Emerging Trends in Tire Manufacturing and their Impact on Plant Reconfiguration

The tire industry is undergoing a profound transformation due to electrification, sustainability, smart technologies, and automation. This paper presents some of the strategic and technical evolutions due to these shifts: the evolving performance requirements for Electric Vehicles (EV) tires (increased load capacity, enhanced wear resistance, and reduced rolling resistance); the innovations in tire materials and design that support both energy efficiency and environmental goals and smart tire technologies for predictive maintenance and real-time data integration. Then, digitalization and reconfiguration of tire manufacturing plants to adapt to these changing drivers are presented. Some examples on how some major tire manufacturers are changing products and processes to remain competitive are also presented. In the specific, the case of Goodyear is discussed in more details to illustrate how a global tire manufacturer can align product development, factory modernization, and sustainability targets under mounting cost and regulatory pressures.