Future Tire: Q&A with Pelmar’s Jacob Peled

ERJ: Please identify one significant development in the tire industry in the last 2-3 years, and explain its importance.

JP: There has not been one significant development in the tire industry that can be described as revolutionary in the last 50 years.  In the last 5 years the significant developments are in the fields of control, RFID and small chemical fully automatic weighing and dosing.

ERJ: What do you see as main obstacles to the development of the tire manufacturing industry in the coming years?

JP: The main obstacles are:

ERJ: Which technologies will play the biggest role in shaping the ‘tire factory of the future’, and why?

JP: The technologies that will play the biggest role will be automation of material handling, curing and testing facilities.

ERJ: What major changes do you expect to see in tire manufacture and supply over the next few years?

JP: The major changes are for tire production moving back to Europe and the US and tire production separated from compounding.

ERJ: Any other comments?

JP: Tire companies become smaller in size, automated and specialised for certain types of tires and sizes.