The automotive industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by enhanced safety concerns and autonomous vehicles, and growing importance of technologies such as Internet of Things and machine learning. In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.7 million patents filed and granted in the automotive industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in automotive: tire bead fillers. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal, and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
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Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
300+ innovations will shape the automotive industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresight, which plots the S-curve for the automotive industry using innovation intensity models built on over one million patents, there are 300+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, integrated multi-motor drivetrains, electric power steering (EPS), and post-collision handing are useful technologies that are in the early stages of wider application and should be tracked closely. Variable compression engines, V2V distance monitoring, and turbocharger shaft bearings are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and plasma-jet ignition, which are now well-established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the automotive industry
Tire bead fillers is a key innovation area in automotive
Tire bead fillers are rubber compounds located above the bead bundle. They may be utilized between the body plies, which wrap around the bead to tune ride and handling characteristics.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established automotive companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of tire bead fillers.
Key players in tire bead fillers – a disruptive innovation in the automotive industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to tire bead fillers
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Kumho Tire | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Bridgestone | 426 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nexen Tire | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jiangsu Hongdou Industry | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Xingda International | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Camfin | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin | 688 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Yokohama Rubber | 370 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toyo Tire | 73 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nokian Tyres | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Haci Omer Sabanci | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Milliken | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shandong Linglong Tire | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber | 177 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hankook Tire & Technology | 43 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kiswire | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Continental | 66 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sumitomo Electric Industries | 524 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Seino | 68 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ford Motor | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Qingdao Sentury Tire | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Innova Rubber | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Zhongce Rubber Group | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Double Star Group | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Societe De Technologie Michelin | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Qingdao Senqilin Tire | 1 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sumitomo Sei Steel Wire | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Compagnie Generale des Establissements Michelin is the leading patent filer in the tire bead fillers innovation area. Michelin uses tire bead fillers such as carbon black to provide rigidity and rupture resistance and silica compounds for good grip, wear, and low rolling resistance. Compagnie Generale des Establissements Michelin and Hyundai signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop new tires optimized for premium electric vehicles. This partnership is expected to result in real innovations in tire technology. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Bridgestone, Yokohama Rubber, and Goodyear Tire and Rubber are some of the other key players.
In terms of application diversity, Sumitomo Sei Steel Wire held the top position, while Xingda International and Kumho Tire stood in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin leads the pack, followed by Haci Omer Sabanci and Camfin.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the automotive industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Automotive.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
