Tires Have Evolved

Tires Have Evolved

By Ydo Doornbos, Managing Director, Trelleborg Wheel Systems Americas, Inc.

Technological advances touch every aspect of our lives today.  Indoor plumbing, electricity, radio, tv, flight, internal combustion engines, not to mention the telephone, cellular phones, satellite tv, gps and the internet.  So, it should come as no surprise that technology has been altering the modern material handling industry as well.  We no longer use oxen to pull carts to move items, now we have modern, computer assisted, fully-loaded expensive modern machines to move cases of soda around the warehouse. 

As material handling equipment becomes more advanced, the tires that keep them rolling have had to keep up too.  We can no longer design tires the way we did 10 years ago.  New equipment is being designed using the latest technology and we are following suit. That being said, the basic concept of the tire hasn’t changed since stone rollers used to help build the pyramids – it’s the way we make them and the design that has changed. 

When solid tires were first developed, the concept was simple: make a tire that is shaped like a pneumatic tire but make it solid (full of rubber - hence, a pneumatic-shaped solid).  The idea was simple: stop downtime due to flats.  And, with the rubber on the inside, the tire did just that.  That solution worked for quite a few years.  Forklifts puttered along, avoiding flats while carrying their loads from point A to point B all the while rolling along on these new (technologically-advanced) solid tires.

Then, a few years later, the technology of material handling started to catch up to automobiles and we find equipment that accelerates quickly, reaches new high speeds, better breaking, smoother transmissions and better handling. 

Using these new technologies to model the modern trucks and stresses they put on tires, Trelleborg has been able to design new tires that can keep up with the demands of the new equipment. Where once “flat proofing” was sufficient, now the demands are for longer tire life, traction and energy efficiency. 

Longer tire life has become a primary focus for the industry; budgets are tight for end-users so we are focusing on giving them more for their investment. Trelleborg uses Control Deformation Matrix Technology (CDM) in our tire design. CDM is used to analyze how heat will buildup when the tire is in service and the potential stress points of the tire. The results are then taken and applied to the design to help improve how the heat is being distributed through the tire. By evenly distributing the heat we are able to reduce the risk of premature failures and help extend the life of the tire.

The tread designs of tires are evolving to increase the performance of the modern vehicles. In the past, resilient tires were designed to be smooth. This provided adequate traction on dry surfaces but left end-users at a disadvantage on wet surfaces. Traction plays an important role in the design of our tires. We have implemented designs that have more transitions in them. These transitions are designed to provide traction on smooth surfaces and drive water away from the floor in wet conditions. The modern designs allow the forklift operators to have more control and increased safety.

The media is continually highlighting green initiatives such as reducing carbon footprints, better energy efficiency and being environmentally friendly. Trelleborg focuses on producing tires with green characteristics. So you are probably wondering how a tire company can be green. We are constantly evaluating our compounds and testing new compounds to reduce the rolling resistance of our tires. Lower rolling resistance reduces the amount of energy needed to operate the equipment. Over the life of the tire, this reduction can lead to cost savings for the end-user.

Our 360 focus on customer satisfaction drives us to make sure our products are the best in the market. Trelleborg uses an extensive testing program for product testing. Only products that have successfully passed our testing applications are introduced into the marketplace.

Our testing program has three phases: compound testing, simulated testing and benchmark testing. Compound testing provides us with the data on how the rubber will react to heat and other stresses. Once a compound is finalized each batch of the rubber is tested prior to use in producing our products. Simulated testing takes place in the lab. The tires are mounted to wheels that constantly run to see how many hours of service the tire will withstand in a typical material handling application. The results from this test allow us to provide information to our customers on rolling resistance and hours of service. Benchmark testing is the most important phase of our testing. In this test we mount our tires on typical material handling equipment and put the machines into abusive situations. We test the tires at maximum speeds, making sharp turns and on rough surfaces. Once the testing is complete we review the data to determine if the product meets the Trelleborg standards of approval.

Our commitment to excellence does not stop there. Our competitor’s products are also tested so we know how ours perform in comparison to the rest of the marketplace. All tires are tested in the same conditions simultaneously so we can ensure all results are impartial.

Manufacturing of the products has also evolved. Computer equipment is now used to ensure that the proper ingredients are used when mixing compounds. The advances in curing of tires have allowed more safety in the manufacturing process. Trelleborg operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka. By owning our manufacturing facility we are able to ensure that we are continuing to use the best technology in the production of our tires.

In the age of Facebook, Google and 4G networks and hyperlinks, it’s good to know that the world of rubber – started back in 1887 with the first rubber tires – is still rolling along and keeping up with speed of modern life. The needs of the modern material handling equipment are constantly changing and Trelleborg is focused on keeping up with the changes..

About the Author:


Ydo Doornbos has more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience within the material handling industry. For the past five years he has served as the Managing Director of Trelleborg Wheel Systems Americas, Inc. He has held the following positions in Trelleborg: Regional Manager in Belgium, Marketing Manager in Belgium and the Director of Marketing, OEM and Customer Service for the Americas.

During his time as Managing Director he has focused on customer needs. Trelleborg has launched several products that have been requested by customers.