Hankook CEO Says Industry Needs to Pull Together on Consumer Education

In his keynote speech at the Tire Society annual conference yesterday in Akron, Hankook Tire Co. president and CEO Seung Hwa Suh called on the global tyre industry to pull together to improve consumer tyre education, reports Tire Review. And Suh warned that tyre-makers needed to be more mindful of their impact on the environment. Suh’s comments came on the first day of the 29th annual Tire Society Annual Meeting and Conference on Tire Science and Technology.

“I would like to propose that all tyre manufacturers jointly develop a global campaign for educating consumers about air pressure and the overwhelming benefits that we can all enjoy if we simply maintain proper inflation,” Suh said in his address. “In addition to developing more advanced, fuel efficient tyres, I believe that tyre manufacturers share a crucial responsibility in educating consumers about proper care and maintenance of their tyres,” he said.

Suh cited the RMA’s tire inflation study released earlier this year that showed that “only one in six vehicles had properly inflated tyres and 55 per cent of all vehicles had at least one under-inflated tyre. “As we all know, low air pressure degrades performance, endangers vehicle occupants, and harms the environment,” he said. Suh said he did not have a “firm plan or vision” for such a collaborative effort, he felt placing he challenge at the Tire Society meeting “where all of the tyre-makers are represented” would be a start.

Regarding the tyre industry’s role in the environment, Suh said, ”As global manufacturers, we must also be held accountable for helping to protect our environment. We cannot be so absorbed in pursuing sales growth that we become blind to the vulnerability of our planet.

“What can we as an industry do?” he continued. “Let me suggest a few actions. We must develop new raw materials that aid sustainability. We must reduce energy consumption in manufacturing and distribution. We must reduce our carbon footprint. And our focus on quality and safety need not be at the expense of environmental responsibility. We must all take on the challenge of finding new and better ways to address the environmental issues associated with the manufacturing, distribution and use of tyres.

“We must accept this challenge without compromising the fundamental objectives of quality in improving performance and safety,” Suh concluded. “And perhaps most importantly, we must accept this challenge for the benefit of our families and future generations.”