ITEC Q&A with Norbert Majerus

AKRON—Author Norbert Majerus is one of the nearly 50 presenters set to speak at the International Tire Exhibition & Conference, planned for Sept. 11-13 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.

His presentation, "Lean Driven Innovation," examines how Goodyear adopted a lean process for research and development, and details how the implementations of that process at innovation centers reduced delivery and cycle times while increasing throughput.

In preparation for the program, Rubber & Plastics News asked Majerus to consider a few tire industry-related questions.

Q. What's the biggest challenge your customers are asking you to tackle today?

A. Perfect service—on time delivery of tires regardless of quantity any place in the world. Perfect quality and no hassles despite increasing complexity and more competitive prices.

What trends are pushing your company to innovate?

The changes in the car industry: the move from personal, gas-powered cars to electric, shared- and self-driving cars. Industry 4.0 and cyber connectivity open the door for new marketing and service models.

How will the supply chain for tire manufacturing differ in five years from what it is today?

In five years, tires must be restocked by the next day at the point of sale. Internet business will play an increasing role and tire companies will assure that no sale is missed. Production has to move closer to the point of sale and must happen in much smaller batches—in sync with customer demand.

When it comes to the future of the tire industry, what opportunities are you most excited to embrace?

Lean manufacturing, lean supply chain and lean innovation. I, personally, like the lean innovation opportunity, applying lean start-up principles to an old industry. Lean start-up includes constant release of innovation in small batches, an agile development and operating system, increased collaboration through the value chain and an appropriate way to manage the people.

The International Tire Exhibition & Conference, set for Sept. 11-13 in Akron, is dedicated to exploring the latest technology and innovations behind tire design and manufacturing. Learn more at itec-tireshow.com.