Tyre RFID ‘tags’ to be rolled out in the UAE

Here in Europe and in other major markets such as Japan, Korea and the US tyre labelling has been the subject of intense discussion for some time. However, if the local news reports are anything to go by, the UAE appears to be taking the concept to the next level with the introduction of smart RFID “tags” which feature both an RFID chip and visual label including a QR code.

According to the Gulf News car tyres in the UAE will soon sport special tags alerting motorists about their safety and specifications. Citing a local official, the newspaper said that some tyres are genuine but not meant for the UAE market – and their use can be dangerous. The argument is that tyres in the UAE must be able to withstand especially high temperatures because of the country’s extremely hot climate. Their argument like the EU’s is that many customers are not aware of the appropriate specifications and cannot understand the coded inscriptions on tyres.

The reports suggest the new system will be mandatory and will be rolled out by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) in order to start in 2015: “This will solve two things: Protect the consumer from parallel imports not designed for our region and protect traders because wrong use ruins the reputation of the trader or brand,” said Jasem Al Ali, an engineer who is head of the conformity section at Esma. “Many parallel importers dump tyres meant for other regions into the local market to make money. That’s not ethical or safe for the consumer.”

The tags will be readable by smartphones, will feature a QR code and and there will also be an RFID chip that will be read by inspectors using hand-held devices. The information in the chip will also be held in a central database.