Trelleborg launches the TM Blue sustainability concept

After the recent announcement relating to the acquisition of Watts Industrial Tyres and of new production capacity in Hebei, China, Trelleborg Wheel Systems launched a new agricultural tyre concept centring on sustainability, productivity and lower fuel consumption. The TM Blue concept reportedly results from “advanced tyre engineering and enhanced production processes to decrease the use of natural resources and environmental impact while boosting the farm productivity.” But for purposes of the press conference at the SIMA agricultural equipment show in Paris on 22 February, Trelleborg presented a tyre that was literally blue to emphasise its point.

But the concept is nothing to do with the colour of the rubber (which may have been green if the company wanted to convey the same message to UK public). Instead it is all about improving the efficiency of land machinery, which reduces emissions and has the dual effect of cutting fuel costs, and protecting soil from unnecessary compaction, which increases crop yields and in turn helps farmers’ bottom lines.

“We challenge our organization daily to look for environmentally friendly approaches that improve the performance and efficiency of our products and solutions” said Lorenzo Ciferri, marketing
director of agricultural and forestry tyres at Trelleborg. “The mission of the TM Blue concept is to move from the traditional theme of low soil compaction to an advanced overall respect for the earth. This enables farmers to benefit from our caring for the environment and can mean real savings in their pocket through increased productivity and lowered fuel consumption.”

Trelleborg’s TM Blue concept respects the structure of the soil by minimizing mechanical damage caused by compression and bad or wrong tillage. This is achieved with tyres designed for extra wide footprint, carcass deflection capability and the consequent overall pressure distribution on the field. The tyre is also said to allow the soil to return to its original state as an organic reactor that is capable of absorbing air-bound nutrients, recycling crop residues and retaining water to ensure high crop yields in the short, medium and long term.

The tyres are characterized by its inter-lug terracing that is designed to give “excellent self-cleaning properties, a higher traction capability under torque conditions and less soil transfer to roads.”

Not just a 2550 euro fuel saving

On a 260 hp tract in a road application, TM Blue can reportedly save up to 3,000 litres of fuel which means about 2,550 euros per year, compared to the average performance of the market (reference sizes 710/70 R42 – 600/70 R30).

However, while the product is said to have had an overall, the production process with which the tyres have been manufactured has also had the blue treatment. “TM Blue is not just about the tyre itself but also the Blue manufacturing process,” said Marco D’Angelo, industrial director of agricultural and forestry. “Significant investment has been made into several projects to reduce energy consumption and to prevent the risk of environmental contamination and includes the use of environmentally-friendly extender oils throughout our production process.”

Improved manufacturing is also reported to have saved 1.5 billion litres of water, 10 per cent of steam and power consumption – all while seeing a 20 per cent increase in waste material recycling.

Related news:

• Trelleborg buys Hebei plant, expands into Chinese specialty tyre market

• Trelleborg/Watts Acquisition Finalised

• Trelleborg moves North American office

• Focus on Selected Segments Continues with Further Trelleborg Divestment