There couldn’t be any industry that isn’t implementing, or at least knowing about, automation. And if there’s actually one, then it has probably been living under a rock. The tyre industry has already opened its doors to automation, and this helps make tyre manufacturing more sophisticated and reliable. The tyre manufacturing process itself has been experiencing constant changes – from different tyre sizes and constructions to targeting less usage of energy. Automation must be on every tyre company’s to-do list, if it hasn’t adopted it already. Don Heelis, Sales Manager, Cimcorp, gave Tyre Trends more insights on the different aspects of automation in the tyre industry and its absolute requirement, when we met him at the Tire Technology Expo 2022 in Hannover, Germany. Read on…

The philosophy of tyre manufacturing has changed dramatically. A part of the change in that philosophy relates to automation implementation in the tyre manufacturing process. However, we also find more technical perspectives being adopted and taken into account at new, modern tyre factories today.

This technical perspective can be considered to be coming from a few different areas, one of them certainly being from the actual production part of the tyre factory. Therefore, with production machinery, mixers, extruders and tyre building machines, the level of technology being implemented in these processes is increasing. Moreover, these processes are getting more sophisticated.

The other aspect of this is integrating the production across all the different areas (another factor for the dramatic change in the modern tyre factory). In the past, the different areas of production were not necessarily well connected. However, today we see them getting connected a lot more – and this is being driven and enabled by technology.

This is where companies like Cimcorp come in – who happen to provide material handling and automation technology so that different tyre manufacturing processes are better integrated.

Explaining this, Don Heelis, Sales Manager, Cimcorp, said, “When you produce your work in process, what you’re producing is in synchronisation with what’s being produced in other areas of the factory. This helps minimise the work in process and have a manufacturing process that’s more efficient.”

Going the modular way
But how does one integrate different machines and processes in the plant with all the different machines and manufacturing processes involved? Heelis let us in on this.

“The trick is to implement the automation and connectivity in a modular way,” he revealed and went on, “That way, the connectivity is physical and mechanical but involves software as well. Thus, we take an approach where the modules are flexible and can connect to various inputs and outputs; however, the module is in itself standardised. Hence, the modules can work for different factories – only the interconnection needs to be flexible.”

The green tyre
While implementing automation, one, of course, would want to implement it where they get the biggest value. “Traditionally, that has been in the palletising area – in managing and handling the finished product. Basically, palletising, storing and retrieving the finished product,” Heelis informed us and continued, “This is where everyone has traditionally looked in the past. However, a lot of focus has been put on the green tyre area in the past 10 years. That includes green tyre handling, storage and retrieval and its automatic delivery to the curing process.”

A green tyre is work in process – simply put, a tyre that has not been cured. “A green tyre is made up of a number of components. It’s built on a tyre-building machine,” Heelis further told us. “Once a green tyre is built, it is buffered, followed by being cured – and automation machines are required in order to do this. Hence, this is a key element of the modern tyre factory.”

He added, “This has been an area of key focus where productivity and simplicity can be gained. In fact, the whole process can be done with less plant floor space. Ultimately, factories that want to be competitive have to implement automation technologies in that area.”

Increased efficiency
There are many brownfield factories out there that have to modernise and be viable for the future. One of the key areas that they need to modernise and automate in is green tyre handling. Heelis asserted, “By having an automated storage and retrieval system, one can track and trace all of the work in process. Plus, one is able to store in a manner that maximises the quality of the green tyres. And then, one can deliver them from the storage system to the curing process in a very systematic and accurate way. This way, when a particular green tyre is needed in the curing area, it can be delivered there in the appropriate amount of time.”

“In this methodology, when the green tyre arrives at curing, it is at that point in time when it is needed, and the production does not have to stop,” Heelis further shared. “If this can be achieved, then the curing process can be run more efficiently; the efficiency can go from 80 percent to over 95 percent. In theory, one can increase the output of their factory by 10 percent. In such a case, one can imagine how many tyres can be produced in a factory by following this methodology.”

Automation – its role during the pandemic and inflation
While automation tends to bring in efficiency, how have companies managed to keep up their competence and productivity during the thorny period of the Covid pandemic? The pandemic has definitely brought some insights to the tyre industry from a management point of view, like it did to many other sectors. According to Heelis, automation has come to the rescue of the tyre industry in the pandemic as well.

“One important thing that the industry learnt from the pandemic was that it has a risk to its ability to produce products,” he mentioned and went on, “The absence of automation will make any company in the industry highly dependent on the labour force, which might not be available to keep the production going. On the other hand, with automated processes, a company is less at risk to events like a pandemic.”

Another issue we are dealing with right now in the global economy is inflation. Inflation equals to costs going up – from the cost of materials to the cost of labour. “Nonetheless, a company can mitigate some of the impacts of inflation if it has embraced automation. In fact, the ones who automated their brownfield factories three to four years ago are in a much better position today than their competitors who had not,” Heelis pointed out and went on, “This is because the former can mitigate some of the inflation costs, is less dependent on the workforce and is able to produce better-quality products – and at a higher level of efficiency at that. We know that there is a tremendous shortage of people in the workforce in the US right now. Therefore, automated companies have a significant competitive advantage.”

From the tyre industry’s challenges due to the pandemic and inflation, we turned to the challenges Cimcorp itself faces on the commercial side. Heelis responded that, commercially, the current challenge for them is being a low-cost, high-quality producer – which one has to be in order to compete in the market. “Furthering this challenge is how we become a low-cost, high-quality producer and stay that way. And from our perspective, the way to get there is through innovation and technology,” he stated.

Automation in the Asian tyre industry
CIMCORP opened up an office in India roughly three years ago. With its presence in the country and Asia, Heelis told us that the tyre companies in Asia are no stranger to automation and are implementing it. “As a move forward, the mentality is that if you want to be a world-class manufacturer and build a new factory, then you build the factory with automation. And this is a global perspective,” Heelis asserted.

Cimcorp’s customers in Asia range from traditional tyre manufacturers to new manufacturing entrants in the industry, so it’s a mix. Throwing further light on this, Heelis said, “We all know the traditional manufacturers like Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear, Continental and more. But beyond these, there are new companies emerging. And these new companies have an advantage in some ways because they are not constrained by the old ways of thinking. They are forward thinking, with a clearer mindset to do things in the current environment – the environment of automation and technology.”

“Moreover, the manufacturers who don’t invest in automation, and try to run the company with practices that were developed in the 1960 and 70s, will not be able to survive or compete,” he further added. “Their market will eventually consider them to be non-competitive, non-global and unable to produce the quality expected of them.”

Cimcorp has plans for India as well. “Our strategy is to continue to grow our business in India with the domestic tyre manufacturers, and we have been successful at that,” Heelis shared and went on, “When I say domestic, that goes for manufacturing facilities within India, from Apollo Tyres to MRF to JK Tyre to Goodyear to Michelin. Thus, we plan to continue to build our business with those factories and customers from an automation perspective, and then from a full customer service point of view.”

The other aspect comes to brownfield factories. Heelis averred, “With brownfield factories, whether in North America or Asia, the cost of automation is the same; there may be different payback scenarios between the two. However, it stands true that no matter where a company is present in the world, if it is operating a brownfield factory, then it needs a strategy to modernise. And the strategy to modernise is based on implementing automation.”

Automation in brownfield factories – what will it take?
The strategy to modernise when automating a brownfield factory is especially challenging in an already existing system. Therefore, when automating a brownfield factory, one of the most important considerations is to not interrupt their day-to-day production, Heelis cited. He mentioned that the factory has to continue making its certain number of tyres each day. Hence, a strategy that enables the factory to do that is needed – while concurrently implementing automation there.

“Besides, when you implement automation, you have to be able to do it in a standardised way,” Heelis further enlightened and continued, “This can be done with the help of flexible automation modules that can work in a lot of different scenarios. Therefore, you can deal with different brownfield factories depending just on how you arrange your automation modules. Thus, you can come up with a custom solution for every different brownfield factory out there with the help of a modular approach and on the basis of how you connect those automation modules together.”

Service provided
From providing standard modular systems to hardware to software, Cimcorp strategically has a service aspect to its business – Success Services. Therefore, the approach from its service side is to enable its customers to be as successful as possible.

“That could be achieved by providing a 24/7 support. So if the customers contact us due to an issue they are facing in the solutions provided by us, we are available at any time of the day or night to support them,” Heelis revealed and added, “We can do it remotely. In fact, as technologies emerge further, we’ll see how we can do this more remotely with virtual techniques. Here, their serviceperson could be using special tools, which enables our people (who are remote) to actually be in virtual situations in our customers’ plants. In such wise, we can be more responsive and be as if we are in place in real-time in order to provide a service.”

Tyre warehouse automation or manual operation – making the choice
Nevertheless, Cimcorp does not just stop at its 24/7 services or providing its automation solutions for tyre manufacturing processes. It goes beyond that – to the finished product warehouses. However, interestingly, that depends to a degree on which part of the world the automation is needed in; while some areas will need automation that is well advanced, some areas will use a more manual operation.

Heelis explained, “There are some key factors that determine whether the facility/area in question needs to be automated or not. For example, the cost of real estate. If it’s a manual operation, then that typically involves a very large warehouse, say around 100,000 sq mt.”

“For automating, on the other hand, you require lands that are much smaller,” Heelis further highlighted. “For instance, land is very expensive in Japan. Thus, one wouldn’t want a very big footprint warehouse over there. Which means, you go vertical wherever land is expensive.”

“On the flip side, land is very cheap in some areas and inexpensive to build the generic building (like in some areas of the US). So there is less incentive to go vertical with automation there,” he added. “But there might be other factors that could dominate.”

Choosing automation over manual operation – why?
While some main factors do influence the decision if a warehouse is going to be a fully automated one or a semi-manual one, an automated one is always preferred. For clear reasons.

“The benefit of an automated warehouse is that everything is extremely well controlled,” Heelis informed. “What’s more, you have complete control of your product – you know exactly where it is, how much of it you have and you can get on-demand access.”

“As for a semi-manual warehouse, there are fork trucks, people moving things around and putting them in different storage locations,” Heelis further clarified. “This process is much more manual, involves a lot more interaction and is time consuming. Therefore, you have much less control over the process.”

Automation – a need not to be confused as a luxury
The automotive industry has been one of the earliest industries to adopt automation. So it’s high time that tyres, an integral component of any vehicle, did so too. It’s clear that automation, today, is not a luxury but a need. No company can afford to not have it. No tyre company must be limited to older technologies, and they must invest in automation for the long term. This would not just help tyre manufacturers meet their customers’ demands without any delay, but also help modernise the industry with the world’s rapidly changing technologies.

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Swarnakaruna Princeton Rubber Industries has built capacity to recycle about 96,000 end-of-life tyres annually after government-backed financing helped the Visakhapatnam company transition from processing buffing waste to recycling whole tyres. The recycler is now targeting larger industrial buyers while exploring tyre imports to lower raw-material costs.

India’s push to formalise its end-of-life tyre recycling ecosystem is creating room for smaller recyclers to scale, but access to capital, machinery reliability, raw-material costs and the economics of producing higher-grade crumb rubber remain significant constraints.

Visakhapatnam-based Swarnakaruna Princeton Rubber Industries Private Limited offers a case in point. The company has expanded from a small operation processing buffing powder to a whole-tyre recycling business capable of producing around 300–400 tonnes of crumb rubber a month following financial support channelled through IFCI Venture Capital under a government-backed programme for Scheduled Caste entrepreneurs.

The business traces its roots to 2014, when Managing Director N Swarnalatha established K.S. Princeton Rubber Industries after approaching the District Industries Centre in Visakhapatnam with plans to become an entrepreneur.

The original operation had a single grinder and relied on buffing powder as its principal feedstock because it lacked the equipment required to process complete end-of-life tyres.

“The company started in 2014, but the setup was very minimal. We had just one grinder and were not capable of recycling a whole tyre, so buffing powder was our raw material,” said Swarnakaruna Princeton Rubber Industries Chief Executive Officer Ashish Kumar Isukapati.

That model began changing in 2018 when the company sought funding from IFCI Venture Capital Limited. The proprietorship was subsequently converted into a private limited company as part of the process of securing the investment. Funding was eventually released in stages, with commercial production from the expanded facility beginning in August 2024.

According to Isukapati, the project received about INR 50 million from IFCI Venture Capital, alongside a promoter contribution of INR 17.1 million. The overall project cost was approximately INR 67.21 million.

The money was deployed largely towards machinery and rebuilding and expanding the existing manufacturing premises.

Isukapati said the financing was particularly significant because conventional access to growth capital can prove difficult for first-generation entrepreneurs.

TYRES TO CRUMB

The expanded operation can process roughly 8,000 end-of-life tyres each month, equivalent to around 96,000 tyres annually, according to Isukapati. At the upper end of production, the facility can manufacture around 400 tonnes of crumb rubber a month, while recovered steel accounts for roughly 25 percent of output by weight or around 100 tonnes at that production level.

The company currently sells entirely into the domestic market, with Kerala representing its largest destination. It also supplies TVS Sundaram Industries in Chennai.

However, the economics vary considerably according to crumb size and end application.

More than 70 percent of the company’s current crumb-rubber production goes to non-tyre applications, particularly rubber-mat manufacturers in Kerala. These customers typically consume 20 and 24 mesh material. TVS Sundaram Industries takes roughly 60–80 tonnes a month, with the company supplying 30-mesh crumb rubber.

Tyre-related customers typically require finer grades such as 40, 60 and 80 mesh crumb rubber. The company has pulverising equipment capable of producing material in those ranges, but finer grinding lowers throughput and changes the economics of the operation.

“We are capable of manufacturing the higher meshes, but the overall output comes down. We have to balance which mesh we manufacture against the quantity we can produce because crumb rubber itself is a relatively low-priced product. The way to generate sustainable revenue is through volume,” Isukapati said.

That volume-quality equation has become particularly important as the recycler seeks to tap larger customers closer to its Visakhapatnam plant.

One of its main targets is HINCOL, which Isukapati said operates a facility locally and requires around 500 tonnes of crumb rubber a month. The company has so far been unable to fully address that opportunity because of the combination of volume, quality specifications and tender pricing.

Isukapati sees similar opportunities with buyers across the eastern and southern tyre and rubber manufacturing belt. He estimates that potential demand within roughly 300 kilometres of its operation could exceed 1,000 tonnes a month.

The challenge is converting that proximity into profitable sales.

PORT OPPORTUNITY

The company currently sources a significant portion of its tyres through Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation auctions. And the company is also seeking a licence to import end-of-life tyres, a move it believes could allow it to leverage its proximity to Visakhapatnam port and reduce feedstock costs.

“We are trying to capitalise on Visakhapatnam port and have applied for an import licence. If that works out, we could spend less on raw material, which would give us an advantage in offering a more competitive price,” Isukapati said.

The company’s expansion has not been without setbacks. Location presents a significant constraint. The facility operates on a plot of about 980 square yards, where incoming tyres, finished crumb rubber and recovered steel all have to be stored and managed. Expanding towards the 500-tonne monthly volumes sought by larger customers could therefore require the company to address its space limitations.

Technical support and spare-part availability are also more difficult in Visakhapatnam than in established manufacturing clusters, Isukapati said.

BIGGER CHALLENGE

Swarnakaruna does not currently operate a dedicated research and development department. Product development and process adjustments are handled by its production manager and technical staff, while third-party laboratories are occasionally used when customers require test reports.

Beyond the company’s own expansion, Isukapati sees feedstock pricing as one of the biggest problems confronting India’s mechanical tyre recyclers.

Waste-tyre prices can rise when pyrolysis operators increase production, but crumb-rubber producers cannot necessarily pass those higher costs to customers because buyers have multiple competing suppliers.

He also called for greater policy attention to the procurement and channelisation of waste tyres, arguing that mechanical recyclers do not necessarily receive a commercial advantage for converting end-of-life tyres into reusable rubber products.

His comments come as India’s tyre-recycling ecosystem adjusts to extended producer responsibility requirements and increasing competition for waste-tyre feedstock.

For the tyre recycler, the next phase will therefore be less about simply adding equipment and more about achieving scale economically. The company is seeking cheaper feedstock, higher production, access to larger nearby customers and potentially a more formal research and development structure.

Recovered steel also remains important to the economics of the operation. Despite the constraints, he sees a sizeable addressable market around the company’s Visakhapatnam base.

“The opportunity is absolutely there. If we can get the right balance between the mesh we manufacture, the quantity we produce and the price, there is a huge opportunity out there,” Isukapati said.

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DUNLOP (company name: Sumitomo Rubber Industries) has confirmed that its proprietary SENSING CORE technology has been adopted for medium-duty truck models. The system, designed to detect the conditions of tyres, vehicles and road surfaces, is fitted to Isuzu Motors' FORWARD medium-duty trucks with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 14.5 metric tonnes, which come standard with the Wheel Detachment Prediction Detection System, one of the functions offered by SENSING CORE.

SENSING CORE is a software technology built on expertise gained from the Deflation Warning System, a tyre pressure warning system. It analyses wheel speed data generated by tyre rotation together with controller area network data transmitted through the vehicle's control system, allowing it to detect various tyre and road conditions, including tyre pressure, wear, load and signs of potential wheel detachment. The Wheel Detachment Prediction Detection System in Isuzu's FORWARD models detects loosening of wheel nuts while the vehicle is in motion, alerting the driver through a warning message and buzzer if an abnormality is found.

This capability complements conventional inspections and driver experience and is expected to play a significant role in preventing wheel separation accidents. Isuzu's FORWARD is a medium-duty truck with a broad lineup designed to meet diverse logistics industry needs, and such trucks are widely used in local delivery, long-haul transport and building and construction operations, serving as a vital means of transportation.

Operated across urban areas and major highways, wheel detachment accidents involving these trucks could cause serious harm to third parties such as pedestrians and cyclists, driving growing societal demand for improved safety. Preventing such accidents requires fundamental inspection and maintenance measures, yet drivers find it difficult to detect loosening wheel nuts while driving, making early-detection technologies essential. The provision of the Wheel Detachment Prediction Detection System to medium-duty trucks enables early detection of signs of vehicle malfunctions and contributes to further improving safety and preventing wheel detachment accidents.

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SYMX.AI, a developer of artificial intelligence technology for mobile industrial equipment, has raised USD 6 million in Series A financing led by Ascent Capital Partners and agreed a global technology and commercial partnership with Yokohama Off-Highway Tires.

The Canadian company develops software and hardware for mining, construction and forestry operations. Its platform provides connectivity in areas without network coverage, integrates data from equipment made by different manufacturers and supports fleet optimisation.

Its products cover dispatch, fleet management, enterprise asset management and tyre life management, as well as equipment health, fuel consumption, haul road intelligence, inventory and operator performance. The company also holds patents covering its internet of things and AI technologies, including a patent for its “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data Collection and Cross-Validation System”, granted in 2026.

SYMX.AI has also launched an AI-powered inspection platform and a chatbot for industrial operations.

“Physical AI has been struggling in mining for simple reasons. The machines are mobile, mixed-fleet data is vendor-locked, and most of the industry has limited to no network coverage. Intelligence needs a body and a nervous system before we deploy a model. Even today, assembling that foundation takes seven or eight vendors and up to twelve months. We deliver it in a week. We built the hardware and the connectivity first, which is why our AI layer delivers real results. I am glad that capital is finally flowing to atoms again, and mining will finally get what it has long deserved,” said Ash Agarwal, CEO of SYMX.AI.

Technology tested in mining operations

SYMX.AI said it had validated its technology through projects across the mining value chain. At Glencore's Onaping Depth project in Ontario, Canada, the company demonstrated battery monitoring, short-interval control and fleet optimisation for battery-electric vehicles.

“The problem SYMX.AI solves is foundational,” said Peter Xavier, Chief Operating Officer of Canada Metals, a Glencore company. “Connectivity and cross-OEM data integration at the point of work are infrastructure gaps the mining industry has struggled with for decades, but SYMX.AI changes the paradigm. Our proof-of-concept validation of the SYMX.AI platform on our OEM BEV equipment successfully supports underground short-interval control, battery monitoring and fleet optimization. This level of integration and insight is exactly what the industry needs to move forward.”

Global partnership with Yokohama

Under the partnership, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires will offer the integrated hardware and software platform to customers through its international commercial network. SYMX.AI will supply the internet of things hardware, connectivity, cloud platform and intelligence capabilities.

Customers will be able to adopt the technology as a standalone tyre intelligence solution or as part of a broader fleet optimisation platform.

“The tyre technology market is crowded with TPMS providers, but most systems monitor pressure and temperature while offering little insight beyond those measurements. Operators are asking a more important question: can the same system help us increase production, protect valuable assets such as tires and reduce fuel consumption? SYMX.AI has built a complete platform that addresses this market need by connecting tire condition with equipment performance, haul road conditions and operator behavior. This helps sites reduce costs, extend tire life and improve overall fleet performance,” said Loïc Ravasio, President of Yokohama Off-Highway Tires. “By working with SYMX.AI and offering flexible business models, Yokohama OTR is becoming a true digital partner to the industry, helping customers optimize their operations.”

Expansion and investment

SYMX.AI is expanding its product range with an AI-driven dispatch and fleet management system and an enterprise asset management platform based on live machine sensor data and fault codes.

The asset management system combines equipment health monitoring, diagnostic alarm management, oil analysis and work order management. The company says the system is designed to reduce reliance on fixed maintenance schedules and manual data entry.

Its products integrate with AVEVA Connect, SAP, Oracle and existing data historians, allowing operators to add the technology without replacing their existing systems.

The company said it supported open-pit and underground operations in Kazakhstan, the US, Mexico, Europe and Asia.

“We have watched this team for three years demonstrating grit, perseverance, and commitment. They build things that work in places most software never reaches, and the customers keep renewing worldwide. That is rare in this industry. The comprehensive IoT, connectivity, and AI app layer is deployed at difficult sites, and I’m glad that the market is finally catching up,” said Jonathan Loeffler, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ascent Capital Partners.

The financing will support international deployment, development of the AI platform and a broader range of wireless communication products, SYMX.AI said.

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Anyline, a global leader in mobile AI and intelligent data capture technology, has rolled out version 1.9 of TireBuddy, featuring a redesigned inspection report that aims to help customers more easily understand the condition of their tyres and place greater trust in technician recommendations. The updated report is intended to make the information gathered during an inspection simpler for customers to digest.

The report presents tread depth, tyre age and estimated braking distance to convey overall tyre health, while make, model, size and seasonal markings identify exactly which tyres are mounted on the vehicle. The new version also allows technicians to attach images of sidewall and rim damage to the report, transparently documenting issues that require attention so customers can have confidence in the recommended work.

Technicians can now record rim and tyre damage, such as scratches on rims and bulges on sidewalls, during the inspection workflow and display it in the report. Photo evidence of rim and sidewall damage can be attached to technician notes and added to the report. A not-roadworthy flag can also be set for a tyre with healthy tread depth but other serious defects, showing in the report as recommended for immediate replacement. All existing and new elements continue to fit on a single page, which can be saved as an image or PDF for sharing with the customer.

The TireBuddy report addresses a critical issue for workshops by ensuring customers fully understand inspection findings. Verbally conveying such information is not always easy, and traditional inspection forms tend to be dense and text-heavy. Everything a technician finds in the bay needs to be detailed in the report the customer sees, which should serve as visual support for service recommendations. With version 1.9, evidence appears alongside the recommendation, and photos of tyre or rim damage are inserted with other tyre information so customers can recognise findings without entering the bay.

Damages are categorised alongside visual evidence, so a bulge is recorded consistently regardless of technician, location or shift, turning individual reports into a comparable record that still captures the state of every tyre on the inspection day. From version 1.9, every report can carry damage, roadworthiness and photo evidence alongside the tread reading. Smaller changes include an optional pair replacement setting that automatically marks the paired tyre on the same axle for replacement when one tyre is not OK, up to 10 custom fields per account in the vehicle identification step for work order or storage numbers and a redesigned vehicle identification screen consistent with the tyre identification screen.

Lukas Kinigadner, CRO, Anyline, “Every replacement recommendation is a request for trust. With 1.9, the technician doesn't have to ask for it. The damage is on the report, photographed, next to the tyre it belongs to.”

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