Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence announced

Hannover, Germany – This year’s Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence, held at Deutsche Messe during Tire Technology Expo 2024, celebrated the very best innovations and achievements across the tire industry during the last 12 months. Comprising 13 categories, the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence are a celebration of recent advances in tire technology and progress toward a greener and more sustainable industry, and a chance to acknowledge the personal achievements of some remarkable individuals.

The awards, which were coordinated by Tire Technology International magazine, were officiated by a panel of international journalists and industry experts.

To recognize the increasingly prominent role of sustainability in tire manufacturing, the awards feature three categories focused on environmental development. The first celebrated advances in tire design, and was won by Continental’s UltraContact NXT, the tire maker’s most sustainable series to date. The tire, which features up to 65% renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials, was a hit with the judges.

“Conti is walking the walk with the UltraContact NXT, whose high percentage of sustainable content comes without sacrificing all-important label ratings or tire wear,” said juror Graham Heeps, an experienced automotive journalist and former chairman of the awards.

The award for Environmental Achievement of the Year in manufacturing was presented to Sumitomo Rubber Industries for the company’s use of hydrogen and solar energy in tire production.

“We are deeply honored to receive this award,” said Toru Kawai, plant manager for the Shirakawa Factory where the project is installed. “Under the support of the Japanese Government and Fukushima Prefecture which promote the utilization of hydrogen, Sumitomo Rubber has been advancing this project in collaboration with partner companies. As a result, we were able to start mass production of tires achieving carbon neutrality in manufacturing by using hydrogen energy in tandem with natural energy generated by
solar power.”

In the category for Environmental Achievement – Industry Contribution, the jury recognized the BlackCycle project, a European consortium led by Michelin focused on developing a circular tire economy.

““This is a very promising project with many partners working together for a circular tire economy,” commented juror Maik Brinkmeier, principal engineer at Continental.

The Chemicals and Compounding Innovation of the Year award was won by Cabot Corporation for E2C DX9660.

“We are honored to receive this award for our E2C DX9660 elastomer composite,” said Aatif Misbah, vice president and general manager, Sustainable Solutions, Reinforcement Materials segment, Cabot Corporation. “At Cabot, we are committed to leveraging the power of innovative chemistry to develop solutions that help our tire customers across the globe advance their product performance while reducing impact on the environment.”

Materials Innovation of the Year was presented to Teijin Aramid for its Twaron fiber with recycled content.

“Physical and chemical recycling of aramid fiber is a challenge,” said juror Kuninobu Kadota, a former fellow in the research division at Bridgestone. “If the circular fiber can be used for tires, it will be a great achievement in terms of sustainability.”

Goodyear picked up the R&D Breakthrough of the Year award for its groundbreaking Sightline system, a predictive model which evaluates various tire conditions such as pressure, load, wear, rolling speed, external weather, and road conditions to minimize the risk of hydroplaning.

“Goodyear’s SightLine hydroplaning warning and detection system is an excellent example of a tire intelligence system that enables enhanced vehicle handling and safety features in real-time,” said juror Abilash Nair, materials development manager for Dunlop Aircraft Tyres.

Focus turned to the tire industry’s leading suppliers and developers next, with Rodolfo Comerio picking up the award for Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year for its RC Calender Quick Change System.

“This quick change setup gives the ultimate flexibility to a tire plant to make plies for PCR and TBR tires, or to follow changing trends in tire reinforcement,” explained juror Patrick De Keyzer, partner at consultancy expert DeKep.

The next category was Industry Supplier of the Year, traditionally a closely contested award. As expected, there were only a few points between the shortlisted nominees, with the 2024 winner confirmed as 4Jet.

“The development of 4Jet is impressive,” explained juror Professor Gert Heinrich of TU Dresden. “The company has supplied over 500 automatic in-line laser systems and counts virtually every international tire maker among its customers.”

Next came an impressive showing from Hannover-based Continental, with back-to-back wins in the Tire Concept of the Year and Tire of the Year categories for the Conti CityPlus and AllSeasonContact 2 respectively. That took the tire maker’s overall haul to three awards in 2024.

The hotly contested Tire Manufacturer of the Year Award remains one of the most fascinating categories, with leading tire makers separated by the finest of margins. This year, Bridgestone came out on top, with jurors highlighting the company’s Enliten technology, upcoming Formula E contract and a range of sustainability initiatives at its plants around the world.

“It’s been an impressive year for Bridgestone,” said Matt Ross, chairman of the awards and editor-in-chief of Tire Technology International. “Not only have they achieved great things with the rollout of Enliten technologies, but they’ve also been proactive in ensuring the company and its practices shift to adapt to the ever-changing nature of the tire business. They are certainly a worthy winner this year.”

The Young Scientist Prize for 2024 was given to Nadine Aschenbrenner, a test engineer at Continental. The jury panel – which is separate to the 11 central categories – selected Nadine and her work, ‘Challenges in the generation of tire wear particles indoors’.

As well as recognizing the impressive achievements of manufacturers and suppliers, the awards are an opportunity to highlight the achievements of remarkable individuals within the industry. One such individual is Günter Leister, winner of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A popular recipient, Leister received nominations from a number of his peers, all of whom pointed out his long career in the tire industry, which saw him working at Daimler for many years before setting up his own consultancy. In addition, Leister is a valued member of the judging panel for the Young Scientist Prize, a published author, and a regular contributor to content for the Tire Technology International Annual Review. He is a hugely respected, widely liked and universally celebrated member of the tire community – and a worthy recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award this year.