Continental Tire’s executive vice president for truck tires in the Americas, Paul Williams, addressed the state of the industry for the next decade during a press conference at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
Looking forward, Williams said Continental’s emphasis on research and development allows the company to not just respond to, but anticipate market demands. He said Continental’s tire division is prepared for several transportation challenges for the next decade and beyond, including:
Public Transit: Americans took a record 10 billion public transit trips in 2013 and public transit outpaced vehicle miles traveled. Continental predicts that urban bus and motorcoach will initially be the fastest-growing public transit areas.
Cargo and Shipping: With the estimated opening of the Panama Canal expansion in 2015, Continental believes port shipments can double in the next 10 years. “Today we are helping port operators and shippers with their tire needs, by making available in North America our full new line of Continental commercial specialty tires for the port business,” Williams said.
Construction: The Obama administration has proposed a 2015 budget that includes $10 billion over four years covering highway, rail and port projects. Next year, American construction is expected to increase by 10% for airports and terminals; 6% for bridges and overpasses; and 5% for heavy and light rail. “Medium duty trucks and class 4 and 5 pickup trucks will take on a great deal of this work…Continental has already begun expanding our portfolio of 19.5-inch truck tires by increasing the fuel efficiency of our OE tires, the HSR and HDR,” Williams said.
Shifting Traffic Patterns: The new generation of urban workers is in an anti-commuting mindset and the nation’s largest cities are growing faster than the rest of America, Williams said
Environment: The market demand for retreads is expected to increase by nearly 17% by 2018, Williams said, adding Continental is pioneering raw material research with its project to industrialize low environmental impact natural rubber from dandelions in Germany, where a new pilot facility is under construction.
Technologies: Traffic congestion remains an increasing problem in America – growing 6% last year. In order to reduce this economic drain, Continental predicts that connected vehicles and automated technologies will be enabled in the next decade to allow for wireless traffic sensing, road hazards and even inspections. Williams said the company’s engineers are already testing such tire sensors, and added Continental has made a significant upgrade to its ContiPressureCheck TPMS with automated trailer learning capabilities.
For information on the new truck tires unveiled by Continental at MATS, click here.
