Hankook drives 'digital transformation' with Amazon link-up

Neu-Isenburg, Germany – Hankook Tires has entered a strategic partnership with cloud computing provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) as part of an effort to drive “future oriented” product development.

The collaboration builds on Hankook's development of its "virtual compound design" (VCD), which predicts the material properties of tires and uses artificial intelligence to determine an optimal compound, the South Korean tire maker announced 20 Feb.

The AWS cloud platform, Hankook said, will enable the company to store the data obtained from the VCD system and to process and analyse them ‘efficiently’. 

“As we continue to drive our technological strategy, collaborating with AWS will enable Hankook to further strengthen these efforts,” said Soo Il Lee, president of Hankook Tire & Technology. 

According to Hankook, AWS offers a platform for the analysis of large amounts of data as well as "innovative solutions" for manufacturers who want to enter new business areas. 

Through the partnership, Hankook will be able to use digital high-tech solutions such as the machine learning application "Amazon SageMaker" to optimise product development. 

Amazon SageMaker is based on artificial intelligence and offers the possibility to analyse, prepare and provide relevant data in a "fully automated way" and to summarise the necessary conclusions into a prediction or action.

Hankook rebranded as a tire & technology company in May last year to strengthen its focus on R&D and future-oriented technologies.

The company expects its global R&D headquarters Hankook Technodome, opened in 2016, to enable it to focus on “qualitative tire development” and to increase competitiveness in the long term.