The Marubeni Corporation has entered a business alliance agreement with USA-based Tyrata to introduce its IntelliTread drive-over tread wear measurement equipment and services to the Japanese market. Marubeni states that following a demonstration period, its goal is to offer subscription service within two years.
The company notes that the main cause of tire issues, with the exception of sudden accidents, is a decrease in air pressure, leading to wear and tear. It observes that, as development of the automotive IoT accelerates in anticipation of automated driving becoming mainstream, maintenance automation is becoming increasingly necessary. As such, it believes that demand for automated, real-time measurement of tire wear will increase in the future.
Tyrata was founded in 2017 as a technology spin-off from Duke University in the USA and has developed a proprietary sensor and algorithm that directly measures tire wear in real time. Marubeni will introduce this equipment to Japan and, through demonstration tests with logistics companies, proceed to ascertain the level of demand for automatic tire wear measurement.
