Falken’s parent company Sumitomo Rubber Joins GDSO to align with industry standards for tyre traceability

Falken’s parent company Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) is pleased to announce it has joined GDSO (the Global Data Service Organisation for Tyres and Automotive Components), an international not-for-profit organisation working to standardise data related to tyres and define solutions for accessing and exchanging tyre data. The tyre industry has been working to establish individual tyre identification and management starting with truck and bus tyres. As a member of GDSO from January 2023, the Sumitomo Rubber Group will be working to further these efforts while aligning with industry standards.

GDSO built the Tire Information Service (TIS) platform to allow the transfer of data related to tyres enabled by a Unique Item Identifier (UII). While actively participating in these and other efforts to establish industry standards, the Sumitomo Rubber Group will also be constructing a database so that users can access data on the tyres it manufactures and sells using RFID technology.

RFID is a wireless communication technology that uses radio waves for specific identification instead of conventional barcodes or QR codes. When used with tyres, RFID systems can be used for individual identification and management to support traceability, which will allow for significant improvements in terms of quality control, responding to customer claims, eliminating counterfeit tyres and more. In addition, this technology also has the potential to contribute to greater operational efficiency and safety by simplifying warehouse inventory management and making it easier to check when tyres are manufactured, mounted on vehicles, serviced etc.

In the future, SRI hopes to utilise RFID technology for extensive analysis of tyre data to better meet the needs of our customers through retreading, maintenance and other services that we will provide as part of its Solutions Business.

In August 2021, the Sumitomo Rubber Group unveiled its Long-Term Sustainability Policy: “Driving Our Future Challenge 2050.” Toward accomplishing its sustainability challenge for the future, it is currently working to find solutions to various issues when it comes to the global environment, coexisting with society and corporate governance. In order to adeptly respond to what is being called a once-in-a-century transformation of Mobility Society, it will continue working to accelerate the development of safe, environmentally-friendly and sustainable tyres with a renewed focus on LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) while also taking full advantage of RFID and other forms of DX (Digital Transformation) to reduce CO2 emissions, transition to biomass & recycled raw materials and engage in sustainable product development throughout the value chain: from procurement to transportation, development to manufacture, sales to usage and ultimate disposal.