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On 26 January 2025, publicly traded special purpose acquisition company Embrace Change Acquisition Corp entered into a definitive merger agreement with tyre maker Tianji Tire Global (Cayman) Limited. This purpose of this merger is to provide Tanji Tire a streamlined pathway to enter public markets without a traditional IPO.
On 21 January 2025, Michelin managing partner, Florent Menegaux called on the French and European authorities to support tyre manufacturers like Michelin with better energy cost and taxation policy as they face an “invasion” of imports from low-cost production markets in Asia. Here we take a more detailed look at both the challenges Western tyre manufacturers such as Michelin are facing as well as the solutions they are offering.
Continental reports that its tyre plant in Korbach, Germany recently gained International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus sustainability certification. It is the fourth Continental factory to attain this status, after the plants in Lousado (Portugal), Hefei (China) and Puchov (Slovakia).
Trelleborg Tires has applied its proprietary ProgressiveTraction technology to the TM800 agricultural tyre range. The initial Trelleborg TM800 ProgressiveTraction portfolio includes six sizes, with two sizes for mid- to high-horsepower tractors, 540/65R28 and 650/65R38, already available. Trelleborg Tires plans to roll out the remaining four dimensions in the coming weeks.
Prometeon Tyre Group has congratulated Martin Macík Jr for his victory in the Truck category of the 47th Dakar Rally, the Czech driver’s second consecutive win. Macík’s MM Technology Team truck, shod with Prometeon S02 Rally tyres, secured ten stage victories out of 12 across the 4,785 miles of the 2025 Dakar Rally route, finishing the event 2 hours and 21 minutes ahead of the second-placed team.
Few would argue that the Internet is anything less than a central part of the tyre business moving forward. But it wasn’t always that way. And the evolution of the online tyre business within its market context is critical to understanding its future. In this article, which was presented a speech during the 2024 Tyre Industry Conference hosted by the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) in the UK and was subsequently published in our new Trends and Facts publication, we ask: where we’ve come from, how things have changed, and what this means for the future of the tyre business.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and a consortium of banks in Pakistan are providing up to US$50.2 million in financing to Armstrong ZE Pvt. Ltd. to increase local tyre production. Armstrong ZE, a member of the same group of companies as UAE-based Zafco Group Holding, intends to invest an estimated US$92 million in a plant capable of producing 1.4 million Armstrong brand tyres a year.
With the opening of two new distribution centres, ETB Wholesale now operates nine locations in the Midlands, Wales and southwest England, and the company believes these additions to the network strengthen its status as “one of the biggest regional tyre operators in the UK.” The locales in Llansamlet and Redditch each stock around 5,000 tyres and will, like all ETB Wholesale sites, offer same-day tyre deliveries, with a ‘rapid response’ on-demand service in selected areas.
A year after Tyres & Accessories last spoke with Stapleton’s managing director Andy Fern, we learnt more about how, for those selling tyres as a retailer, the kind of professional distribution partner that can help navigate and mitigate the impact of such challenges is now needed. In short, increasing complexity requires increasing professionalism.
So, how was business during the course of 2024? “Volumes have being pretty healthy, but I would say it's been challenging with the freight cost this year”, Andy Fern explained, adding: “When I say volumes are decent, I would add that volumes are not as good as we feel they should be…I would say it's quite a fine balance nowadays because the thing that is not stopping is that costs are increasing.
Research conducted on behalf of the RAC and TyreSafe provides further evidence that UK motorists are tyre unsavvy. While 66% of the 1,775 drivers surveyed claimed to know what the minimum tyre tread allowed by law is, only 39% correctly identified this tread depth as 1.6mm. Perhaps more worryingly, 26% of survey respondents only check tyre tread when they “remember to do it” or directly before taking a car for its MOT, while 5% never do and wait for their car to fail its annual roadworthiness test before taking any action. Just one third said they check tyre tread at least every month, with 17% saying they do so every other month and 15 per cent only checking them about every six months.
Roughly 18 months ago, Tyres & Accessories interviewed Jacob Peled, then founder and chairman of the Pelmar Engineering Group. A short while after his 80th birthday, back then Peled was considering plans for a well-earned retirement. Now, two summers have passed and the outworking of those plans has come to fruition. In short, the companies within the Pelmar Engineering stable have been sold to new owners that enable the company’s founder to pursue different interests while also remaining involved in the wider industry and with newly realised assets available at the same time.
Hankook will launch a new sub-brand in Europe during the second quarter of 2025. Optimo will join the Korean manufacturer’s existing Laufenn brand, offering another full second-line product range beneath its premium flagship range. Hankook said this strategic move targets an increase in Hankook’s market share in Europe. It will also help to improve the manufacturer’s offer to customers, diversifying its brand portfolio.
In October 2024, Birla Carbon debuted Continua 8030 Sustainable Carbonaceous Material (SCM), a new “circular” product that it developed to address the “growing sustainability needs” of customers across the Indian subcontinent and Asia. Produced in India, Continua 8030 SCM is the result of a partnership with recovered carbon black (rCB) producer Finster Black. We recently spoke with John Loudermilk, President & CEO of Birla Carbon, about this new product as well as the company’s activities around the world.
Kenyan president William Samoei Ruto PhD announced that leading Chinese tyremaker Linglong “plans to set up factory in Kenya to serve the African market” in a statement published online on 17 January 2025.
President Ruto’s remarks follow talks with Linglong executives at State House, Nairobi, where Linglong Tyres chairman Wang Feng reportedly shared plans relating to the tyre factory.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has begun practical testing of an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology that gauges tyre air pressure by analysing the sound produced when tapping upon a truck or bus tyre. The tyre maker anticipates that the resulting improvement in air pressure monitoring accuracy will deliver improved safety and reduce costs while streamlining operations and supporting sustainable logistics.
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