Michelin and Maxion Wheels win “CLEPA Innovation” Award

Michelin and Maxion Wheels, which is one the largest wheel manufacturers in the world received the 2018 ‘CLEPA Innovation’ award at 2018 edition of the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) innovation award program. The two companies were also recognized for their collaboration on the development of the Acorus flexible wheel with a third place in the ‘Cooperation’ category.

Accepting the award on behalf of both companies, Pieter Klinkers, CEO of Maxion Wheels, said that the Acorus flexible wheel was the outcome of two global leaders pooling their expertise to incorporate the Michelin Acorus technology into an innovative product for the passenger car market.

Vincent Rousset-Rouvière, executive vice-president of the original equipment business line for passenger car tires at Michelin said that at a very early stage of the project, the Michelin team recognized that it would have to work closely with Maxion Wheels and leverage their wheel expertise to bring the Michelin Acorus technology to the market quickly.”

The Acorus flexible wheel is an innovative wheel-tire combination that has the capability to tolerate tough road conditions while enhancing the safety of the drivers and passengers. The new technology has been patented and involves the use of two flexible rubber flanges which are mounted on a special wheel body to make a flexible wheel. This wheel and tire combination can absorb the impact from kerbs and potholes while improving driving comfort.

The Acorus flexible wheel thus offers the benefits of limitation of damage, better safety, improved mobility, lower noise levels and better ride comfort. The flexible wheel has been designed such that it can work with any brand of tires, including low rolling resistance tires. This means that there will be lower CO2 emissions and better fuel economy.

The European Association of Automotive Suppliers organizes the CLEPA innovation awards in association with Deloitte and the Dutch member RAI. The award is meant to celebrate outstanding achievements in the European automotive supply industry in the fields of environment, safety, connectivity and automation and cooperation.

For the 2018 edition of the CLEPA awards, a special prize was awarded in each category to SMEs, recognizing the important contribution of small and mid-sized companies to the industry’s resourcefulness, ingenuity and competitiveness.