News

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is pleased to announce that our flagship DUNLOP ENASAVE NEXT III fuel-efficient tires (released in Japan in December of 2019) have received the Japan Brand Prize in the 2020 “CHO” MONODZUKURI Innovative Parts and Components Award, which are sponsored jointly by the MONODZUKURI Nippon Conference (an Economic Organizations) and The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (a leading industry newspaper). The term “MONODZUKURI” is Japanese for “manufacturing” and is often used to refer to innovation and craftsmanship in manufacturing in particular. The awards ceremony was held at the Tobu Hotel Levant Tokyo on Tuesday, December 1^st.

ENASAVE NEXT III was selected for honors in two of the six available award categories: “Mobility” and “Environment, Resources & Energy.” In addition to their outstanding overall performance, our latest ENASAVE tires also received high marks for contributing to the environment while adeptly responding to market changes, all thanks to the adoption of an innovative new polymer that not only achieves excellent fuel efficiency, but also sustains tire performance for longer in order to respond to recent changes in the automotive industry such as the rise of CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electrified) and MaaS (Mobility as a Service).  

Awards Ceremony (President Haruhiro Imizu of The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (Left), General Manager Kumiko Makino of Our PR Department (Right))

Thanks to the adoption of “Hydrogenated Polymer,” which is completely different from the conventional types of polymer used in previous tires, ENASAVE NEXT III achieves a significant reduction in the degradation of wet grip performance over time, thereby allowing these tires to maintain like-new performance for longer. At the same time, these are also the world’s first^※ tires to incorporate “Cellulose Nanofiber,” a high-performance biomass material whose development and proliferation the Government of Japan is promoting as a key industry initiative. Thanks to this innovative material, ENASAVE NEXT III also attains the highest possible rating for fuel efficiency and wet grip under Japan’s tire labeling system (AAA-a), meaning that these tires also contribute to the reduction of overall environmental impact from the perspective of “Life Cycle Assessment.”
The Sumitomo Rubber Group will continue to push ahead with further technical innovation to meet entirely new market needs based on our “SMART TYRE CONCEPT,” a forward-thinking development concept that aims to create a future that is free of automobile accidents through the development and supply of tires and peripheral services that ensure greater safety and peace of mind.
※Based on our in-house research.
 

■“CHO” MONODZUKURI Innovative Parts and Components Award Profile
In the interests of supporting and improving the competitiveness of Japanese MONODZUKURI (manufacturing), the “CHO” MONODZUKURI Innovative Parts and Components Award recognize parts and materials that have made noteworthy contributions to the development of industry and society in general. Each year, awards are given in six categories: “Machines & Robots,” “Electrical & Electronic,” “Mobility,” “Environment, Resources & Energy,” “Health & Wellbeing, Bio & Medical Equipment,” “Solutions for Lifestyle & Social Issues.”