SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Jan. 30, 2025 –The Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence have revealed the shortlisted nominees for the 2025 awards. The winners will be announced at the Tire Technology Expo 2025 in Hannover, Germany, which is just under six weeks away.
The awards are judged by a panel of experts from the tire industry and academia, and recognize the outstanding achievements of tire manufacturers, suppliers, and researchers.
Environmental Achievement of the Year – Tire Design
The nominees for the Environmental Achievement of the Year – Tire Design award are:
- Bridgestone – Potenza Sport A
- Falken – Ziex ZE320
- Goodyear – ElectricDrive Sustainable-Material (EDS) tire
- Michelin – Motorsport tire demonstrator
- Pirelli – P Zero Winter 2
These tires have been recognized for their innovative designs that reduce environmental impact, such as the use of sustainable materials, improved fuel efficiency, and reduced emissions.
Environmental Achievement of the Year – Manufacturing
The nominees for the Environmental Achievement of the Year – Manufacturing award are:
- The BioButterfly demonstration plant
- ColorService – Anti-Dust Kit and Cyclone
- Continental – CO2-neutral production at Lousado
- Firestone Liberia
- HF Group – Electric curing
- Rodolfo Comerio TIElemetry
These companies have been recognized for their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of tire manufacturing, such as the use of renewable energy, the reduction of waste, and the development of more sustainable manufacturing processes.
Environmental Achievement of the Year – Industry Contribution
The nominees for the Environmental Achievement of the Year – Industry Contribution award are:
- Hankook production using certified carbon black
- Michelin – SAMPLE system
- Nokian inaugurates zero-CO2 -emission factory in Romania
- VMI – LAT100 Dynamic Abrasion Test
These companies have been recognized for their contributions to the tire industry's efforts to reduce its environmental impact, such as the development of new technologies, the promotion of sustainable practices, and the support of environmental initiatives.
Materials Innovation of the Year
The nominees for the Materials Innovation of the Year award are:
- Bekaert – Mega Tensile
- Continental – Re.Tex roll-out
- Reselo and Nokian Tyres – Reselo biorubber
- Silox – ActiECO+ Green
These companies have been recognized for their innovative use of materials in tire manufacturing, such as the development of new materials, the use of recycled materials, and the improvement of existing materials.
R&D Breakthrough of the Year
The nominees for the R&D Breakthrough of the Year award are:
- Continental – Rolling resistance-optimized rubber compound in Conti EfficientPro 5
- Dufournier – Tire Performance Database
- Endurica/ARDL coupled structural simulation
- Michelin – SmartWear
- SRI – Active Tread
- Yokohama – XAI tire design support system
These companies have been recognized for their breakthroughs in tire research and development, such as the development of new technologies, the improvement of existing technologies, and the advancement of tire science.
Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year
The nominees for the Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year award are:
- Comerio Ercole – SuperCut: cutting unit for rubberized calendering process
- Continental – Otrokovice warehouse
- Rodolfo Comerio – RC Advanced Cut and Ultimate Winding
- VMI – Integrated quality monitoring for MAXX and MILEXX platforms
These companies have been recognized for their innovations in tire manufacturing, such as the development of new manufacturing processes, the improvement of existing manufacturing processes, and the implementation of new technologies.
Tire Industry Supplier of the Year
The nominees for the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year award are:
- ARP Technologies
- Bekaert
- Black Donuts Engineering
- Comerio Ercole
- Rodolfo Comerio
- Uzer Makina
- VMI
These companies have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to the tire industry, such as the supply of high-quality products and services, the development of innovative technologies, and the support of tire manufacturers.
Tire Concept of the Year
The nominees for the Tire Concept of the Year award are:
- Bridgestone – Lunar Concept
- Continental – Conti Urban NXT
- Galileo – SkidCup 2024
- Nokian and UPM – sustainable concept tire
These companies have been recognized for their innovative tire concepts, such as the development of new tire designs, the exploration of new technologies, and the envisioning of future tire applications.
Tire of the Year
The nominees for the Tire of the Year award are:
- Apollo – Vredestein Ultrac+
- Continental – Conti Eco Gen 5
- Hankook – Ventus Evo
- Michelin – Primacy 5
- Toyo Tires – Proxes Sport 2
These tires have been recognized for their outstanding performance, quality, and value, as well as their contributions to the tire industry.
Tire Manufacturer of the Year
The nominees for the Tire Manufacturer of the Year award are:
- Bridgestone
- Continental
- Michelin
- Nokian Tyres
- Pirelli
- SRI
- Yokohama
These companies have been recognized for their outstanding achievements in tire manufacturing, such as the production of high-quality tires, the development of innovative technologies, and the leadership in the tire industry.
The Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence are a prestigious recognition of the achievements of the tire industry. The winners will be announced at the Tire Technology Expo 2025 in Hannover, Germany.