Sumitomo Rubber Industries, the manufacturer of the global Falken tyre brand has temporarily shut down its factory in South Africa on government orders. All of its other tyre manufacturing facilities are currently operational, though staff at the Falken Tyre Europe headquarters in Germany are working remotely where possible, or following social distancing guidelines.
Anyone who’s spent time in a garage or tyre shop knows that the smell of rubber is an acquired love. And there’s good news for those who never acquire this love – Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has, after identifying the factors that cause natural rubber to emit an odour, developed ‘Reduced Odor Natural Rubber,’ a new type of natural rubber that emits significantly less odour.
A new technique to observe and analyse individual materials within tyre rubber offers “enormous potential” for the development of high-performance tyres with unprecedented levels of efficiency and wear resistance, engineers at Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) and Ibaraki University claim.
Another tyre maker contributing to coronavirus relief efforts is Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. The Japanese tyre maker shared yesterday that it has donated RMB 2 million (£220,000) to non-governmental organisation the China Charity Federation. The donation supports the charitable organisation’s ongoing efforts to provide relief to those who are suffering from pneumonia and other ailments caused by the strain of coronavirus that continues to spread in China’s Hubei Province and beyond.
Micheldever Tyre Service (MTS) states that it offers “the most comprehensive car mid-range tyre brand availability across the current market.” The wholesaler is exclusive distributor, or has preferred supplier arrangements, for some of the worlds’ leading manufacturers of mid-range brands, including Falken, General Tire, GT Radial, Sumitomo and Kormoran.
Figures recently published by the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) show that its members produced almost 242 million tyres in all segments of the replacement market in 2019, two to three per cent fewer than the 248 million tyres produced a year earlier.
Falken will launch its new Sincera SN110 car tyre in the UK from mid-March 2020 in 49 sizes for 14-16” wheels. The manufacturer said that it aims to “bring the wear and wet grip benefits normally found in top-of-the-range tyres to cost-conscious customers driving mass market cars.” The tyre has achieved A rated wet grip performance on the EU tyre label. Falken says this shows the tyre has not compromised on safety to achieve the tyre’s increased longevity.
Working together with a Japanese university, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) has established a new technique for observing materials contained within tyre rubber. This process differs from existing methods as it enables an evaluation of the actual rubber used in mass-produced tyres rather than relying upon processed test samples. The company behind the Falken tyre brand foresees the technique facilitating the development of tyres with superior performance characteristics.
After considering a number of factors, such as a changing business environment as well as growing awareness of human rights and environmental considerations, Sumitomo Rubber Group has established its own local organisation for procuring natural rubber. It has done so via its member company Sumitomo Rubber Industries, which this month set up Sumitomo Rubber Singapore Pte. Ltd. This entity, located in the world’s largest natural rubber trading hub, will commence operations in April.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), the company behind the Falken tyre brand, has developed a solution to remotely monitor the tyre pressure of unoccupied vehicles such as self-driving cars. In a step towards ensuring the safety of Level 4 and above autonomous vehicles, SRI has successfully linked its tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) with an Autonomous Driving Control Centre.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has developed a new technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to estimate the properties of the rubber used in its tyres and also detect the structural changes that occur during use. It calls this technology ‘Tyre Leap AI Analysis’.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries is supplying its Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 050 DSST CTT tyre as original equipment for Lexus LS models sold in Japan. The run-flat tyre will be fitted to the Lexus LS in size 245/45RF20 99Y.
Solar panels and wind turbines move aside, there’s a new source of electricity in town. It’s none other than the trusty tyre.
Mobility as a service concepts are expected to entice many motorists from car ownership to vehicle sharing, and Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is preparing for this future with a new partnership with Japanese automotive Internet of things (IoT) service company TripodWorks and Taiwan-based TPMS manufacturer Sysgration.
Once shareholder approval is granted, Satoru Yamamoto will assume the position of president and chief executive officer at Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) late next month. At the same time, incumbent president and chief executive officer, Ikuji Ikeda, will become chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.
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