Bridgestone leads the way at Tire Technology International Awards
- Tire Manufacturer of the Year given to Bridgestone at the 2016 Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence
- AquaJet wins Environmental Achievement of the Year for innovative water jet rubber recycling technology
- Winners announced at Tire Technology Expo 2016, in Hanover, Germany on 17 February
The winners of this year’s Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence have been crowned at a ceremony during Tire Technology Expo 2016.
The awards are one of the highlights of the three-day event, held this year in Hanover. Now in it’s 16th year, Tire Technology Expo has growth to become world’s most important tire manufacturing technology exhibition and conference, with more than 260 exhibitors taking to the halls, showcasing the latest equipment and materials covering the complete spectrum of the tire manufacturing process.
Bridgestone picked up the prestigious Tire Manufacturer of the Year award, recognised by the independent judging panel of tire technology experts for renewed investment in its research and development (R&D) and sustainable manufacturing programmes.
The company beat off competition from fellow finalists Goodyear, Cooper Tire and Nexen Tire to win, marking the fifth time that Bridgestone has picked up a trophy in the awards’ history, and its second win in this category, the first being in 2008.
Eduardo Minardi, executive chairman, Bridgestone EMEA said, “Everyone in Bridgestone is hugely proud to receive this recognition. R&D and innovation lie at the heart of all our activities; it is the only path that can lead us to a sustainable future.”
Graham Heeps, editor, Tire Technology International magazine and chairman of the judging panel, added, “Many congratulations to Bridgestone, which has shown technological ambition in its work to advance the production of natural rubber from guayule, and in its plans to reorganise its research and development activities. Part of that reorganisation will include increased collaboration with external companies. Bridgestone, like other tire makers, has recognised that future tires will demand innovations from outside the traditional tire industry, with materials and electronics as key areas of focus. It’s a welcome change in an industry sometimes characterised by a secretive, inward-looking approach.”
The Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year award went to the 5THR tangential mixer rotor from Kobe Steel. This special rotor enables existing tangential mixers to be converted to silica-rich compounds, instead of having to replace them with intermesh mixers.
“It took over six years to verify this rotor’s performances with lab equipment, computer simulation and production-size machines. This technology is already being operated with production machines, and it has been meeting its performance targets,” said Yasuaki Yamane, deputy general manager machinery business, Kobe Steel Co Ltd.
Nokian Tyres picked up the Tire Technology of the Year award for its Hakkapeliitta R2 155/70R19 winter tire for the BMW i3, which scored an EU label ‘A’ grade for rolling resistance, the first time this has been achieved by a winter tire. “Nokian’s technology combines two of the most difficult-to-optimise functional performances of the tire and develops them into a unique product,” said judge Saied Taheri, director of CenTiRe, Virginia Tech.
Juha Pirhonen, vice president R&D, Nokian Tyres, added, “We are really thankful for this significant award. We are proud to be able to offer more winter grip, more peace of mind and, in particular, more range to the ever-increasing number of electric car owners with our top-class Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 winter tire.”
The Environmental Achievement of the Year category was awarded to AquaJet for its water jet rubber recycling technology, which recycles used tires into material good enough to be reused in tire manufacture, beating competition from nominees including Carbon Clean Tech’s recovered carbon black, the SAM-T dosing system from ColorService and Cooper Tire’s advances in guayule natural rubber.
And finally, the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year award went to Mesnac, which has been runner-up in the category for the previous two years. The jury was impressed by the Chinese supplier’s commitment to R&D and its pioneering work in smart tire manufacturing.
The winners in each category were announced at an awards dinner at Hannover Congress Centrum, Germany during Tire Technology Expo on 17 February 2016. Two additional categories were announced on the night, recognising the winner of the Young Scientist Prize plus the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to Prof. Jacques Noordermeer of the University of Twente.
Ends
Picture caption: Eduardo Minardi, Executive Chairman Bridgestone EMEA, receives the Tire Manufacturer of the Year award on behalf of the company
For more information about the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence and the full shortlist and judging panel click here
