Yokohama to produce ‘world first’ self-repairing tires

Suzhou, China – Yokohama Rubber Co. (YRC) expects to begin producing what it has described as the “world’s first self-repairing tires" at its Suzhou plant in China later this year.

The project was announced during an academic signing ceremony with Suzhou University of Science and Technology earlier this month.

The project adopts "advanced safety technology that can effectively reduce the risk of blowouts caused by tire punctures,” said YRC in a statement 17 June.

Equipment is scheduled to be introduced at the Suzhou plant by September 2025, with production expected to begin within the year.

The initial production value is forecast to exceed Yuan10 million (€1.2 million), making this “a new high-value growth driver for the company,” said the YRC release.

In addition, YRC said it had signed a collaboration agreement with Suzhou University with focus on two core areas of technological breakthroughs and talent development.

The move is aimed at building “a deeply integrated industry-academia-research innovation ecosystem,” noted Yokohama Rubber (China) chairman and president Fan Ming.

The two parties “will jointly establish a laboratory to break through technical bottlenecks in tire development,” he said.

These include studying challenges such as tire safety and durability, and “efficiently translating” results into applications.

At the same time, the two will explore new models of joint talent development by creating internship and practical training bases.

The launch is “a concrete step in responding to China’s innovation-driven development strategy,” and marks “a milestone in building a shared future between government, academia, and industry,” said Fan Ming.