We seal damp and protect

VALUE–GENERATING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
10%
Ever more efficient agriculture
safeguards food resources
of Trelleborg’s
sales
A rising population demands
more efficient agriculture to
ensure access to food. This
requires industrialization of
agriculture and, in certain areas,
a much faster transition to
mechanical solutions. Combined
with an increase in alternative
energy forms such as biofuel,
these represent key drivers for
sustainable development.
Agriculture. For Trelleborg, the Agriculture
segment mainly comprises products and
solutions for manufacturers and dealers
of agricultural and forestry machinery,
tire and machinery distribution
companies, and end customers.
The segment is characterized by ever
larger and ever more efficient agriculture,
implying increased investments in bigger
tractors and tires, which is catalyzed by
a rapid mechanization trend. A growing
demand for biofuels and more sustainable
agriculture is also driving demand
for increasingly sophisticated products
and solutions.
Trelleborg’s research and development is
focused on maximizing the agricultural
yield and increasing mechanical efficiency.
Tires, wheel systems and sealing
solutions are therefore adapted to new
Examples of products and applications
Antivibration
systems
Hoses
Seals and
bearings
Tires, wheels
and rims
Specialty tires
agricultural requirements, such as
increased on-road tractor driving, longer
maintenance intervals and growing
demands for biofuels.
Systems designed to minimize noise, damp vibrations and improve operator
comfort in, for example, tractors.
Specialist hoses for spraying and irrigation, for example.
Sealing configurations for hydraulic equipment used on tractors and
construction machinery.
Premium tires for tractors and other agricultural and forestry machinery
that protect crops and reduce environmental impact by minimizing soil
compression.
Tires for trailers and light vehicles, for example.
New technology for higher traction
The wheel is considered to be humankind’s
first and most significant innovation,
and improvements to this basic
device have continued into the 21st
century.
“There is still a lot to do in agricultural
tire development to reduce our
carbon footprint while improving
performance in terms of reduction of
work hours, soil compaction and fuel
consumption,” says Piero Mancinelli,
R&D Director for agriculture and forestry
tires at Trelleborg.
Trelleborg’s Progressive Traction fits
neatly into the company’s Blue Tire
philosophy. Progressive Traction provides
an opportunity to be more efficient in
terms of fuel consumption and traction
through a technical solution that introduces
a double-edged lug design to the
tire to better distribute the forces onto
the front surface. Thus it enhances the
self-cleaning performance generated
by the inter-lug terraces and gives an
additional terrace on the vertical face
of the lug that provides more power to
the ground and ensures a better grip.
Even in very humid and muddy
terrain, the footprint depth can be
reduced by as much as 10 percent while
traction increases by up to 10 percent.
Better self-cleaning and a wider footprint
automatically generate an important
increase in traction.
“This is why this tire can ensure
more traction and lower fuel consumption
on both field and road as well as reduced
soil compaction,” says Mancinelli.
GRI: G4-4, G4-8
Annual Report 2015 Trelleborg AB 37