Bridgestone Americas is set to introduce its new Fleet Portal platform at the upcoming Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition, taking place from 16 to 19 March 2026 in Nashville. Designed to streamline and simplify fleet management, the platform consolidates essential digital tools into a single, unified interface to help commercial fleets enhance operational efficiency.

The web-based Fleet Portal brings together various fleet management systems, allowing users to access multiple services with just one login. Key features include oversight of accounts, user permissions, vehicle assets and service records, as well as billing, performance reporting and support resources. The portal also provides direct links to other Bridgestone applications. Integrated within the platform is the Service Dispatch solution, which connects fleets with the Bridgestone Commercial Dealer Network, automates technician deployment and enables comprehensive tracking of service documentation and digital data.

To boost productivity, the platform incorporates automation to analyse data, recommend actions and improve search functionality. Initial features include an automated workflow for service events that reduces duplicate data entry and accelerates tyre repairs based on fleet profiles. A streamlined search function allows quick access to technical documents, troubleshooting guides and reports, while centralised network access provides instant connections to dealer locations and training materials, cutting down on resolution time.

Future enhancements for the Fleet Portal will include AI-powered analytics and advanced workflow automation, aligning with Bridgestone’s broader strategy to integrate artificial intelligence across its customer support tools. At the event, Bridgestone’s booth (#2513) will also feature its latest truck and retread tyres tailored for various applications, with representatives available throughout the exhibition hours.

Josh Holland, Vice President – Network and Fleet Care Solutions, Bridgestone Americas, said, “With the new Fleet Portal, we can centralise all tools and data into a single digital experience for fleets. This integration is key to Bridgestone's customer strategy to connect our fleet solutions in ways that deliver stronger performance with less complexity.”

Steve Hoeft, President – Commercial Truck Group, Bridgestone Americas, said, “Centralising insights and workflows means less manual work, faster decisions and full operational visibility. It’s a major step in the industry’s digital evolution, enabling fleets to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive decision-making and management."

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Chhattisgarh-based technology company Aarika Innovation has introduced KoolWheel, an automated tyre water spray cooling system manufactured in India.

The product is designed for freight vehicles and school buses to manage tyre overheating caused by road surface temperatures.

The system uses IR (infrared) temperature sensors, a 5-bar pump and solenoid valves to spray a mist on tyres when temperatures exceed a threshold. The hardware operates on a 12V setup and includes a controller that requires no driver intervention. Dashboard indicators and buzzers provide alerts regarding system status and temperature levels.

The company has introduced two variants of the product for KoolWheel Freight, which is designed for trucks, trailers and multi-axle vehicles, covering up to 22 tyres across six axles. And KoolWheel SchoolSafe, which is developed for school buses and coaches, featuring a 50-litre stainless steel tank and an automatic shutoff to prevent battery drain.

The company states the system can reduce tyre temperatures by up to 25deg Celsius and extend tyre life by up to 35 percent. The technology is intended to reduce the risk of blowouts and maintenance costs for fleet operators. The product is currently available in markets including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Swayam Agarwal, Founder, Aarika Innovation, said, “KoolWheel has been created to solve a very real problem faced by Indian transporters and school bus operators every day. Tyre overheating is not just a maintenance issue; it directly impacts road safety, operating costs, and fleet reliability. With KoolWheel, our aim is to offer an affordable, intelligent, and Made-in-India solution that helps fleets run safer, longer, and more efficiently.”

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European tyre major Pirelli is starting production of its Cyber Tyre technology at its plant in Georgia. The facility produces tyres for the US market, including products for the motorsport segment.

The announcement occurred during the SelectUSA Investment Summit. Cyber Tyre is a system that collects data from sensors embedded in tyres. This data is processed through software and algorithms to communicate with vehicle electronics. The system is intended to integrate with driving systems to provide functionalities for mobility and safety.

Pirelli is also introducing the Modular Integrated Robotised System (MIRS) at the factory. This manufacturing process uses robots to manage productivity and quality. The system creates a link between product design and application. This update is intended to increase the production capacity of the site.

The Georgia plant has operated for over two decades and includes a research and development centre. The facility uses natural rubber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Claudio Zanardo, CEO of Pirelli North America, said, “The start of Cyber Tyre production in our Rome, Georgia plant is a significant milestone for Pirelli in this country. It reflects our commitment to bringing advanced technologies like Cyber Tyre closer to the market, further strengthening our industrial footprint and innovation capabilities in the United States.”

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. developed a proprietary tyre mould design support system in April 2026, integrating finite element method (FEM) simulations and the company’s own artificial intelligence technology. This new tool is designed to augment the expertise of development personnel, enabling even less experienced staff to efficiently design moulds. It achieves this by providing data derived from numerous virtual experiments, which clarify how different mould design factors influence tyre characteristics.

The system accelerates mould development, lowers costs and minimises the rework typically associated with realising new designs. Furthermore, by fostering a multi-perspective understanding of the links between mould design elements and tyre performance, the tool equips Yokohama Rubber’s developers with fresh insights. These discoveries are expected to aid in creating tyres capable of achieving higher performance levels.

Developed under Yokohama Rubber’s HAICoLab AI concept launched in October 2020, the system addresses longstanding challenges. Mould design critically affects tyre traits, but traditionally understanding this relationship required expensive, time-consuming trial production and evaluations. The process also depended heavily on the tacit know-how of highly experienced staff, leading to variations in accuracy and development time based on individual expertise.

The support system resolves these issues through automated simulations and AI-based prediction and visualisation. It first generates numerous tyre FEM models with varied mould shapes and calculates their characteristics in a virtual space. These results train an AI surrogate model that instantly predicts design factor-performance relationships. By applying explainable AI technologies like SHAP and Partial Dependence Plots, the company’s developers can quantitatively visualise each factor’s impact, easily determining necessary adjustments to achieve targeted tyre characteristics.

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VMI has announced that it will showcase multiple new automation solutions at The Tire Cologne, aimed at advancing the retreading process. Among the innovations is an automatic splice unit, which will be on display and available for short demonstrations at the event. VMI account manager Ronald Noppers is scheduled to present on automation in retreading on 11 June at 12:45.

The company is introducing the automatic splice unit and automatic recipe loading as initial steps towards greater industry automation. Designed for applying extruded hot cushion gum to buffed tire casings, the VMI RETRAXX system currently relies heavily on skilled manual labour, a resource that is becoming scarcer and more expensive. To address this, VMI introduced an automated wingformer setting upgrade for the RETRAXX in 2024, allowing operators to start an automatic cycle that positions the wingformers without manual intervention.

Key advantages of these automation solutions include reduced operator dependency and improved uniformity and product quality. VMI will be located in hall 7 at stand number C-041.

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