KraussMaffei Extrusion concluded a highly productive participation at the Tire Technology Expo 2026, held in Hannover from 3 to 5 March 2026. The company showcased its latest advancements in tyre extrusion technology alongside an enhanced portfolio of customer services. The exhibition booth attracted considerable attention from global trade visitors, with strong interest focused on systems designed to deliver precision, efficiency and reliability in the production of tyre components.

Dr Gerard Nijman, Senior Technical Expert Tire & Rubber at KraussMaffei Extrusion, highlighted the evolving dynamics of the global tyre market. He pointed to notable growth and transformation in regions such as India, Korea, Eastern Europe and increasingly Africa. This development is largely fuelled by the expanding global vehicle fleet. While Germany maintains a high vehicle density, emerging markets like India present substantial room for growth, accompanied by rising tyre demand.

Changing mobility trends, including the rise of electric vehicles and car-sharing models, are reshaping tyre specifications and manufacturing processes. Additionally, a growing emphasis on regional production is evident as manufacturers seek to minimise transportation expenses, shorten delivery timelines and navigate trade complexities. KraussMaffei Extrusion is strategically positioned to support this shift with its comprehensive technological offerings.

Central to the company’s exhibit were its high-performance Multiplex and Rollerhead systems. With decades of leadership in multiplex technology, KraussMaffei enables highly accurate co-extrusion of diverse rubber compounds, significantly boosting productivity. Its Rollerhead solutions further demonstrated capabilities tailored for cost-efficient production of components used in both passenger and truck tyres.

Dr Gerard Nijman, Senior Technical Expert Tire & Rubber

Beyond new machinery, the company emphasised the importance of modernising longstanding installations. Many systems from its predecessor brand remain operational after decades of service. Through customised retrofitting, KraussMaffei assists customers in upgrading existing lines to meet contemporary efficiency and production standards.

An expanded service portfolio was also unveiled, featuring a digital innovation that places QR codes directly on equipment. This allows for instant access to support services, with automatic capture of machine and order details enabling faster resolution of inquiries. Optional health checks can accompany QR code retrofits to ensure optimal system performance.

Sustainability emerged as a recurring theme throughout the event. Dr Nijman delivered a technical presentation addressing pathways to more sustainable rubber extrusion, engaging industry peers in discussions on future challenges and potential breakthroughs.

Buoyed by overwhelmingly positive feedback from clients and partners, KraussMaffei Extrusion looks ahead with confidence to ongoing developments in the international tyre industry and eagerly anticipates the next edition of the Tire Technology Expo.

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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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