Cordiant changes its approach to tire development
The Institute of Design and Spatial Environment at Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design (SPbSUITD) and the R&D Center "Intair" have conducted a joint training program on the topic "Design Engineering as a Method for Creating Innovative Products".
According to "Cordiant", collaboration with SPbSUITD is part of the strategic transformation of the R&D Center, which is shifting from reverse engineering—where products are developed based on existing solutions—to innovative engineering, focusing on developing tires that meet evolving consumer demands.
"We are consciously moving away from the concept of reverse engineering toward a new paradigm in tire development, with a strong emphasis on consumer perception. As a market leader, our goal is to develop truly innovative tires based on deep consumer needs," emphasized Andrey Zogot, Deputy Director of the R&D Center "Intair".
According to him, "design thinking is not just about creating a 'beautiful' tire—it is a strategic tool that helps create a product the market doesn't yet know about, but is already waiting for."
As part of the training, employees—many of whom already have skills in 3D modeling—mastered adjacent tools used in the tire industry, such as sketching and neural networks applied in design engineering. In addition, designers completed a full cycle of work, from creating a 3D model to printing a physical prototype on a 3D printer. The knowledge gained will be applied in developing new tire models under the Cordiant and Gislaved brands.
During the training, R&D Center employees also studied customer feedback and preferences—key criteria in tire selection include optimal grip, braking, and handling, as well as resistance to aquaplaning and the ability of tires to maintain performance throughout their service life. Particular attention was paid to gathering customer feedback for analyzing existing practices and identifying new solutions.
"During the training, we learned to look at design not only through the eyes of an engineer, but also from the perspective of the person who will use the product," said Andrey Kolb, Head of the Tire Development and Research Sector at the "Intair" R&D Center at Cordiant's Omsk site. "Studying sketching techniques and rapid visualization tools proved especially useful—now ideas can be quickly formalized and communicated to the team. We went through the entire process, from initial concept to digital model and finally to a physical prototype on a 3D printer, which helps us perceive the development process in a completely new way."