Toyo Tire details R&D, production process initiatives to grow markets

Tokyo – Toyo Tire Corp. is leveraging its ‘optimal’ production, supply-chain and digital-based R&D capabilities to help advance its position in the global tire market.

A particular focus is on optimising production at each of its plants to increase flexibility to respond to customer needs and changes in supply and demand, Toyo said in its recently issued integrated report 2023.

For example, the tire maker is “gradually increasing” production capacity at its manufacturing facility in the US to support “tremendous” demand for large-diameter tires for SUVs and pickup trucks.

“We have also updated facilities at our Japanese plants and set aside capacity at our Serbia factory… to fulfil supplies to North America,” Toyo production vice president Masami Miyamori noted in the report.

Toyo is also standardising operations and removing dependency on ‘individual efforts or skills’ – a programme being supported by the introduction of “new production systems.”

Furthermore, the Japanese group is adopting a ‘tri-polar’ approach to R&D, using its three bases in Japan, the US and Europe.

To keep up with “major transformations” within the car industry, Toyo is linking its ‘nano balance’ rubber material platform to its T-Mode tire design platform.

The goal is to create “the ideal rubber material by predicting, creating functions, precisely controlling, and observing and discovering the properties of the various materials used in tire rubber at the nano-level.”

To achieve that, Toyo is using AI in tire design and driving simulators to simulate aerodynamics and snow traction of tires and analyse patterns of product-performance in increased detail.

Within its R&D centre in Japan, Toyo said it is focused on the development of “high-performance technologies,” using 'big data' and AI.

In North America, R&D is customer-oriented, cooperating with the local marketing department to respond to demand.

In Europe, meanwhile, the R&D unit is focused on next-generation mobility, with special focus on using advanced materials to meet the requirements of electric vehicle manufacturers.