Davanti Tyres opens European Development Centre at IDIADA

Davanti Tyres is opening a European Development Centre at Applus+ IDIADA. The brand, owned by the UK’s Oak Group, says the centre will “spearhead its next-generation tyre design.” Davanti has previously used the Spanish facility, located in the northeast of the country near Barcelona, in the development of its tyres. It says the facility will allow its research and development team to experiment more with innovative new designs and materials, speed up new product development, and enhance ongoing testing and improvement of its existing range. General manager Peter Cross calls the move “the biggest step Davanti has taken since we brought our first tyre – the DX390 – to market.”

Davanti has equipped the facility with tyre analysis and design equipment in making it the brand’s hub for all prototype engineering and testing. It will also open up the site for its customers, allowing them to see Davanti’s research and development processes first-hand and giving engineers a direct line of communication to the market to help steer development to suit changing customer demand.

IDIADA is one of Europe’s predominant tyre testing facilities (Photo: Davanti)

Cross added: “We will now be able to physically trial a greater number of prototypes at an earlier development stage in order to ensure our next generation of products establish a new benchmark for excellence.

“Successful products require extensive development testing on proving grounds. Having our own facility on-site at IDIADA will allow us to gather a much greater amount of data on what developments work well and what do not in a way that we could never learn purely from computer simulations or lab results.

“Investing in the European Development Centre gives us a platform to be a driving force in the development of next-generation tyres. As environmental regulations change and the way vehicles are designed and built evolves, tyres will need to adapt.

“We’re a dynamic brand and we need the bandwidth in our testing and development capabilities to match our expansion plans for the medium and long term.

“This facility gives us the flexibility to continue to be innovative and disruptive within the market. To think boldly and ensure Davanti is at the forefront of tyre innovation at a time of significant change.”

Davanti has also committed significant investment to the project despite the ongoing global pandemic. Cross explains: “Covid has presented every industry in the world with challenges this year,” he said. “But what it has shown is innovation, investing in ideas, is always a good investment.

“Throughout 2020’s cycle of lockdowns and restrictions people have still needed to use the roads safely. Davanti’s primary commitment has always been road safety and we remain dedicated to improving that in everything we do.

“Our team will now be able to explore what the market needs from our next generation of tyres. How to optimise performance, enhance safety and develop a range of tyres which meets the needs and expectations of not just the drivers of today, but the drivers of tomorrow.”