your Project SMARTY?

My project SMARTY is related to the tyre industry and related to the development of smart tyres and smart trucks.

Using my vast experience from the tyre industry and IT industry, with a team of developers, I am working on the development of specific sensors, hardware and software that will be used in vehicles to optimise the costs and to prevent the accidents with tyres. We want to predict failure before it happens.

Currently, we have some working models and, shortly, we will start with sales of those models. The final goal is to make SMARTY device to become necessary in every vehicle to become smart or autonomous. Sensors for truck and OTR tyres we will unveil soon.

(Zivojin Sekulic: z.sekulic@gaj.rs)

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Michelin has appointed James Dimmock as its new Commercial Communications Manager for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Based at the company's Stoke-on-Trent headquarters, he will report to the Northern European Communications team. In this capacity, Dimmock will oversee all commercial communications, including public relations, social media and influencer partnerships.

His mandate involves crafting the brand's commercial narrative, fostering stronger connections with media and content creators and producing innovative digital content to support the brand's growth. He brings more than two decades of extensive experience with Michelin to the role, having held various senior marketing and communications positions both internationally and domestically. His most recent role was as Social Media and Influencer Manager. He will now lead these efforts locally while integrating with the broader communications team.

John Howe, Managing Director, Michelin UK, said, “James has already made a significant contribution to Michelin communications activity in the UK & ROI. His deep understanding of our business and products, combined with his strategic and creative approach, makes him ideally placed to lead our commercial communications as we continue to evolve our brand.”

Dimmock said, “I am excited to be taking on this new role at Michelin. It is a privilege to continue building on the work we have already achieved and to help drive the next phase of our commercial communications strategy across the UK & ROI.”

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Discount Tire has earned a prominent position on Glassdoor's Best Places To Work 2026 list, ranking 14th in Consumer Services and within the top 100 US employers. This distinction is awarded to organisations with over 1,000 employee reviews on Glassdoor and a minimum rating of 3.5. For the Scottsdale-based retailer, with more than 1,250 locations nationally, the honour underscores a long-standing commitment to its workforce.

The company cultivates a people-first culture for its over 30,000 employees by providing substantial career growth, thorough training, leadership development and competitive benefits. This philosophy, centred on serving others and empowering personal goals, previously earned Discount Tire top Glassdoor rankings from 2018 through 2021. The latest recognition reaffirms its status as an employer dedicated to fostering a supportive and progressive workplace.

Dean Muglia, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We treat our people like family. We're honoured to be recognised by both current and former employees and Glassdoor as a best place to work. We strive every day to deliver the most inviting, easy and safe experience possible for our people and our customers."

Michael Zuieback, Executive Chairman, said, "Through six and a half decades of growth, our primary commitments have stayed true: We want to take care of people and help make more dreams come true.”

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Radar Tyres has entered a significant, multi-year global partnership with Cricket South Africa, a strategic move to build its brand within a sport enjoyed by a worldwide audience. This alliance grants the company headline sponsorship for the Proteas Men’s and Women’s T20 International sides, alongside associate partnership status for their ODI and Test matches. Radar will also be the headline partner for South Africa’s Under-19 national teams.

The collaboration provides substantial visibility, featuring exclusive logo placement on both match and training kits, with the new T20I apparel already unveiled. For Radar, this investment is a key step in leveraging high-profile platforms to enhance global brand recognition, all while maintaining its commitment to providing high-quality, value-driven tyre products.

G S Sareen, President and CEO, Omni United, said, "Becoming the Global Partner of the Proteas marks a significant milestone in Radar Tyres' global brand journey and reflects our belief in sport as a powerful platform to build brand equity, strengthen dealer support, enhance trust and credibility and connect with households worldwide. Through this partnership, we are able to engage with cricket fans both locally and globally while reinforcing Radar Tyres' as a reliable, performance-driven brand committed to delivering premium-performance at an accessible price point."

Pholetsi Moseki, Chief Executive Officer, CSA, said, "CSA is extremely proud to partner with Radar Tyres, an organisation that shares our values and commitment to excellence. This partnership is a significant milestone, securing support not only for our senior teams but for our junior teams as well. This partnership reflects our deliberate approach to working with like-minded organisations, guided by a long-term vision of developing the game, supporting our players and delivering memorable experiences for fans. Radar Tyres' support also reinforces CSA's commitment to excellence and inclusion, strengthening our ability to drive high performance across all levels."

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For the second consecutive year, the Alliance for the Future of Tyres (AZuR) has been shortlisted for the German Award for Sustainability Projects, following its 2025 win. This renewed nomination underscores the jury’s recognition of AZuR as a pioneering force in sustainability, particularly for its dedicated efforts to advance tyre retreading as a core component of a circular economy. The 2026 award ceremony will be held under the patronage of Brigitte Zypries on 17 September in Berlin.

AZuR’s multifaceted initiative extends well beyond theoretical advocacy. Its work gained significant international attention with the Retreading Summit, held in September 2025 at KRONE Trailer in Werlte. This event convened experts from industry, politics, academia and media for two days of intensive dialogue on the potential, challenges and necessary policy frameworks for tyre modernisation, leading to the launch of concrete action plans. Furthermore, the alliance drives progress through strategic communications and direct support for flagship projects, such as the new passenger car tyre retreading facility established by Rigdon in Pfaffenhofen.

Central to AZuR’s mission is transforming public perception by demonstrating that worn tyres are valuable resources, not waste. Through ongoing awareness campaigns, it highlights the substantial ecological and economic benefits of retreaded tyres, which can be refurbished multiple times to conserve raw materials, reduce climate impact and offer cost-effective solutions. The German Award for Sustainability Projects, judged by a panel chaired by Prof Dr Claudia Kemfert of DIW Berlin, evaluates entries based on their innovation, impact and relevance to a sustainable future. AZuR’s repeated shortlisting affirms that its model for a tyre circular economy is a replicable and exemplary system with groundbreaking potential.

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