At the same time, three one-day

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ReifenTeCHniK

‘Eurotyre’ Conference organized by VDI

At the beginning of November, the first international two-day ‘Eurotyre’ Conference organized by

the VDI (Association of German Engineers) took place in Brussels. The broad range of presentations

comprised legal regulations as well as innovative technical developments.

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workshops took place, which fo-cused on the topics Tyre Industry in China, Worldwide Legal Tyre Regulations and Tyre Testing. About 100 people taking part in this new international platform of expert talks revealed that there was a high need for an exchange of ideas between representatives of the tyre industry, OEMs, suppliers and research institutes. Several suppliers and service providers presented themselves in an exposition held simulta-neously.

Our trade magazine AutoRäderReifen-Gummibereifung was also there as media partner and was able to get an idea of this high-quality event. As it is impossible to co-ver the broad range of talks in one article, we concentrated on the requirements of the vehicle industry on tyre manufacturers in the first part of our media coverage.

Darren Wells, President of Goodyear‘s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in-augurated the conference and introduced the topic. He stressed with his words the importance of constant communication and dialogue between all the parties involved, which means lawmakers, vehicle and tyre

industry as well as research institutes. At the end of his talk he outlined eight mega indus-trial trends:

1. Increasing gross domestic product in emerging markets will boost growth of the tyre market

2. Further innovations concerning tyre sizes and product portfolio will cause profitable market segments in developed markets 3. High-quality technological systems and tyres will be found in middle-class vehicles 4. Green technologies (fuel saving) will re-main a permanently growing global topic 5. The tyre label will become an industry standard

6. Internet and IT-communication will change the consumers’ behaviour

7. Industrial development will be more pu-shed by evolution than revolution

8. Changing consumer expectations will in-fluence global tyre markets

During the further events representatives of the vehicle industry illustrated what kind of challenges tyre manufacturers will have to face when developing tyres. Victor Un-derberg, a representative of Audi AG, talked about the rising diversity in the model policy and the linked increase in tyre specifications

About 100 participants took part in the first ‘Eurotyre’ Conference organized by the VDI. Jean-Pierre Jeusette from Goodyear Innovation Center in

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of summer and winter tyres. Audi’s range of models consisted of ten vehicles in the year 1999. Audi, however, built already 22 vehicles with a growing tendency in 2014. This will of course have an impact on the different tyre sizes. While there were only eleven sizes in 1999, the number has risen to 64 until 2014. The growing complexity becomes extremely obvious with regard to winter tyres. Different requirements and worldwide regional diffe-rences resulted into an increase in tyre sizes from a total number of then 10 to 121 in 2014. Concerning all-season tyres the number of tyre sizes grew from one to 17 in Europe. The range of products rose from eight in 1999 to 56 tyre dimensions in the rest of the regions in 2014. There is no limit to this increase in sight.

During the development phase of a new vehicle model the tyre and rim programme is simultaneously carried out. This inclu-des defining and prioritizing target ranges. The tyre and rim programme depends on several variable factors. Apart from the ve-hicle weight and the veve-hicle architecture it is very important where the model will be used. The development of tyres focuses on design, handling and traction as well as the well known tyre label values. Moreover,

the-Victor Underberg | Audi AG | VDI EUROTYRE 2014 | 5

re are several further characteristic features an OEM expects from a tyre manufacturer and its product.

Among others there are also regional road and climate conditions. Spikes are ne-cessary in Scandinavian countries. Develo-pers at Audi concentrate on robust tyres in countries with relatively poor road networks. Furthermore, the relevant legal regulations have to be taken into account too. There are generally different requirements for each continent and country with regard to homo-logation, which affect the tyre too as e.g. the EU tyre label is mandatory in Europe.

The complexity for the tyre industry is even enhanced, as there is a need for deve-loping an OE tyre and a tyre for the replace-ment market, which is appropriate for each vehicle model and niche market. Thus, tyre developers have to pay close attention to where in the world the tyre is to be used. A winter tyre with M+S designation and areas of application in North America could be to-tally inappropriate for use in Europe due to different climatic conditions or speeds dri-ven.

The requirements of truck vehicle ma-nufacturers on truck tyres were clarified in a further talk. Karsten Wehner from the truck

Audi’s increase in the variety of models from 1999 to 2014 caused a rise in tyr

e sizes and specifications at the same time.

business unit at Daimler AG explained that vehicle manufacturers focus on a reduction of fuel consumption. Although only five per cent of the costs refer to a tyre, at the same time it is responsible for 40 per cent of fuel costs. Thus, tyre purchase plays a crucial role. The requirements on so-called OE truck ty-res are absolutely comparable to those in the passenger car segment. There you can also find requirements, which differ according to the worldwide regional location and area of use, legal regulations and individual vehicle types. Rolling resistance, however, will conti-nue to be a dominating topic for all the new

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Vipal RubbeR

Selected products for each market segment

Vipal Borrachas, a Brazilian retreading group, which has existed for more than forty years,

distri-butes the brands Vipal and Ruzi. According to the company’s own information it is market leader in

this sector in Latin America.

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people, who manufacture the pro-ducts for retreading in two produc-tion plants. One plant is located in the city of Nova Prata and one in Feira de Santana in Bahia with a total area of 160,000 m2. Furthermore, Vipal disposes of three dis-tribution centres in Brazil. The company exports to all the continents and has dis-tribution centres in South America, North

America, Europe and the Asian-Pacific area at its disposal.

The company´s quest for excellent quality and environmental friendliness turned Vipal into the market leader in Latin America and one of the internationally leading manufac-turers of retreading material for tyres. Today, Vipal supplies about 90 countries worldwide among which Europe, Latin America and the USA are the most important export markets. In order to meet the requirements of each individual market - from technical pre-requisites to cultural, geographical and legal differences - the company invests into the development of tailor-made products for op-timum performance according to the geogra-phical location. Moreover, the group offers comprehensive support for international cus-tomers with authorized retreading centres, fixed regional teams of employees and its own distribution centres in strategic places.

Vipal runs two production plants: here you can see production in the city of Feira de Santaba in Brazil.

Brazil. The company, which employs 3,000 members of staff, owns two production plants, one in the city of Nova Prata and one in Feira de Santana in Bahia with a total area of 160,000 m², as well as three distribution centres in Brazil.

Vipal, which was the first Brazilian com-pany in the industry certified according to ISO 9002, is now also certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2008.

Since the opening of Vipal’s distribution centre in Hamburg, it has continuously been increasing its market share in Germany. The company focuses on improving its logistics for this market. Additionally, the team is to concentrate on specific support of the custo-mers. An experienced technician was alrea-dy employed for the technical support. From this year on, a special trade representative will be responsible for this market and will take care of the customers on site. Thus, a

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group management approved of the plans for 2015 and the market will already have noticed the differentiated approach of the company since January.

The quality of Vipal’s products and ser-vices was worldwide tested in field tests by customers. Furthermore, tests were carried out at VipalTec, which prove remarkable per-formance and savings concerning fuel con-sumption. Due to its big range of preformed treads, Vipal disposes of handy system solu-tions for all the different terrains and areas of use. The customers will especially appreciate the high number of possibilities.

Certified quality

Vipal was the first Brazilian company in the industry certified according to ISO 9001:2008 and acquired a certificate of tested perfor-mance of its retreading line by IFBQ/Inmet-ro. Vipal’s outstanding designs, which were exclusively planned by its research and de-velopment department in order to achieve optimum performance and fuel saving are to support the company’s standing out from the competition.

Vipal Borrachas has as well a depart-ment responsible for the composition of the compounds, called Vipal Compostos, which supplies rubber compounds for the most im-portant tyre manufacturers. The compounds are produced in a customer-specific way both based on formulas developed by Vipal

itself or based on specifications provided by the customer. All the compounds are submit-ted to several tests and reviews. Apart from an exclusive design Vipal offers good quality and very low costs per kilometre too.

Thus, the tread VT190 e.g. shows good performance on snow-covered and muddy roads. The design was particularly develo-ped for the European and North American market. Its open block and shoulder design allows good traction and strong water drai-nage.

The brand Ruzi is not only renowned for both its continuous technical progress and the quality of each of its products, but it is also considered as a reference brand among tyre retreading companies and hau-liers because of its practical and reasonab-le solutions. Multipreasonab-le-brand tyre retreading companies regard Ruzi as an advantageous, low-priced and high-quality option, which is guaranteed by the decade-long know-how of Vipal Borrachas.

(oth) Vipal offers the appropriate tread for each purpose.

Vipal produces of course so-called eco treads.

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family-run, medium-sized retreading com-panies only in Germany, which suf-fer from the current situation. The number of companies offering retreading is even higher in the rest of Europe. Our editors spoke with Hans-Jürgen Drechsler, Mana-ging Director of the German Federal Asso-ciation of Tyre Trade and Vulcanizing (BRV) about the present situation of retreading and its future perspective.

Mr. Drechsler, do the companies focusing on retreading find themselves under strong price pressure due to reasonable or even cheap tyres from China, which might even threaten their livelihood?

The general – not tremendously rosy – mar-ket situation for truck tyres affects new and retreaded tyres in a similar way. According to the current preliminary figures of the truck tyre replacement business the quantities are at last year’s – already very low - level (based on wdk sell-out statistics at +0.2 per cent). Thus, according to our estimations the relation of new tyres compared to retreaded tyres did not change in 2014 (1.73 million new tyres and 0.97 million retreaded tyres), which means that the so-called retreading ratio is still at about 36% in Germany.

How could the situation be defused for quality retreading companies?

ReTReading

Increasing price pressure on retreaded tyres

Price pressure in wholesale trade and specialized tyre trade is not only increasing in the passenger car

tyre segment. Professional retreading companies are also affected, as they can choose between the

de-vil and the deep blue sea.

I have to admit that retreaded truck tyres, which means those produced by free and independent retreading companies in Ger-many but also in Europe have to cope with tremendous pressure. On the one hand they suffer from intensified activities carried out by new tyre manufacturers in the retreading business like e.g. by Continental’s new ret-reading plant at its headquarters in Hanover but also by many others, which additionally take quality carcasses away from the market for their own retreading. On the other hand they face intensified price-related activities especially with regard to cheap Chinese truck tyres. This refers to actually cheap tyres of mostly minor quality and not to Chinese truck tyres in general.

Will it still be possible to make a profit in retreading?

There is absolutely no doubt that the – at least at the moment strongly felt – price dumping of individual Chinese manufacturers/impor-ters has a tendency of shaking particularly free and independent retreading companies to the core. As a consequence, we are che-cking the actual price level of Chinese truck tyres in Germany (BRV) and in Europe (BI-PAVER) at the moment. Nonetheless, we are having a look at the Chinese market itself, where prices partly seem to have increased considerably – compared to the Chinese mar-ket and retreaded tyres. If this situation were

to be proven with sound reasons, we would be able to initiate European anti-dumping proceedings.

Nevertheless, we stick to the opinion that free and independent retreading companies will be able to hold their ground in Germany and Europe – despite choppy waters – due to the quality of their products and their flexibi-lity towards customers.

Will the EU be likely to create competition in this segment or will the concepts of the tyre industry be preferred?

With regard to the EU it could only be said that especially the EU makes use of sever-al different programmes in order to support and develop small and medium-sized com-panies (SME) in Europe. The ReTyre-Project is the most well known project in the area of retreading at the moment. This indicates that concepts of SME and not of the tyre industry will be preferred.

Will the EU be interested in increasing the recycling ratio, especially concerning truck tyres?

The EU is aware of the fact that retreading is essential for saving resources and so to speak it stands for the first step of tyre recy-cling. As a consequence, it will be supported and developed.

Olaf Tewes, Editor-in-chief, talked with Hans-Jürgen Drechsler.

Retreading of truck tyres, like here in the Pneu-hage plant in Nossen, contributes considerably to saving resources.

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Es-sen Motor Show illustrates that refi-ning vehicles is very popular among car owners and many car enthusiasts. What does it finally mean for dealers that there seems to be an interest in the tuning busi-ness? Answers will be found in the results of the ‘puls’ study, which was based on questio-ning 1,001 car buyers in Germany.

First of all, the puls market researchers asked the participants of the study whether they had intended including an individualiza-tion of the vehicle when buying the current new car, which meant additionally buying tuning parts or accessories. Then the experts wanted to know whether the respondents really had bought tuning parts or accessories when buying the current new car. According to the results of the study, one in three Ger-man buyer of new cars planned buying acces-sories for individualization. About only 15 per cent of the respondents, however, really put the idea of individualization into practice. Ac-cording to market researchers, this revealed

Unexhausted market potentials in

individualization business

The trend of individualization can also be noticed in the automotive industry. Small cars like Opel

Adam (“Find YOUR Adam”/“Finde DEINEN Adam“), the re-launched Fiat 500, Audi A1, Toyota iQ or

Hy-undai i10 are forerunners. The trend consists of special models like “Black & White Editions“, styling

kits, mounted parts like spoilers, sidebars, rear diffusers or personalization via the owner’s signature

in appropriate areas on or in the vehicle. Puls, a market research institute in Nürnberg, announced

this as result of its current study called “Tuning Trends“.

unexhausted market potentials in the auto-motive individualization business. The study showed that there were extraordinarily high market potentials concerning people under the age of 30, as nearly 44 per cent planned buying accessories for individualization,

whe-reas the buying ratio only reached significant-ly lower 4.3 per cent.

Responsible people of the study recom-mend “reducing the use of the term ‘tuning’ in order to exhaust potentials in this growth market”. The market researchers also che-cked what spontaneous associations the participants had concerning the term ‘tuning’. Germany’s car buyers associate primarily (17.4 per cent) high motor performance with the topic ‘tuning’. Accessory parts like rims or exhaust pipes (16.4 per cent), sound volume (11.6 per cent) and “boasting“ (9.5 per cent). Furthermore, the results of the study indi-cated that individualization was more easily connected with expressing one’s own perso-nality. “Our study demonstrates that automo-tive brands and car dealers should build up competence for individualization”, Dr. Konrad Weßner, Managing Director at puls, commen-ted the results. “As individualization stands for an opportunity to get rid off exchangeability and comparability, this mega trend could de-velop into a driver of profitability and a fea-ture of differentiation for automotive

manu-facturers and dealers”. (akl)

Puls asked about the plans concerning the pur

chase of tuning parts and accesso-ries and actually putting the plans in_{to practice.}

Would you like a little bit more? – First-class tuning was offered in Essen.