Tyre innovation vs production pressure: can SA keep pace?

While South African tyre producers face uphill battles, global innovation is accelerating at pace. This makes balancing cost and safety against sustainability and performance an increasingly complex task for fleet operators, as JULIA TEW reports.

The country’s four main tyre producers – Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Dunlop) – have a collective capacity to manufacture over 8 million tyres annually. Around 8 million tyres were imported in 2024 – predominantly Chinese and low-cost tyres – while informal dealers sold growing numbers of illicit imports and unsafe second-hand tyres.

Previously, in response to these “global dynamics” threatening to overshadow local endeavours, the South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC) launched the Homegrown initiative in 2023, calling on South Africans to rally behind their local tyre industry and contribute towards a “vibrant economic landscape”.

“Our top priorities are advancing regulatory alignment, promoting the use of locally manufactured tyres, and ensuring fair competition in the domestic market,” states Jacques Rikhotso, SATMC chairperson and MD of Bridgestone Southern Africa. “We’re focused on three key levers: ensuring regulatory parity for all players, enhancing local manufacturing competitiveness and driving consumer awareness around quality, safety and sustainability.”

It was SATMC that successfully lobbied for the imposition of anti-dumping duties on Chinese-sourced passenger, truck and bus tyres – ranging from 7.18 to 43.6% – to address dumping of imported tyres on the local market.

Recent developments show the situation is evolving: in 2025, the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) initiated anti-circumvention investigations and imposed provisional anti-dumping payments against tyre companies suspected of routing Chinese tyres via Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia – a “country-hopping” tactic believed to undermine existing duties. These measures will remain in place until the investigation is concluded. 

The desired changes have not fully materialised, though. “Unfortunately, the anti-dumping measures on tyres have been ineffective, resulting in loopholes, which has exacerbated the issue,” explains Denise van Huyssteen, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber. “It is now cheaper to import tyres from Asian markets than to manufacture them locally in South Africa.”

Squeeze on local production

Multiple plant closures have impacted domestic production in recent years, starting with the shuttering of Bridgestone’s bias tyre manufacturing plant in Gqeberha in 2020. “Streamlining” efforts saw Goodyear close its 78-year-old tyre plant in Kariega just months after ContiTech said it was closing its conveyor belt plant in the same city. Job losses were significant.

Cheap tyre imports are just one of many factors putting “massive pressure” on local tyre manufacturers, says Van Huyssteen. Other issues she lists include logistics challenges; a lack of service delivery at a municipal level; inadequate maintenance of electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure; and above-inflation input costs for essential services.

She also cites increased costs relating to safety and security. Criminals have been targeting tyre producers via their logistics network, with Mooi River on the N3 corridor repeatedly flagged as a hotspot for the hijacking of tyre trucks.

Furthermore, the Chamber is concerned about the impact of the US’s recent tariff policies. South African tyres, which used to enjoy duty-free access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), have been subject to tariffs since the AGOA provisions expired – a situation that local industry players say increases export costs and dampens competitiveness.

If trends like these continue, within five years imports could make up 70% of all tyres sold locally, warns SATMC.

Technology boosts innovation

The industry outlook is not all doom and gloom, though. Globally, tyre manufacturers are racing to deliver greater efficiency, safety and sustainability through new technologies – and South Africa’s fleets are well positioned to benefit from these advances.

Smart and connected tyres are gaining traction in commercial applications. Goodyear’s SightLine technology and Continental’s ContiConnect Live enable real-time monitoring of pressure, temperature and wear, alerting operators before failures occur. Bridgestone’s Total Tyre Care platform goes a step further, linking data directly to fleet management systems.

“Digitalisation allows us to move from reactive to predictive maintenance,” says Bridgestone’s Rikhotso. “That’s where the real cost savings lie – in uptime and fuel efficiency.”

Beyond connectivity, materials science is reshaping performance. Dunlop’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, recently unveiled a 3D visualisation method that captures the internal rubber structure of tyres in microscopic detail – a world-first achieved with Kyoto University. The research enables compounds that better resist wear, heat and deformation, directly improving tyre life in demanding freight conditions.

Meanwhile, Continental has made measurable strides in water-efficient production, cutting water use by 10% per tonne of product since 2020, and aiming for a 90% recycling rate by 2030. These operational efficiencies not only reduce environmental impact, but also lower manufacturing costs over time.

Across the broader global market, other tyre makers like Michelin are expanding connected tyre platforms and predictive analytics tools to further reduce downtime and improve maintenance – underscoring a wider industry shift toward intelligent tyres.

Although futuristic ideas such as 3D-printed treads, airless tyres and self-healing polymers are still in prototype phases, experts expect niche commercial applications (like last-mile electric fleets) to emerge within the decade.

End-of-life responsibility

Globally, an estimated one billion tyres reach the end of their useful lives every year. As environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting becomes a requirement for many transport contracts, tyre lifecycle data – from sourcing to disposal – is becoming a contractual obligation. The management of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) in environmentally sound and productive ways continues to be a high priority of the Tire Industry Project (TIP), the industry’s primary global forum on sustainability topics. TIP has supported extensive research on ELT management systems globally and has published its findings. 

While circularity and sustainability slowly gain business attention in South Africa, industry collaboration around waste tyre recycling is gathering momentum. SATMC was appointed to the Waste Tyre Management Industry Advisory Committee to help support the Waste Tyre Management Plan approved by Cabinet in March 2024. The plan seeks to improve collection rates and ensure ELTs are processed responsibly rather than dumped or burned. Other bodies represented on the committee include the Retail Motor Industry (RMI); the Tyre, Equipment, Parts Association (TEPA); the Tyre Recycling Industry Association of South Africa;
the Recycling Association of South Africa; and the Waste  Tyre Management Forum.

Traction through transition

While innovation clearly drives progress, local realities continue to challenge both tyre manufacturers and fleet operators. As the market rolls through structural change, the fleets that gain traction will be those aligning procurement with data, sustainability and long-term performance. Other key tyre takeaways for fleets include to:

1. Think lifecycle, not price tag: Assess tyres by total cost per kilometre, not purchase cost.
2. Use digital monitoring: Telematics and tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) prevent failures and fuel wastage.
3. Retread responsibly: Partner with accredited retreaders and keep detailed casing records.
4. Verify suppliers: Buy from accredited dealers to avoid counterfeits.
5. Plan for disruption: Stock strategically as local supply patterns evolve.

The road ahead may be uneven, but with smarter technology, better oversight and informed choices, South Africa’s transport sector can stay firmly on course.