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Tracking in the retreading process | Identification during operation | Fleet asset management | Finalist in the "Innovation Award 2020" of the European Rubber Journal

Poing near Munich, Germany, Norcross, GA, United States, April 2021. While the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to identify tires is nothing new, a reliable aftermarket RFID solution to equip tires already in use has been missing, until now.

In Europe, approximately 6.7 million truck tires are being retreaded every year (a process that each truck tire goes through two to three times during its lifetime). To ensure that the retreading process is transparent and traceable, the tire must be identified and documented beyond doubt at every stage of the process. Many retreaders have reported that casings cannot be reliably tracked through the process. REMA TIP TOP AG and FineLine Technolgies provide a solution with two newly developed RFID Patches: REMA ID SF and REMA ID CV. These products allow tires to be identified wirelessly without visual markings, creating a secure and error-free process independent from the tire manufacturer.

REMA ID: Reliable identification of tires via RFID

Identification methods such as barcode stickers and laser engraving have been used to identify tires in the past. These methods are highly prone to errors: markings often fall off, becoming dirty or damaged and result in unidentifiable tires. "With the various legacy identifiers, the typical failure rate is around 25 percent," explains REMA TIP TOP’s Product Manager Jan Wilke. "Using the new REMA ID RFID products, we offer a reliable, sustainable and flexible solution that can be used to identify, track and trace new and retreaded tires throughout the entire product life cycle.”

According to Jos Uijlenbroek, tire RFID development director at FineLineTechnologies, “Working with REMA TIP TOP, we brought the best of ‘both worlds’ together. We combined FineLine’s knowledge of RFID technology with REMA TIP TOP’s outstanding knowledge of rubber, bonding technologies and repair materials”. This combination of unique technologies from FineLine Technologies and REMA TIP TOP delivers two patented product offerings:

REMA ID SF: The industry's first solvent-free tracking technology

REMA ID SF, short for Solvent Free, is vulcanized directly into the tire during retreading and is the industry's first technology to work in a completely solvent-free way. The built-in RFID tag easily survives the complete retread process. More specifically, it can withstand temperatures of up to 160 degrees Celsius that occur during vulcanization, as well as the compression, expansion and friction forces during operation. With a thickness of just 1.2 millimeters and a weight of less than one gram, the RFID patch does not cause any imbalance and is optimally protected in the tire at the same time.

REMA ID CV: Smart fleet management

REMA ID CV stands for Cold Vulcanization and is applied subsequently to the mounted, or inflated tire, or applied on the inner liner of the tire. The CV patch is designed for operators of truck fleets, leasing providers of truck tires or tire inspectors. The patch is used to identify the tires at any time during operation. This way, the tire's mileage, wear or history can be accurately tracked, independent of the vehicle. The transponder is incorporated into a patch that is applied to the tire by means of selfvulcanization. After 24 hours, at a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, the patch has completely cured in place.

Ecological and economic optimization thanks to modern RFID technology

The RFID transponders used in both variants rely on the global RFID Class-1-Gen2-UHF standard and have been tested on the tire test bench in accordance with the European standard ECER109/ ECE-R30. Well over 100 readings per second are possible over the distance of up to five meters depending on the type of tire and location of the patch. The ID of each patch is unique worldwide. This enables retreaders and fleet operators to significantly increase their productivity.

About REMA TIP TOP

REMA TIP TOP is a global systems provider of services and products in conveyor and retreading technology and for tire repairs. The company has a global service network and offers a wide range of natural rubber products, natural rubber coatings and coatings for industry and the automotive sector. The company has built up unique expertise in materials development and industrial services over nearly a century and is active in the belting, material processing, surface protection and automotive business areas. At the end of fiscal year 2019, REMA TIP TOP generated sales of approximately 1.1 billion euros. The company employs more than 8,000 people worldwide and has more than 190 subsidiaries and associated companies - including well-known brands such as Dunlop Belting Products South Africa and Asplit.

About FineLine Technologies

FineLine Technologies provides barcode and RFID integrated labels, tags, and badges for supply chain, omnichannel fulfillment, POS, access control, and consumer engagement within the retail, sports & entertainment, automotive, aerospace and, healthcare industries. FineLine produces billions of tickets annually through its network of strategically located print hubs in the U.S., Canada, China, Netherlands, South Africa, and India. With more than 60,000 registered customers around the world, we facilitate online order placement, tracking, and analytics to help customers more efficiently manage their supply chains. Learn more at www.finelinetech.com.

You can find more information on our RFID-Website