IATF 16949 certification for Brisa’s Aksaray plant
Brisa, the Turkish joint venture between Bridgestone and Sabanci Holding, reports that its factory in Aksaray has gained IATF 16949 certification. Based upon ISO 9001, this international standard demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to quality, continuous improvement, and meeting customer-specific requirements within the automotive supply chain. Brisa’s Izmit plant has held IATF 16949 certification since 2007.
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Apollo Aspire 5 heading to Europe
In June, Apollo Tyres debuted its latest ultra-high-performance tyre in India, the Apollo Aspire 5. Billed as a product that “brings together adventure and comfort,” the range launched in sizes for 17- to 20-inch rims and W/Y speed ratings, and will soon be available in global markets, including Europe. Apollo Tyres comments that “this tyre has been developed and is being manufactured in India, for India and the world.”
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Olympian Sami Jauhojärvi becomes Radar Tyres ambassador
Radar Tyres, the flagship brand of Omni United, has appointed Sami Jauhojärvi, Olympic gold medallist and one of Finland’s most celebrated cross-country skiers, as its official brand ambassador. As part of the collaboration, Jauhojärvi will represent Radar Tyres in marketing campaigns, digital outreach, and local events, sharing his experiences and supporting the brand’s mission to “make premium-quality tyres more accessible.”
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Bridgestone opens new Queensland, Australia distribution centre
On Friday 4 July 2025, Bridgestone and Port of Brisbane announced the official opening of the new site in Lytton, Queensland becoming the tyre company’s largest distribution centre in Australia. The occasion was marked by a ceremonial ribbon cutting attended by representatives from Bridgestone and the Port of Brisbane. According to the company, the distribution centre “offers substantial enhancements in safety and efficiency compared to the former Hendra site and is developed to support Bridgestones ongoing growth in Queensland and Northern NSW.”
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Tokai Carbon suffers data breach
On Friday 16 May 2025, the ID and password of one employee of Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd. were wrongfully used by a third party, resulting in an unauthorized access to the company’s cloud storage system and leak of personal information belonging to 10,469 individuals. In response, the company has implemented security enhancements, including stronger unauthorized login prevention for its cloud storage system.
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Tokai Carbon completes sale of German graphite electrode business
Bridgestone Corporation has agreed to sell Bridgestone Carbon Black (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (BSCB), a group company engaged in the manufacture and sale of carbon black, to Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd. and Thai Tokai Carbon Product Co. Ltd. (Tokai Carbon). For its part, Tokai Carbon specified that the acquisition will be conducted jointly with Thai Tokai Carbon Product Co., Ltd. (TCP). Tokai Carbon will acquire 1 per cent and TCP will acquire 99 per cent of the shares and BSCB is expected to become a consolidated subsidiary.
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Bridgestone has sold its Thai carbon black business to Tokai Carbon
Bridgestone Corporation has agreed to sell Bridgestone Carbon Black (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (BSCB), a group company engaged in the manufacture and sale of carbon black, to Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd. and Thai Tokai Carbon Product Co. Ltd. (Tokai Carbon). For its part, Tokai Carbon specified that the acquisition will be conducted jointly with Thai Tokai Carbon Product Co., Ltd. (TCP). Tokai Carbon will acquire 1 per cent and TCP will acquire 99 per cent of the shares and BSCB is expected to become a consolidated subsidiary.
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EcoVadis Silver, new plant approval for Pyrum Innovations
Pyrum Innovations AG is once again the recipient of a silver EcoVadis Sustainability rating, having achieved a score that puts it among the highest eight per cent of companies assessed in the “recovery of recyclable materials” sector. In addition, the tyre recycling specialist has gained approval to start work on its latest plant.
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Black Star marks 500,000th retreaded ‘Leonard’ tyre at Bethune
Four years after we learnt of the project and a bit more than three years after retreaded tyre production started in January 2022, in June 2025, French retreading operation Black Star announced that it has achieved the milest of remanufacturing 500,000 tyres at its facility on the former Bridgestone new tyre factory in Béthune, France. According to the company, this symbolic milestone “embodies the success of an ambitious industrial project, the strength of a committed collective, and confirmation that another path to more sustainable mobility is possible”.
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ADAC testing – Michelin best for tyre particle reduction
Michelin has commented on the results of an ADAC evaluation of tyre abrasion that shows its tyres perform better than other brands. The French manufacturer believes these results “illustrate the innovative efforts made by Michelin to offer tyres that perform throughout their lives, combining excellent lifespan, reduced particle emissions, and minimum raw material consumption.”
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>4000 EP Tyres recalled in USA
Across the Atlantic, on 3 June 2025, PT Elangperdana Tyre Industry (which trades as EP Tyres) received a letter from the US National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) stating that the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance had tested the Indonesian tyremakers LT265/65R18 Accelera Omikron A/T tyres for compliance with FMVSS 139, the local new, light vehicle, pneumatic radial tyre legislation. According to NHTSA’s letter, testing conducted by Smithers MCE, Inc. identified a sidewall separation near the bead area during the post-test visual inspection, constituting “possible noncompliance”.
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US tyre business loses >$5 million due to ‘widespread financial misconduct’
“Widespread financial misconduct” has been found within a “Latin American subsidiary of a U.S.-based tyre distributor” after a tyre firm called in FTI Consulting to conduct a “forensic investigation to identify and address the root causes of the issues…”. Writing in a case study, FTI Consulting reports that its forensic investigation “uncovered a scheme involving unauthorized vendor payments, kickbacks and inventory manipulation that had been concealed by employees for personal financial gain.”
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Hankook launches iON HT for electric light trucks
Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook) has launched the iON HT, a highway-terrain tyre engineered specifically for electric light-duty trucks. Featuring an “XL” load designation, the iON HT is specially engineered to provide “extra strength and rigidity to accommodate additional cargo with regular light-truck usage, and the heavy battery packs inherent to electric platforms”.
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Exmile: From nothing to three factories in less than 2 decades
Following on from the preview we published in June, what follows is the concluding part of interview with Exmile founder and chief executive, Michael Zhang. See the July edition of Tyres & Accessories for the complete interview and further coverage of what took place at this years Guangrao Tyre Exhibition as well as news from the Chinese tyre industry in general. 20 years ago, Exmile didn’t exist. Meeting Michael Zhang during the course of the recent Guangaro Tyre Exhibition in Shandong Province revealed a unique personal biography that has led to the establishment and development of an uncommon company. From the start, quality has been prioritized over quantity at the same time that executives have invested in the brand over short-term sales wins.
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Guy Heywood retires from Hankook, continues consultancy work
At the start of 2025, Guy Heywood stepped down from his role as vice president of sales, marketing and business strategy at Hankook Europe to take up the role of vice president supporting Hankook in Europe as an “internal consultant” and with “strategic projects management”. On 3 July Heywood took to LinkedIn to share the news that he had started a new position as senior consultant at SPG Impact. Hankook representatives confirmed the news, but there are currently no further details relating to how Heywood’s retirement impacts the European organisation.
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