RFID makes it easier and more efficient to track and perform regular tyre maintenance. It identifies potential problems or failures before they cause a breakdown. Confidex has come out with a tyre tag, smaller than its peers and with an omni directional antenna

As the global tyre industry is witnessing rapid changes in manufacturing, distribution and usage to end of life of tyres, Radio Frequency  Identification (RFID) will play a significant role in tackling many challenges posed by the growing complexity in the sector.

Demand for data collection is growing, calling for intelligent decisions and fast actions. Data on tyres helps tyre companies to improve their production efficiency, reduce rejections and even help in addressing in legal disputes, while fleet companies can manage lifecycle of tyres and operations cost.

In February this year, Confidex, a leading designer and supplier of short-range wireless identification solutions, launched the new Confidex tyre tag, which is designed for tyre traceability through the lifecycle of tyres. The tags are based on RAIN RFID/EPC global Gen2v2 RFID technology, which has global certification for passive RFID tag.

Highlights

The highlight of the Confidex tyre tag is that it is smaller than its peers and has an omni-directional antenna. “Initially, we had enquiries from two Chinese tyre manufacturers - Jiangsu General Science Technology Co and Hodo Tyres. They were looking for solutions for an embedded tyre tag technology that is different from all the other solutions available in the markets. We took two years to design, develop, and release this embedded tyre tags commercially. Our RFID tag is a bit smaller than the existing tags available in the market, having an Omni directional antenna.

Now these two Chinese companies are ready to release the mini truck tyres with our embedded RFID tags,” said Paul Broekhuizen, Executive Vice President Smart Industries at Confidex Ltd. By integrating RFID tags within the tyre during the manufacturing process, fleet operators and other end users can track tyre wear and usage. This can help to control ongoing tyre costs. RFID makes it easier and more efficient
to track and perform regular tyre maintenance, as well as identify potential problems or failures before they cause breakdown, says the company.

According to the company, its tyre tag can be fitted with a flexible position within the tyre and is 40 mm smaller than other comparable tags on the market. Its omni directional antenna provides greater flexibility for both warehouse and yard management applications. The Confidex tags offer a read range up to 3 metres or 9 feet from all directions and are compliant with the ISO 20909 and ISO 20910 standards. “The main advantage that the omni directional RFID tags provide is that you can take readings from any direction by a handled reader. You can even have a fixed reading tool in your workshop, and you need to take your vehicle near to or pass by the reader. The ratings are accurately taken. That was the key requirement of the Chinese customers too,” said Broekhuizen.

Confidex is also in discussions with major European tyre companies to test its tyre tags. Positioning Tyres come with different designs and materials, compositions and thickness, so the challenge is to fit an
RFID tag at an ideal position. Since the Confidex tyre tag is installed before the vulcanisation process, it can be placed in any position. “Customer can embed a tag at any position. But, better to check with Confidex, we can simulate how it performs in the new position,” Broekhuizen pointed out. Since the Confidex RFID tag is smaller in size compared to the other tags available in the market, with minor changes,
it can be easily fitted in the tyres that have already been into production. During the vulcanisation process, tags o through very high heat and pressure for hours and sometimes, the antenna may get damaged.

The Confidex tyre tag has a spring type of the antenna - not a typical 3D spring, but more like flexible folded wire antenna, which is 2D structure. This is more flexible and provides benefits during the vulcanisation. “Due to the spring-like design, air bubbles cannot form around the antenna, making it more flexible and sustainable during bending and stretching in the vulcanisation process,” said Broekhuizen. The tags are IP68 rated against liquids and dust and provide resistance to common chemicals and UV exposure.

The company’s RFID tyre tags have already been tested in-house and now they are being tested by European tyre companies with specific requirements. Since the embedded tyre RFID tags cannot be taken out without damaging the tyre, they are ideal for identifying counterfeit products and lifecycle monitoring. “So basically, an embedded RF ID tag helps to monitor lifecycle of tyres. This is the most ideal and complex RFID tag solution,” added Broekhuizen.

The other solution is the label type of tag, which is used for after-sales solutions. It looks like a simple label, but has an antenna too. These labels have different additives which are meant for the different materials, and the antenna design is based on the materials. Broekhuizen explained: “The rubber and steel of the tyres are very complex substances. There are always chemical reactions when you stick anything on rubber. There are chances of them peeling off and permanently bond, so we need a special kind of adhesive which are best with the rubber composites.”

During the tyre manufacturing processes, RFID labels are applied to different bags or containers of the chemicals and other ingredients. With the help of the labels and the reader on the loader, the mixing process is strictly monitored and controlled.

The third solution is barcoding, which comes with an RFID ag which is for regulatory compliance. The embedded RFID tags also help to monitor the tyres in the recycling business. “Tyres go to different countries, so it is difficult for the recyclers to understand or have data on the lifecycle. With an embedded tag, recyclers can get info on the manufacturers, location, and date of manufacturing and
other info. And with all such info, recyclers can manage their business more efficiently,” said Broekhuizen. The information on the Confidex tyre tags come up with the extended memory so additional information can be stored. “There is always fixed information on the RFID and then there is an EPC memory which can have more information.”

Broekhuizen sees growing demand for embedded RIFD tags in both developed and developing markets for different reasons. According to him, a more substantial challenge is to tackle counterfeit cases in the tyre industry, and such cases can be avoided by using RFID tags. In the developed markets, RFID will help to reduce labour costs and improve efficiency.

The company also plans to explore the penetration of its RFID tags in the OTR segment, where the total cost of ownership and lifecycle are the main drivers of the business. Tyre companies are also exploring tyre leasing business. According to Broekhuizen, huge business opportunities lie before the company as the tyre rental business model needs embedded RFID tags. With the lease model, fleet operators can bring down the operating cost by almost 50%. “Fleet companies have to use as per the usage of the tyres or per kilometre. With RFID tags, all data and monitoring can be done accurately,” he said.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

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.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

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.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

MESNAC made a notable return to the Indian market by participating in the 2026 India Rubber Expo, held in Delhi from 7 to 10 April. After an eight-year absence from offline professional exhibitions in the country, the company presented its advanced machinery and intelligent manufacturing solutions. This participation highlighted its strong technical expertise and service capabilities within the rubber machinery sector while also signalling a renewed commitment to long-term growth and a deep-rooted presence in the region.

At the event, MESNAC’s Vice President, Wang Zhiming, and his team held productive discussions with representatives from several local tyre manufacturers, including long-established industry leaders and existing clients. These conversations focused on technical exchanges regarding core equipment. The company’s exhibition booth attracted nearly 100 professional visitors each day, which helped strengthen ties with long-term partners and facilitated in-depth technical dialogues with potential new collaborators.

Given the steady expansion of India’s tyre industry, MESNAC is dedicated to further strengthening its local market position through a focus on both technology and service. By supporting the sector’s continuous upgrade, the company aims to play a key role in the industry’s evolving landscape.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

China’s Tercelo Tire Group is taking a measured, niche-led approach to global expansion, with India’s fast-growing mining sector firmly in its sights.

At a time when global tyre markets are being reshaped by regulation, geopolitics and intense pricing pressure, China’s Tercelo Tire Group is pursuing a strategy that favours clarity over scale. Rather than chasing volumes across crowded segments, the company is focusing on specific markets and applications where long-term demand fundamentals are strongest.

Nowhere is this approach more evident than in India, where Tercelo is positioning itself squarely within the off-the-road (OTR) tyre segment, aligned with the country’s rapidly expanding mining and infrastructure ecosystem.

The Chinese company, part of the Fortune 500 company Wuchan Zhongda Chemical Group, is a nine-year-old tyre maker selling products under the Tercelo, Transmate, Superhawk, Yingba, Three-A and Rapid brands, among others. The company claims to have over USD 7.2 billion in annual operating revenue and growing.

In an exclusive interaction with Tyre Trends, Akash Gupta, Country Manager – India & Africa, Tercelo Tire Group, said, “We are very new in this segment. We can say we are a small baby (in India) right now. But we are entering the market with a very clear mindset – slow growth, strong quality focus and very specific targeting.”

For a Chinese tyre manufacturer, India is not the easiest market to enter. It is fiercely competitive, dominated by strong domestic brands and governed by increasingly strict trade and quality regulations. Yet, Gupta believes that these very challenges make India strategically compelling.

“India is a very big market for the tyre industry. People like economical tyres – affordable tyres. Historically, Chinese brands always had some presence because of price competitiveness. Even a 10 or 20 percent market share is very big in India,” he said.

However, that landscape has changed significantly over the past few years.

CHOOSING INDIA AMID REGULATION AND RESISTANCE

India’s tyre market has undergone a sharp regulatory shift, particularly in response to rising imports and the government’s push to strengthen domestic manufacturing. Anti-dumping duties, mandatory BIS certification and tighter customs scrutiny have fundamentally altered the playing field – especially for Chinese manufacturers.

“The government started anti-dumping because they are giving scope to local manufacturers. If you don’t protect them, it becomes very difficult,” Gupta explained.

As a result, entire segments are effectively closed to Chinese imports. “PCR, motorcycle and some other tyres – nobody can bring them from China now. So Chinese tyres are not coming into India in these segments,” Gupta said.

While tyres continue to enter India from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Japan, Gupta dismisses suggestions that Chinese manufacturers can simply reroute shipments through third markets.

“It’s not possible. A lot of people tried Dubai, but it failed. The cost is very high. You send tyres to Dubai, then again to India – the margins simply don’t make sense,” he stated firmly.

Faced with these realities, Tercelo made a deliberate strategic decision. “That is why our focus is not TBR or PCR. Our focus is only OTR,” Gupta said.

Unlike passenger or truck tyres, OTR tyres cater to a specialised industrial customer base, are less price-elastic and are closely tied to capital-intensive sectors such as mining, construction and quarrying. For Tercelo, this segment offers a more stable entry point.

He said, “OTR is a growing sector in the Indian market. We have Coal India, Adani, Reliance – a lot of mining companies. And now the government is also encouraging many small companies to enter mining.”

RISING THROUGH COVID-19

Tercelo’s rise has been shaped by disruption. The company began its manufacturing journey in 2019 — just as the Covid-19 pandemic brought global industrial activity to a standstill.

“When Covid started, all the factories in China were shutting down. But what our company did was something very different,” Gupta recalled.

Instead of retreating, Tercelo expanded. “They bought four factories in China – two for TBR, one for OTR and one for PCR. These were very major factories,” he said.

Among them were Super Hawk and O’Green Group, established manufacturing facilities with strong domestic reputations. “We started from there,” Gupta added.

This bold move allowed Tercelo to build scale quickly once markets reopened. “Today, we are selling more than one million tyres every year – OTR, TBR and PCR combined,” he said.

The company has also structured its brand portfolio carefully to address different geographies and customer expectations. “Our premium brand is Transmate/Tercelo (PCR, TBR and OTR),” Gupta explained. “Then we have Routeck (TBR) for the mid-segment, which is an economical tyre.”

For highly price-sensitive markets, Tercelo operates distinct brands. “StepRising (TBR) and EcoSaver (TBR) are only for Africa. Africa market prefers cheap tyres – low price, low quality. That is the reality,” he said.

This segmentation, Gupta believes, is critical. “You cannot sell the same tyre in Europe, India and Africa with the same positioning. Every market has its own mindset,” he averred.

INDIA’S OTR OPPORTUNITY: MINING, INFRASTRUCTURE AND LONG-TERM DEMAND

India’s mining sector is undergoing a structural expansion, driven by rising energy demand, infrastructure development and policy reforms aimed at increasing private participation.

“The government has given a lot of tenders to small, small companies to participate in mining. We believe the mining business for the next five years is going to be very big,” Gupta said.

While large conglomerates continue to dominate, the emergence of smaller operators is creating opportunities for mid-segment OTR tyre suppliers – exactly where Tercelo wants to position itself.

“We are manufacturing from small OTR to giant OTR tyres. But in India, we see ourselves more in the mid-segment of giant OTR (16.00-25 to 12.00-24),” he said. These tyres serve large dumpers, loaders and haul trucks used in coal, iron ore and limestone mines. “Big vehicles used by companies like Adani, Reliance – that is where our focus is,” he explained.

Rather than chasing aggressive volumes, Tercelo is targeting measured penetration. “We are not trying to take a big share. We are trying to enter gradually,” Gupta reiterated. The numbers reflect this caution. “We are targeting maybe two or three percent of the market initially. In the next three years, my target is five percent. I don’t want anything more,” Gupta explained.

For the executive, this is a realistic and sustainable ambition. “We are only six years old,” he says. “There are many Chinese companies – Triangle Tires, Techking Tires, Advance, Maxam – they are veterans of 20, 30, even 40 years.”

Competing with them requires patience. “Quality, consistency and service – that is how we will succeed,” he added.

REGULATORY CONTRADICTIONS AND MARKET REALITIES

Despite his pragmatic outlook, Gupta does not shy away from critiquing India’s regulatory inconsistencies, particularly in the TBR segment.

“The government has anti-dumping, but at the same time, some Chinese companies are getting BIS. Companies like Sailun, Jetsea and Double Coin – they have BIS (TBR),” he pointed out.

As a result, these brands are able to sell significant volumes. “They are selling 20,000–30,000 tyres every year, sometimes more,” Gupta revealed. For him, this creates mixed signals. He argued, “If your rules are rules, then stick to them. Why give loopholes?”

He adds that such decisions also affect domestic manufacturers. “Somehow, you are taking market away from MRF, Apollo Tyres and JK Tyre also. This feels negative,” he said.

These contradictions reinforce Tercelo’s conservative India strategy. “That is why we don’t want to get into grey areas. OTR is clean, focused and aligned with India’s growth story,” he explained.

AFRICA AND EMERGING MARKETS: VOLUME THROUGH PRICE

While India is a story of regulation and selective opportunity, Africa represents a completely different dynamic – one dominated by price sensitivity and limited technical awareness.

“I worked in Africa for almost 20 years. I know the market very well,” Gupta recalled. According to him, African customers prioritise upfront cost above all else. “They don’t want to invest a lot of money on premium tyres because their awareness is very little,” he explained.

Basic practices such as load management and tyre pressure maintenance are often ignored. “They don’t know how to drive vehicles properly, how to maintain air pressure – it’s just load and run,” Gupta said.

Premium tyres do have a niche audience. “If transporters are Indian or British, they understand quality. But local African customers want a USD 100 tyre. That is enough for them,” he said.

This lack of maintenance awareness drives high replacement demand – a reality Gupta acknowledged candidly. “Replacement is very high everywhere – India, Africa, even some parts of Asia. And trust me, all manufacturers love this problem,” he said.

He explained with disarming honesty that if customers started maintaining tyres properly, checking pressure, loading correctly, then the replacement market will reduce and business will go down. “And Frankly speaking, nobody wants that,” he said.

A MEASURED VISION FOR THE ROAD AHEAD

Unlike many new entrants who promise aggressive expansion, Tercelo’s leadership is deliberately cautious in its outlook. He averred, “We are not chasing big numbers. We are chasing stability.”

In India, that means aligning closely with mining growth, building credibility with fleet operators and gradually expanding product acceptance.

He reiterated that while the competition is severe, it is important to acknowledge that Tercelo Tire started in 2019. “Six years is nothing in this industry,” he pointed out.

Yet, Gupta remains confident that discipline will pay off. “If we maintain quality, service and pricing balance, five percent market share is more than enough for us,” said an optimistic Gupta.

As global tyre markets continue to fragment and regional strategies become increasingly important, Tercelo’s approach is looking at an alternative playbook strategy for India – focusing on a niche before building up to a larger play.

“We are starting slowly. But slow growth with the right direction is always better than fast growth with no control,” Gupta concluded. 

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!