The wheels keep a-turning

The material handling technologies found in today’s warehouses include sophisticated systems like autonomous vehicles, wireless sensors, and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) navigation packages. However, many of those whiz-bang solutions would be virtually useless without one critical component—the humble rubber tire.

While the solid rubber tire has been in use ever since Charles Goodyear invented the vulcanization process in 1839, it has been undergoing enhancements ever since. The latest improvement comes from Trelleborg Group, a 117-year-old Swedish company that this year released the XP1000 model, designed for maximum-intensity applications in material handling operations.

Trelleborg says its new rubber tire provides better traction and less vibration for customers moving materials around warehouses, shop floors, and ports, helping provide greater comfort, safety, and endurance with lower fuel consumption. It adds that the lightweight tire was developed with sustainability in mind, noting that the XP1000 features an innovative fiber compound made using recycled materials, saving 866 tons per year on materials alone, while also decreasing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 110 tons per year. 

“We have worked hard to make sure our tires are ready for next-generation material handling vehicles and the intense jobs they’re required to perform,” Luca Sabelli, product manager for material handling at Trelleborg Wheel Systems, said in a release. “We want to give our customers a high-performance tire promising greater durability, more stability, and comfort, while reducing the environmental impact—even when handling heavy-duty jobs.”