HF Tire Tech Group is one the largest manufacturers of high-end technical, tyre building machines and curing presses in the global tyre industry.

“HF Q Guard is the next step to our HF ONE tyre building machine and lifts tyre production to a new level when it comes to precision, quality and traceability. High-resolution images are taken with LEDs. We can get details of the height and width of materials inside the high-resolution images. HF Q Guard can also detect the edge of the materials, and that is a new thing,” said Hartmut Hoops, Head of Process Engineering, Tire Building Machines, HF TireTech Group. 

HF Q Guard comes into two variants: HF Q Guard 1000 and HF Q400 covering inspection width of 1000mm and 400 mm respectively. HF Q Guard sensor technology works with high precision and accuracy. It measures splices in real-time with an accuracy lower than half of a millimetre. The system covers a drum speed of up to 1500 mm/s speed, and distance to the surface is about 1.4 metres.

With its features, the HF Q Guard offers advantages to over the current laser splice measurement systems, which have to be closer to the drums, need better light and are sensitive to vibrations of the drums.

Another feature of HF Q Guard is its compatibility to the existing and new tyre building machines available in the market, and it can be integrated very quickly and at low cost.

The new product is so robust, which could be fitted at any position to the drums, which is another advantage over the laser splice measuring machines. As it takes a few hours for installation, HF Q Guard needs minimal production downtime.

“The whole system is calibrated. A key factor about the installation of HF Q Guard is that we need a few information. We need to know the positioning of the drums. We can start with very limited interfacing to the machines. We need some information as such as the layer sequence, building procedure and tolerance of the tyres. Data collection is initiated by elegant technology,” says Hoops.

Over the years, HF has developed innovative products that can be upgraded easily. The company has developed machine platforms such as PCR/LTR, PLT 2, and PLT 2 SD along with the award-winning HF ONE for which upgrades are planned to include the latest technologies such as auto bead loading, automated tyre handling, and the latest control systems with state-of-the-art HMIs. Servers can be added for additional strips such as Run-Flat technology or reinforcement strips.

According to the company, HF Q Guard can be used with almost all platforms.

Tyres could be damaged due to defective manufacturing. During manufacturing, if cord-cutting, building or vulcanising process are not done correctly, it could lead to damages in the tyres. The result is that the inner layers of the tyre are too close to the surface or that structural defects in the tyre occur. HF Q Guard significantly reduces the risk of the faulty tyre through permanent quality checks. The digital twin of a tyre can thus store the complete data on the surface of each layer and all splice length information.

“We have one IPC which does the algorithm for splice analysing, and that also connects to the cameras, and compression of data. We could also have possibilities to connect the existing PLCs in the machines, and we can connect data such as tolerance, width, building sequence as from there as well. On other hands, there are new tyre building machines have their data set on built tyres, and we can combine all data from the splice measurement systems and the machines itself for analysing systems,” said Hoops.

Measurement data of tyres are prepared for visualisation according to individual needs, and this makes it possible to inspect the individual surfaces of the materials to identify defects in the construction or the tyre material used. Expand the existing scope of functions of the splice measurement of the HF Q Guard at any time to include features needed for improving quality assurance. HF Q Guard grows with specific requirements.

Overall market trends for the mobility and regulatory pressure are putting pressure on tyre manufacturing to have equipment that not only makes quality products but also are smart, flexible and compatible. OEs will be more focused to check its supplier’s consistency in process and quality. From tyre makers, OEs now expect data on the material mix, extrusion process, tyre building, curing and finished products.

As HF Q Guard collects data and manages the complete documentation, it can help to prove that non-defect building of tyres at the factory any point of time.

The company has already spent a year on engineering the units and hardware, cameras and other components running.

In the next six months, HF Tire Tech will work on the collection of data and the results of HF Q Guard, and after that, the company will bring the product into the market.

“HF Q Guard has been tested in house on materials and are still in the process do the same in next months. We start a field test in the next months. The company will install HF Q Guard at the customer’s factory to collect the data, and the company already found the customer to conduct the actual test,” said Hoops. HF Group, the global market leader in machinery and systems for the rubber processing tyre industry, has brought out another innovation, HF Q Guard, to meet the growing demand for precision in splice measuring, quality control and traceability in the entire manufacturing process.

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Designed to tackle the largest truck and bus wheels while maintaining precision for passenger vehicles, the RB30T Hybrid Wheel Balancer from Ranger (a BendPak division) delivers power and versatility. Switching between heavy-duty and light-duty applications is effortless, requiring just a button press. Its integrated pneumatic wheel lift enhances safety and ergonomics by minimising manual handling and reducing injury risks.

Capable of balancing wheels for buses, semi-trucks, OTR vehicles, light trucks and cars, the RB30T ensures fast, accurate results without recalibration. Its re-engineered platform supports wheels up to 330 lbs (approx. 150 kg), 49.25 inches in diameter and 20 inches wide, with rapid cycle times – seven seconds for car wheels and around 20 seconds for full truck assemblies. At its core, the Ranger Drive-Check system uses advanced 64-bit processing and quartz piezoelectric sensors to detect even the slightest imbalances across multiple axes. This smart technology simulates real-world driving conditions, identifying vibrations before they become road issues and automatically recommending optimal corrections.

Built for durability, the RB30T features a ribbed nylon-fibre drive belt, counter-weighted flywheel system and a three-phase motor with solid-state phase conversion for smooth, high-torque operation under heavy loads. The balancer comes ready to use with a commercial mounting kit, including cones and adapters, while its spacious top tray and side shelves keep wheel weights and tools organised for efficient workflow.

Available as a standalone unit or with the Ranger Select package – which includes professional installation and training – the RB30T is a robust solution for shops handling diverse wheel balancing needs.

Sean Price, Director of Product Development, said, “The new RB30T wheel balancer can do it all. Its versatility makes the RB30T a great choice not just for heavy-duty fleets and repair garages but also for high-volume tyre shops and mixed fleets.”

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Bridgestone has officially rolled out its proprietary aircraft tyre management system “easytrack” in collaboration with Cebu Pacific Air, marking the first deployment of the solution by a commercial airline.

The system, launched in April 2025, uses QR codes and a smartphone app to track aircraft tyres across the supply chain—replacing Cebu Pacific’s manual, paper-based process.

“As Cebu Pacific continues to expand its operations, it's essential that we invest in smart solutions that enhance efficiency and reduce manual workload,” said Shevantha Weerasekera, Vice President, Engineering & Fleet Management at Cebu Pacific. “Partnering with Bridgestone to implement the ‘easytrack’ system has enabled us to significantly improve our tyre  management processes significantly, ensuring greater accuracy, safety, and productivity across our operations.”

Bridgestone said the system has halved labour time for inventory management and achieved full tyre tracking accuracy after verification trials at Cebu Pacific’s warehouses, MROs, and maintenance bases.

“As a value co-creation partner, we have proposed solutions tailored to on-site operations based on learnings and insights gained from Cebu Pacific Air’s frontline operations,” said Arata Tomita, Director, Global Aviation Tire Solutions Business Division at Bridgestone. “We are very pleased that the official implementation of ‘easytrack’ has contributed to the improvement of operational accuracy, safety, and productivity.”

Bridgestone said the move aligns with its “Bridgestone E8 Commitment,” with a focus on enhancing efficiency and ecology by supporting sustainable tyre practices and operational productivity.

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Japanese start-up ispace inc. and tyre maker Bridgestone have agreed to jointly develop tyres for small and midsize lunar rovers, targeting Moon use by 2029.

The partnership equips Bridgestone’s elastic wheel technology—designed to adapt to harsh lunar terrain—on ispace's rover prototypes. The companies will conduct Earth-based performance tests before Moon deployment.

“Bridgestone’s lunar rover tyre has a structure of thin metal spokes, enabling flexible deformation while maintaining durability,” said Masaki Ota, Director of OE Business Strategy & Planning/New Mobility Business Division at Bridgestone. “This design delivers superior ability to traverse and shock absorption, allowing the rover to traverse the lunar surface and overcome obstacles such as lunar rocks.”

Bridgestone started developing lunar rover tyres in 2019 and unveiled concept models in April 2025 with lower weight to suit smaller rover platforms.

ispace, known for micro-sized lunar rovers, sees the partnership as key to its long-term lunar economy mission.

“ispace's goal of establishing a new economy on the Moon requires the participation of players from a wide range of industries,” said Takeshi Hakamada, Founder & CEO of ispace. “Bridgestone… is now developing lunar rover tyres for the extreme environments found on the Moon. These tyres will undoubtedly contribute to future human advancement on the Moon.”

The companies said they are also exploring collaboration opportunities through the Space Strategy Fund at Japan’s national space agency, JAXA.

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Magna Tyres, a leading premium off-the-road (OTR), industrial and truck tyre solutions company, has launched a new AI-powered (Artificial Intelligence) chatbot on its official website.

The chatbot will provide instant assistance to its customers 24x7 in any language around the world.

Robert Gruijters, Head of Marketing, Magna Tyres, said, “Customer service is at the core of our brand promise. With a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 67, we already outperform many in our industry and this launch reinforces our commitment to becoming a truly best-in-class brand by being always available, accessible and responsive.”

This move is part of the company’s efforts to not only meet but exceed customer expectations by providing an instantaneous response ranging from product queries to general support.

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