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Fulda-based UTH GmbH will showcase its latest machine generation at Tire Technology Expo 2024, taking place from 19-21 March in Hannover. The company will present its current product line-up, offering solutions that have “established themselves worldwide as the standard for gentle and clean processing of rubber compounds”.
Tyres & Accessories' monthly 'Tyres News in Numbers' column boils down the latest tyre industry news to the most important statistics of the month. This month we look at the big numbers from December 2023.
The estimated worth of the total market for UK-produced and imported alloy wheels
Continental is styling itself as a “pioneer in innovation” by accelerating the evolution of its sustainability concepts into production tyres. The manufacturer is using silica from rice husk ash, carbon black from end-of-life tyres, and polyester from recycled PET in series tyres already, backing up head of sustainability Jorge Almeida’s maxim that “Sustainable innovations belong on the road and not in a showroom.” The UltraContact NXT car tyre, launched in 2023, is the current apex of this strategy, its most sustainable production tyre to date. Conti innovated the use of silica from agricultural waste, polyester from recycled PET and other renewable and recyclable materials from 2021 with the Conti GreenConcept concept tyre. Many of these technologies have subsequently been used in its series tyres. Overall, Conti says this underscores its claim to be “the most progressive manufacturer in the tyre industry when it comes to sustainability.”
Continental presented its product and service portfolio for the agricultural sector at Hannover’s Agritechnica 2023 show in November. The manufacturer demonstrated its technology solutions to support farmers and manufacturers tackling today’s agricultural challenges under the tagline “Our Smart Farming. For your harvest of tomorrow.” Conti used insights gathered in its “Agriculture in Transition” study, which looked at farm operators’ attitudes in five large regional markets (Germany, France, USA, Japan and Brazil). The study confirms that most farmers take the responsibility to pursue more sustainable farming very seriously while trying to tackle the challenge of adapting to new conditions caused by environmental change. Conti’s display demonstrates how the company’s divisions are engaging with the agricultural market, including the new environmentally friendly weed control system, designed and developed by Continental Engineering Services (CES), and ContiConnect Lite, a version of its tyre pressure monitoring system that integrates with farmers’ smartphones.
The demands on the agricultural industry around the world are evolving rapidly. Spiralling cost pressures mean an uphill battle for farmers transforming their operations to feed a growing global population more sustainably. While there is substantial variance in the global market, this context means there is substantial demand for innovative, high-technology solutions for agricultural tyre supply, which increasingly transcend the boundaries of the tyre itself. Since it re-entered agricultural tyre manufacturing in 2016, Continental has supported the development of its European agricultural tyre business with heavy investment in its production line at Lousado, Portugal; Tyres & Accessories profiled the factory in the November 2023 issue. For this year’s agricultural tyre feature, T&A spoke to Tom Godwin, sales manager – agricultural for Conti in UK and Ireland, about the development of the company’s agricultural tyre business in our home markets and its strategy for taking on well-established agricultural tyre premium brands, as well as seeing the Conti TractorMaster VF in action with Dave Oldershaw Groundworks and Contracting in rural Herefordshire.
On 13 December, Continental invited 150 local political, business and cultural representatives to celebrate the official opening of its new headquarters in Hannover, Germany. It followed this up the next day with a larger event for its workforce. Many employees had by this time thoroughly familiarised themselves with the facility, as they’d begun working there a fortnight earlier.
The word sustainability is in everybody’s mouths these days and retreading plays an important role here when it comes to tyres. But although fitting nicely with the zeitgeist, retreading has been around for quite some time. Continental, for instance, has been in the business for more than 120 years.
Tyre makers often refer to the ‘race to road’ technology transfer when talking about motorsport engagements, but ‘race to loading bay’ is something that perhaps only Continental can claim bragging rights for. The tyre maker is using carbon black from recycled racing tyres in its production of solid tyres.
Continental relaunched the Bandvulc retreading plant it acquired in 2016 as the ContiLifeCycle plant in March. Based on what Conti EMEA’s head of commercial consumer solutions Ralf Benack described as the existing “deep knowledge” of Bandvulc, the facility in Ivybridge, Devon has become a technical innovation hub for the company’s tyre retreading programme in the region. When Tyres & Accessories visited the plant later in the year, the manufacturer revealed the results of strong annual investments and its innovative implementation of automated processes for increased efficiency, and the key role that reatreading plays in Conti’s overall sustainability strategy.
Goodyear Farm Tires will unveil a new product and display its exclusive Low Sidewall range when it heads to Germany for Agritechnica next week. During the show, Goodyear Farm Tires will unveil its new LW Waffle Wheel, which is adjustable to up to eight different track positions (depending on crop row widths) and allows tyres to seat correctly at lower pressures, improving safety.
Flexforce VF is a new technology from Nokian Tyres, and don’t worry if you haven’t heard of it yet. The tyre maker is about to bring this technology to market and intends to debut two tyres featuring Flexforce VF at the Agritechnica show in November.
Mitas will present the latest Very High Flexion (VF) tyres in its Agriterra 02 Soil Protector (SP), HC 3000 R, HC 2000, and HC 1000 Narrow Rim Option (NRO) ranges at the upcoming Agritechnica 2023 exhibition, which will take place in Hannover, Germany from 12 to 18 November. The Yokohama TWS brand will also display tyres from its HC 3000 R, HC 1000 NRO, and HC 2000 lines.
Amongst the range that Yokohama Off-Highway Tires (YOHT) intends to display at Agritechnica 2023 is the prototype of a hybrid tractor tyre. YOHT says that “special technologies used for this tyre effectively bridge the gap between field and road” and deliver the “best suitability for field operations, road transports, and for a particularly long service life.”
In addition to the forestry tyres announced last week, Ceat Specialty will use the Agritechnica 2023 show as a platform for introducing its new VF flotation tyre range. The company considers these products “a significant addition” to its line-up.
Giti-sponsored Truck Team Holten’s modified Mercedes 1622 800HP finished in fourth place in the Rallye Breslau while completing its fourth consecutive year on a set of Giti tyres. The Netherlands-based team entered two vehicles in the Cross Country Trucks category, with the Mercedes team recording five top three finishes in a field of 10 while the Scania 4x4 630 started well, completing the prologue and the first two legs before having to withdraw with significant engine damage. Both vehicles fit the Giti GAO897 mixed service tyre in size 14.00R20. The tyre is designed to work across a wide range of air pressures to optimise performance in different conditions and in temperatures ranging from 55˚C to a minimum of -40˚C.
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