With Tire Technology Expo less than five weeks away, Tire Technology International’s editor-in-chief Matt Ross selects his highlights from the packed program of more than 150 speakers.
1.EU tire regulations: past developments and future directions (Dr Adam McCarthy, secretary general, ETRMA)
MR: Regulations have been, and will continue to be, key to achieving truly industry-wide change, so a chance to hear from ETRMA about the evolution of EU tire regulations to date – and how they could shift in the future – is definitely not to be missed. In the magazine, we often turn to ETRMA for an informed European perspective on the tire industry, so I will be sure to catch Dr McCarthy’s presentation.
2.Panel Discussion – Euro 7 – Implications and challenges for the tire industry (Sebastian Gramstat, senior expert, Audi; Frederic Biesse, senior fellow for tire physics and modelization, Michelin; Prof Thomas Bachmann, director of automotive engineering group, Technische Universität Ilmenau; Malte Wohlfahrt, global R&D director, Synthos; Dr Ulf Sandberg, senior research leader, VTI)
MR: In all honesty, any and all of the presentations taking place in the TRWP conference streams could be considered a highlight – the issue of tire and road wear particles is an incredibly important and complex issue that will dominate the industry for the foreseeable future. But if you have to pick just one, then a chance to hear from a cross-section of voices from the automotive and tire industries is a key session to attend.
3.Sustainable tires – a sufficiently clear definition? (Dr Jonas Johannisson, sustainability program development manager, TÜV SÜD)
MR: I’m happy to see that issues of sustainability and environmental responsibility are being talked about all across the tire industry, but sometimes it can feel like there is a lack of standardized understanding when we talk about how ‘green’ a tire can be. An insight into what various definitions refer to, and perhaps how we can compare some of these terminologies, seems like an invaluable tool.
4.Shaping the tire digital soul (Corrado Rocca, R&D head, cyber unit, Pirelli)
MR: I’ve been following Pirelli’s advancements with sensors, and the data they gather, for many years, so I shall be making time to hear the latest from Corrado Rocca. Sensor data enables a broad variety of use cases in different mobility segments, opening new technological and business opportunities, and this promises to be a chance to hear about the challenges – and opportunities – from one of the industry’s leading players.
To view all the presentations taking place over the 3-day conference, click here for the full conference program.
