Tyre manufacturers have been competing for years, and 2013 is no different. A report on the world tyres market, released in February this year by Freedonia, a publisher of industry market research, predicts a 4.7 per cent rise in demand per year through 2015 to touch 3.3 billion units. The market will witness a 6.5 per cent yearly growth in revenue to reach $220 billion (Dh808 billion) in 2015, according to the report.
Staying competitive
With a $220-billion pot within reach, manufacturers are continuing to innovate by introducing revolutionary technology using sustainable materials, inaugurating training facilities, as well as sponsoring events. Bridgestone Middle East and Africa’s partnership with the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2013 is a recent example of a brand sponsoring a motoring event.
This helps brands build a steady customer base and, in the words of Daisuke Hotta, General Manager, Consumer Tyre Marketing, Bridgestone Middle East and Africa, connect with consumers in a thrilling environment. The Bridgestone sponsorship followed another announcement that the brand is also the official tyre of the Dubai International Motor Show to be held from November 5-9 this year.
The goodwill aside, it is initiatives such as these that have helped Bridgestone land the title of the most valuable tyre brand in the world. The 2013 BrandFinance Global 500 report, released earlier this year by Brand Finance, a company that specialises in brand valuation, shows that despite the growth of Michelin (now valued at $4.36 billion), Bridgestone retains its position as the world’s most valuable tyre brand, leading by more than $100 million with a brand value of $4.45 billion.
Continental and Goodyear follow at third and fourth place respectively with a close brand value of $3.2 billion each. Rounding off the top five is Pirelli, with a 2013 brand value of $1.5 billion.
Speaking about the growth, David Haigh, Chief Executive, Brand Finance, commented at the time of the report’s release, “In what is one of the most highly branded industry sectors, manufacturers spend millions of dollars on sponsorships, advertising and promotional activity in order to gain market share, particularly within Asia-Pacific, which accounts for half of the global tyre market.”
One of the innovations that made its way into Time magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year 2012 list was The Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company’s Air Maintenance Technology. This technology allows Goodyear tyres to inflate themselves, thanks to a miniature pump within each tyre.
Since these self-inflating tyres are currently undergoing a testing phase, it will take a year or two before they make their appearance on public roads. In the interim, UAE motorists can pre occupy themselves with Goodyear’s innovative EfficientGrip Performance range that is available in the country.
Special features
Mitchell Peeters, General Manager, Goodyear Middle East and Africa, explains the interesting technologies packed within the EfficientGrip performance range.
“The company’s advanced CoolCushion Layer innovation ensures that heat is managed and reduced across the tyre’s surface area. An optimised shoulder block arrangement and extra-thin shoulder grooves deliver additional noise reduction to the tyre. It’s a technology that is useful in the Middle East,” says Peeters.
The tyres also feature a 3D-block design technology called ActiveBraking that enables improved contact with the road and the tyre blocks during braking, shortening the required distance.
Peeters continues, “The use of continuous circumferential ribs increases cornering stiffness, which translates into excellent handling and vehicle control. All these elements go into making a better tyre with every new iteration, and we continue to push the boundaries of safety and innovation with technologies that can benefit our region the best.”
Yokohama, on the other hand, is going full steam ahead with numerous sporting sponsorships, tyre developments and eco-friendly initiatives, generating a fair amount of noise in the process. And a part of that noise is its Advan Sport V105 tyre. The new V105, a successor to the much-loved V103, will replace its predecessor as any performance car owner’s rubber of choice.
All Yokohama tyres, the V105 included, follow the company’s policy on developing environmentally sound products. The tyres are branded with the mark of Yokohama’s new eco-tyre, BluEarth, on each sidewall.
Yokohama’s regional distributors confirmed that the V105s will be available in the country from next month.
Rajesh P., Department Manager, Tyres and Batteries Division, Juma Al Majid Est., the sole distributor of Yokohama tyres in the UAE, says that the environmental factor within the tyre industry has resulted in a transition in manufacturing technology.
“These days, much is talked about reducing carbon footprints. Today’s tyre manufacturers are focusing on bringing out the best options in alignment with this global scenario,” says Rajesh P.
“Yokohama has indeed played a vital role towards this global cause and has been advocating the concept of Blue Earth, envisaging the whole globe to be as natural as it should be,” he adds.
Yokohama uses orange oil technology within its tyre manufacturing process that helps reduce dependence on petrochemicals or fossil fuels.
“This technology mixes sustainable orange oil and natural rubber to form a new compound called Super Nano-Power Rubber, a compound with lesser dependence on petroleum, without compromising on performance. It also improves fuel economy with a 20 per cent reduction in rolling resistance,” adds Rajesh P.
Training
A successful company does not solely rely on its ground-breaking products or brand value. With this in mind, Bridgestone Middle East and Africa staff unveiled its 21,678-square-metre training facility in Dubai earlier this year. The Bridgestone Park will serve as a training facility for staff, distributors and partners across the Middle East and Africa to develop and enhance their skills.
With manufacturers looking at secondary alternatives in order to build a powerful brand and a subsequent customer following, one aspect that has not changed is that the tyres rolling off their production line continue to push the boundaries of innovation.
That said, alternatives such as brand power and additional offerings are shaping up to be determining factors in eventually helping a brand grow in the years to come, while meeting the ever-increasing demand for better-performing tyres.
