At the same time, three one-day

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1 english section ReifenTECHNIK Eurotyre Conference organized by VDI At the beginning of November, the first international two-day Eurotyre Conference organized by the VDI (Association of German Engineers) took place in Brussels. The broad range of presentations comprised legal regulations as well as innovative technical developments. Jean-Pierre Jeusette from Goodyear Innovation Center in Luxembourg guided through the conference. At the same time, three one-day workshops took place, which focused on the topics Tyre Industry in China, Worldwide Legal Tyre Regulations and Tyre Testing. About 100 people taking part in this new international platform of expert talks revealed that there was a high need for an exchange of ideas between representatives of the tyre industry, OEMs, suppliers and research institutes. Several suppliers and service providers presented themselves in an exposition held simultaneously. Our trade magazine AutoRäderReifen- Gummibereifung was also there as media partner and was able to get an idea of this high-quality event. As it is impossible to cover the broad range of talks in one article, we concentrated on the requirements of the vehicle industry on tyre manufacturers in the first part of our media coverage. Darren Wells, President of Goodyear s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) inaugurated the conference and introduced the topic. He stressed with his words the importance of constant communication and dialogue between all the parties involved, which means lawmakers, vehicle and tyre industry as well as research institutes. At the end of his talk he outlined eight mega industrial trends: 1. Increasing gross domestic product in emerging markets will boost growth of the tyre market 2. Further innovations concerning tyre sizes and product portfolio will cause profitable market segments in developed markets 3. High-quality technological systems and tyres will be found in middle-class vehicles 4. Green technologies (fuel saving) will remain a permanently growing global topic 5. The tyre label will become an industry standard 6. Internet and IT-communication will change the consumers behaviour 7. Industrial development will be more pushed by evolution than revolution 8. Changing consumer expectations will influence global tyre markets During the further events representatives of the vehicle industry illustrated what kind of challenges tyre manufacturers will have to face when developing tyres. Victor Underberg, a representative of Audi AG, talked about the rising diversity in the model policy and the linked increase in tyre specifications About 100 participants took part in the first Eurotyre Conference organized by the VDI. 116 AutoRäderReifen - Gummibereifung

2 Audi s increase in the variety of models from 1999 to 2014 caused a rise in tyre sizes and specifications at the same time. New challenges for the tyre development Tyre program cars in production 1999 vs Victor Underberg Audi AG VDI EUROTYRE of summer and winter tyres. Audi s range of models consisted of ten vehicles in the year Audi, however, built already 22 vehicles with a growing tendency in This will of course have an impact on the different tyre sizes. While there were only eleven sizes in 1999, the number has risen to 64 until The growing complexity becomes extremely obvious with regard to winter tyres. Different requirements and worldwide regional differences resulted into an increase in tyre sizes from a total number of then 10 to 121 in Concerning all-season tyres the number of tyre sizes grew from one to 17 in Europe. The range of products rose from eight in 1999 to 56 tyre dimensions in the rest of the regions in There is no limit to this increase in sight. During the development phase of a new vehicle model the tyre and rim programme is simultaneously carried out. This includes defining and prioritizing target ranges. The tyre and rim programme depends on several variable factors. Apart from the vehicle weight and the vehicle architecture it is very important where the model will be used. The development of tyres focuses on design, handling and traction as well as the well known tyre label values. Moreover, there are several further characteristic features an OEM expects from a tyre manufacturer and its product. Among others there are also regional road and climate conditions. Spikes are necessary in Scandinavian countries. Developers at Audi concentrate on robust tyres in countries with relatively poor road networks. Furthermore, the relevant legal regulations have to be taken into account too. There are generally different requirements for each continent and country with regard to homologation, which affect the tyre too as e.g. the EU tyre label is mandatory in Europe. The complexity for the tyre industry is even enhanced, as there is a need for developing an OE tyre and a tyre for the replacement market, which is appropriate for each vehicle model and niche market. Thus, tyre developers have to pay close attention to where in the world the tyre is to be used. A winter tyre with M+S designation and areas of application in North America could be totally inappropriate for use in Europe due to different climatic conditions or speeds driven. The requirements of truck vehicle manufacturers on truck tyres were clarified in a further talk. Karsten Wehner from the truck business unit at Daimler AG explained that vehicle manufacturers focus on a reduction of fuel consumption. Although only five per cent of the costs refer to a tyre, at the same time it is responsible for 40 per cent of fuel costs. Thus, tyre purchase plays a crucial role. The requirements on so-called OE truck tyres are absolutely comparable to those in the passenger car segment. There you can also find requirements, which differ according to the worldwide regional location and area of use, legal regulations and individual vehicle types. Rolling resistance, however, will continue to be a dominating topic for all the new products. (oth) AutoRäderReifen - Gummibereifung

3 english section Vipal runs two production plants: here you can see production in the city of Feira de Santaba in Brazil. Vipal Rubber Selected products for each market segment Vipal Borrachas, a Brazilian retreading group, which has existed for more than forty years, distributes the brands Vipal and Ruzi. According to the company s own information it is market leader in this sector in Latin America. The company employs about 3,000 people, who manufacture the products for retreading in two production plants. One plant is located in the city of Nova Prata and one in Feira de Santana in Bahia with a total area of 160,000 m2. Furthermore, Vipal disposes of three distribution centres in Brazil. The company exports to all the continents and has distribution centres in South America, North America, Europe and the Asian-Pacific area at its disposal. The company s quest for excellent quality and environmental friendliness turned Vipal into the market leader in Latin America and one of the internationally leading manufacturers of retreading material for tyres. Today, Vipal supplies about 90 countries worldwide among which Europe, Latin America and the USA are the most important export markets. In order to meet the requirements of each individual market - from technical prerequisites to cultural, geographical and legal differences - the company invests into the development of tailor-made products for optimum performance according to the geographical location. Moreover, the group offers comprehensive support for international customers with authorized retreading centres, fixed regional teams of employees and its own distribution centres in strategic places. In 1973, Vipal Rubber was founded in Nova Prata in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The company, which employs 3,000 members of staff, owns two production plants, one in the city of Nova Prata and one in Feira de Santana in Bahia with a total area of 160,000 m², as well as three distribution centres in Brazil. Vipal, which was the first Brazilian company in the industry certified according to ISO 9002, is now also certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2008. Since the opening of Vipal s distribution centre in Hamburg, it has continuously been increasing its market share in Germany. The company focuses on improving its logistics for this market. Additionally, the team is to concentrate on specific support of the customers. An experienced technician was already employed for the technical support. From this year on, a special trade representative will be responsible for this market and will take care of the customers on site. Thus, a high-quality product portfolio and a firstclass service offer both in the production

4 plants of the customers and concerning fleet maintenance will be available for strategic customers of the brands Vipal and Ruzi. The group management approved of the plans for 2015 and the market will already have noticed the differentiated approach of the company since January. The quality of Vipal s products and services was worldwide tested in field tests by customers. Furthermore, tests were carried out at VipalTec, which prove remarkable performance and savings concerning fuel consumption. Due to its big range of preformed treads, Vipal disposes of handy system solutions for all the different terrains and areas of use. The customers will especially appreciate the high number of possibilities. Certified quality Vipal was the first Brazilian company in the industry certified according to ISO 9001:2008 and acquired a certificate of tested performance of its retreading line by IFBQ/Inmetro. Vipal s outstanding designs, which were exclusively planned by its research and development department in order to achieve optimum performance and fuel saving are to support the company s standing out from the competition. Vipal Borrachas has as well a department responsible for the composition of the compounds, called Vipal Compostos, which supplies rubber compounds for the most important tyre manufacturers. The compounds are produced in a customer-specific way both based on formulas developed by Vipal Vipal offers the appropriate tread for each purpose. itself or based on specifications provided by the customer. All the compounds are submitted to several tests and reviews. Apart from an exclusive design Vipal offers good quality and very low costs per kilometre too. Thus, the tread VT190 e.g. shows good performance on snow-covered and muddy roads. The design was particularly developed for the European and North American market. Its open block and shoulder design allows good traction and strong water drainage. The brand Ruzi is not only renowned for both its continuous technical progress and the quality of each of its products, but it is also considered as a reference brand among tyre retreading companies and hauliers because of its practical and reasonable solutions. Multiple-brand tyre retreading companies regard Ruzi as an advantageous, low-priced and high-quality option, which is guaranteed by the decade-long know-how of Vipal Borrachas. (oth) Vipal produces of course socalled eco treads. AutoRäderReifen - Gummibereifung

5 english section Retreading Increasing price pressure on retreaded tyres Price pressure in wholesale trade and specialized tyre trade is not only increasing in the passenger car tyre segment. Professional retreading companies are also affected, as they can choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. You can find about 70 mostly familyrun, medium-sized retreading companies only in Germany, which suffer from the current situation. The number of companies offering retreading is even higher in the rest of Europe. Our editors spoke with Hans-Jürgen Drechsler, Managing Director of the German Federal Association of Tyre Trade and Vulcanizing (BRV) about the present situation of retreading and its future perspective. Mr. Drechsler, do the companies focusing on retreading find themselves under strong price pressure due to reasonable or even cheap tyres from China, which might even threaten their livelihood? The general not tremendously rosy market situation for truck tyres affects new and retreaded tyres in a similar way. According to the current preliminary figures of the truck tyre replacement business the quantities are at last year s already very low - level (based on wdk sell-out statistics at +0.2 per cent). Thus, according to our estimations the relation of new tyres compared to retreaded tyres did not change in 2014 (1.73 million new tyres and 0.97 million retreaded tyres), which means that the so-called retreading ratio is still at about 36% in Germany. How could the situation be defused for quality retreading companies? I have to admit that retreaded truck tyres, which means those produced by free and independent retreading companies in Germany but also in Europe have to cope with tremendous pressure. On the one hand they suffer from intensified activities carried out by new tyre manufacturers in the retreading business like e.g. by Continental s new retreading plant at its headquarters in Hanover but also by many others, which additionally take quality carcasses away from the market for their own retreading. On the other hand they face intensified price-related activities especially with regard to cheap Chinese truck tyres. This refers to actually cheap tyres of mostly minor quality and not to Chinese truck tyres in general. Will it still be possible to make a profit in retreading? There is absolutely no doubt that the at least at the moment strongly felt price dumping of individual Chinese manufacturers/importers has a tendency of shaking particularly free and independent retreading companies to the core. As a consequence, we are checking the actual price level of Chinese truck tyres in Germany (BRV) and in Europe (BI- PAVER) at the moment. Nonetheless, we are having a look at the Chinese market itself, where prices partly seem to have increased considerably compared to the Chinese market and retreaded tyres. If this situation were to be proven with sound reasons, we would be able to initiate European anti-dumping proceedings. Nevertheless, we stick to the opinion that free and independent retreading companies will be able to hold their ground in Germany and Europe despite choppy waters due to the quality of their products and their flexibility towards customers. Will the EU be likely to create competition in this segment or will the concepts of the tyre industry be preferred? With regard to the EU it could only be said that especially the EU makes use of several different programmes in order to support and develop small and medium-sized companies (SME) in Europe. The ReTyre-Project is the most well known project in the area of retreading at the moment. This indicates that concepts of SME and not of the tyre industry will be preferred. Will the EU be interested in increasing the recycling ratio, especially concerning truck tyres? The EU is aware of the fact that retreading is essential for saving resources and so to speak it stands for the first step of tyre recycling. As a consequence, it will be supported and developed. Olaf Tewes, Editor-in-chief, talked with Hans-Jürgen Drechsler. Retreading of truck tyres, like here in the Pneuhage plant in Nossen, contributes considerably to saving resources. 120 AutoRäderReifen - Gummibereifung

6 puls Study Unexhausted market potentials in individualization business The trend of individualization can also be noticed in the automotive industry. Small cars like Opel Adam ( Find YOUR Adam / Finde DEINEN Adam ), the re-launched Fiat 500, Audi A1, Toyota iq or Hyundai i10 are forerunners. The trend consists of special models like Black & White Editions, styling kits, mounted parts like spoilers, sidebars, rear diffusers or personalization via the owner s signature in appropriate areas on or in the vehicle. Puls, a market research institute in Nürnberg, announced this as result of its current study called Tuning Trends. The high number of visitors at the Essen Motor Show illustrates that refining vehicles is very popular among car owners and many car enthusiasts. What does it finally mean for dealers that there seems to be an interest in the tuning business? Answers will be found in the results of the puls study, which was based on questioning 1,001 car buyers in Germany. First of all, the puls market researchers asked the participants of the study whether they had intended including an individualization of the vehicle when buying the current new car, which meant additionally buying tuning parts or accessories. Then the experts wanted to know whether the respondents really had bought tuning parts or accessories when buying the current new car. According to the results of the study, one in three German buyer of new cars planned buying accessories for individualization. About only 15 per cent of the respondents, however, really put the idea of individualization into practice. According to market researchers, this revealed Puls asked about the plans concerning the purchase of tuning parts and accessories and actually putting the plans into practice. Would you like a little bit more? First-class tuning was offered in Essen. unexhausted market potentials in the automotive individualization business. The study showed that there were extraordinarily high market potentials concerning people under the age of 30, as nearly 44 per cent planned buying accessories for individualization, whereas the buying ratio only reached significantly lower 4.3 per cent. Responsible people of the study recommend reducing the use of the term tuning in order to exhaust potentials in this growth market. The market researchers also checked what spontaneous associations the participants had concerning the term tuning. Germany s car buyers associate primarily (17.4 per cent) high motor performance with the topic tuning. Accessory parts like rims or exhaust pipes (16.4 per cent), sound volume (11.6 per cent) and boasting (9.5 per cent). Furthermore, the results of the study indicated that individualization was more easily connected with expressing one s own personality. Our study demonstrates that automotive brands and car dealers should build up competence for individualization, Dr. Konrad Weßner, Managing Director at puls, commented the results. As individualization stands for an opportunity to get rid off exchangeability and comparability, this mega trend could develop into a driver of profitability and a feature of differentiation for automotive manufacturers and dealers. (akl) AutoRäderReifen - Gummibereifung