By Patrick Raleigh, Crain News Service
COLOGNE, Germany (Feb. 24, 2015) — Tire makers should do more to bring their major suppliers in on development projects with automotive OEMs, an Audi A.G. manager has warned.
Audi has to deal with increasingly complex challenges around the development of tires and wheel/tire systems for new vehicles, according to Thomas Roschler, head of development, wheels/tires/TPMS, testing unit, for Audi, speaking at Tire Technology Expo, held Feb. 10-12 in Cologne.
These challenges, he said, include increases in customer demands, regulations and regional requirements as well as the growing variety of models coming on the market.
The way forward involves “establishing what we want early in the development process,” Mr. Roschler said.
“We have our macro-level knowledge of [tire] technology,” Mr. Roschler told Tire Business after his Tire Technology presentation. “The tire makers have their in-depth knowledge, and suppliers to the tire makers have their special expertise.”
The latter group, however, is not sufficiently involved in the process around the design and testing of tires during the vehicle-development stage.
“This cannot go on,” Mr. Roschler said. “We need to bring the suppliers to the discussions at the table.”
Patrick Raleigh is editor of European Rubber Journal, a United Kingdom-based sister publication of Tire Business.
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].