Pirelli Develops New Premium “Gommoncino”

Pirelli Develops New Premium “Gommoncino”

Italian giant also looks to emerging truck markets

Pirelli continues to aspire to innovation in the area of truck tyres, while also acknowledging its desire to tap into new and emerging markets. Now it has developed the Gommoncino, a new 385/55R22.5 size, premium-tread FH85 Amaranto, which the manufacturer claims is able to sustain superior loads and return greater mileage. Simultaneously, the company announces that it continues to strengthen its position in emerging markets, especially in China and South America, through OE alliances with some of the world’s largest industrial vehicle manufacturers.

Today, fleets – especially within the long distance transport segment – seek innovation in satisfying two priority requirements in road tyres for trucks: maximisation of load volume/weight and reduced operational costs. These requests translate into a search for tyres with increased load capacity, features that are achieved by widening a tyre’s section width and reducing its section height, providing fleets with a volume increase by lowering the load platform. Demand for low profile tyres of this kind is increasing strongly and is of great potential.

Enter the Gommoncino

That is the reason why Pirelli has decided to extend its Amaranto range by introducing the new size of the Gommoncino for directional axles, which provides a 1.4 ton-increase in load capacity per axle, and a significant increase in mileage of up to 25 per cent in relation to a tyre of similar dimensions such as a 315/60R22.5. Taking a two-tier articulated car transporter as an example – a truck with two platforms, one above the other, on which the vehicles are loaded – this new tyre will permit operators to carry up to one more car or a transported load of an additional 12.5 per cent.

The FH85 385/55 Gommoncino has been designed with a zero degree steel cord structure, a Pirelli patent, to achieve maximum structural integrity, and a reinforced bead with which to support the higher load capacity. Produced at Pirelli’s Settimo Torinese factory, latest-generation compounds together with new polymers are used to enhance the mechanical and hysterisis properties that ensure even wear, carcass integrity and maximal driving safety. Pirelli says that market testing, carried out with some of the most important European transporters including those specialised in carrying motor vehicles, returned extremely positive results. Compared to the products of Pirelli’s competitors, the Gommoncino especially distinguished itself in mileage performance, handling and control of the vehicle in all driving conditions, as well as its maximum levels of comfort and silent running.

The push for emerging market space

Pirelli Tyre continues to show strong growth in industrial business thanks to strong performance in both emerging countries and in the more stable and sophisticated developed markets. Thanks to the relatively stable base of the latter, the Pirelli Truck business has already attained a leading role in South America, as well as an increasingly strong position in the fast-developing Chinese economy.

Pirelli says that such illustrious names as Mercedes-Benz, Iveco, Ford, BMC and Volkswagen all consider the Italian giant a strategic partner in original equipment. The manufacturer is very happy to consolidate and develop these relationships, providing reliable, highly-performing products, suitable to any vehicle manufacturer’s specific requirements.

In the replacement channel, Pirelli Truck has built a dedicated sales structure to improve customer focus, as well as value creation, both in terms of product and service offer. Great attention has always been paid to total cost of tyre usage, particularly referred to as the combination of purchase price and the overall performance throughout the entire life of the tyre.

In continuous consolidation, the Truck sector has recently played a main role as top investor in qualified production capacity and technology across the industrial base and with particular focus on emerging markets locations in China, Egypt and South America. Pirelli’s R&D and Industrial departments are therefore specifically driven towards new materials development and related patent registration process; product range renewal; continuous improvement of production process capabilities and efficiency; and seeking ways to forge radical eco-impact improvement.

An important element in the strategy is the offer of advanced fleet services to specialist logistics companies, road haulage firms and public transport providers, since Pirelli believes its service can offer increased efficiency and therefore significant cost savings and revenue growth. Pirelli Truck’s pledge gives its clients an all-encompassing service through a highly specialized dealer network in more than 160 countries. Partnerships with dealers allow the strategic integration of product range with value-added services.

With new, improved tyre models such as the Gommoncino, which has been developed through engagement with the company’s traditional market-base, Pirelli hopes it can continue to grow its business in emerging truck tyre markets through new and innovative product design and the quality of service its obvious experience and existing market-power allow the company to offer.