Yokohama Rubber has become a full member of the Global Data Service Organization for Tires and Automotive Components (GDSO), an international non-profit association promoting standardization and access to data related to tires. As a GDSO member, Yokohama Rubber said it will comply with industry standards promoting individual tire identification management.

GDSO seeks to establish global agreements on standardizing tire-related data, defining solutions using data access, developing the solutions for accessing tire data online and establishing a web-based service that will facilitate access to that data. With this regard, GDSO said it already developed a platform to allow tire’s data sharing starting from a serialized tire’s identity captured using different technologies, including the radio frequency identification (RFID). GDSO said it is working to create a new service to collect critical information along the tire’s life cycle.

Yokohama Rubber said it will participate in GDSO activities to promote the construction of a platform for utilizing various data related to tires. In addition, the company will comply with tire industry standards by providing access to accurate, reliable and up-to-date data on its tire data management platform and by developing and maintaining applications needed to access that data.

RFID is a wireless communication technology using radio waves to read and write data on tags embedded in a product without the need for physical contact with the product. Using RFID with tires will facilitate tire identification management, Yokohama Rubber said. In addition to enabling traceability, RFID is expected to raise the efficiency of inventory management and logistics at factories and warehouses. Yokohama Rubber said it has completed the technical development of tires equipped with RFID and going forward will consider how to enhance the customers’ needs leveraging on RFID technology using the specific data for a specific tire.