In northern Sweden, where Sekab is located, plans are underway for a tire change. Winter tires are to be swapped for their summer counterparts – one of the clearest signs of spring in our latitudes.
Last week, I traveled southward, but the focus on tire changes was also present in Hanover, Germany. At the Tire Technology Expo, all major players in the tire industry gathered for three intense days focused on the industry’s development.
Technology, upcoming regulatory requirements, and innovations for tires with higher performance were discussion points, but pleasingly, the greatest focus was on sustainability and materials. The European Rubber Journal summarized the conference with the headline ‘Industry plots road map to sustainability goals.’ Given the tire industry’s very ambitious sustainability goals in both the short and long term, it is an exciting industry where much will happen. As always, chemicals are a crucial part of achieving success.
Discussions and presentations at the Tire Technology Expo showed that there is no shortage of ideas or willingness. Polestar’s work in gathering the value chain is inspiring and can be applied more broadly. My days in Hanover demonstrated that all the prerequisites exist to roll ambitions forward through more collaboration.
Mikael Jonsson
Business Developer
This is the concluding comment of Sekab newsletter, this time by Business Developer Mikael Jonsson, read all our newsletters here