Kumho makes a big splash at Frankfurt Show

Kumho takes its increasing role in the European motor industry very seriously, as demonstrated by its prominent position in a major hall of the recent Frankfurt Motor Show.

The stand’s exhibits comprised a broad selection of the company’s products, from preview examples of the ultra high performance ECSTA LE Sport KU39 and eco-friendly Ecowing KH19 road tyres being introduced in 2010 to the highly successful Road Venture KL71 (extreme mud terrain) and S700 (Formula 3) competition tyres. A powerful draw was the Farbio GTS350 sports car, which was making its first public showing in Germany courtesy of Kumho, while of high technical interest was an example of Kumho’s new laser-etching process that is set to revolutionise the way the company designs its tread patterns.

Said Roger Jenkins, managing director of Kumho’s Birmingham-based European Technical Centre: “Mass production tread patterns can be a compromise – part functional and part aesthetic. In the future, Kumho plans to design its treads in two stages. The functional requirement, free of compromise, will be moulded in the normal way. Any additional attributes or design features will then be etched onto the surface as required.

“The new laser technology will allow us far more freedom at the design stage and the ability to experiment with any number of patterns and surface finishes. In the future, the process could also provide production tyres with a variety of short-term gains – such as special surfaces for use in motorsport or driving on low friction surfaces etc.”

The Frankfurt Motor Show was a major success for Kumho. The company’s new products enjoyed a very successful debut, the stand received an excellent throughput of trade and consumer visitors throughout the duration of the exhibition and a high number of serious enquiries were processed.

For further information about Kumho and its products log onto kumhotyre.co.uk