THE TIRE COLOGNE 2026 gives the transformation of the industry a profile

With around 400 exhibitors from 33 countries and around 14.600 participants from 110 countries, THE TIRE COLOGNE 2026 has once again confirmed its position as the leading international trade fair of the tyre and wheel industry.The trade fair’s global relevance was underscored by the high proportion of international visitors: two-thirds of attendees came from abroad.

THE TIRE COLOGNE is increasingly developing from a pure product fair into a platform where the decisive themes of the industry are discussed, innovations are made visible and new perspectives for growth and competitiveness are pointed out.

The WALK OF SERVICES highlighted the extent to which the industry is evolving: building on the strong core business of tyres and workshop equipment, digital solutions and additional services are opening up new opportunities for growth and success. The strong response was also especially evident in an increase in the number of German visitors by 5 percent and in greater participation from the specialised tyre trade and the workshop environment.

With 147 participating companies, including 44 new exhibitors, the WALK OF SERVICES developed into one of the most dynamic formats of THE TIRE COLOGNE 2026. The focus was on employees, system and process solutions, tyre service and workshop technology, automotive services as well as disposal and sustainability.

One particular highlight of the event programme was the cooperation with the OTR Conference. The event brought together leading experts from the off-the-road segment and offered valuable insights into market trends, sustainability strategies, safety, digitalisation and perspectives for the future of special tyres.

The named themes were thereby not discussed as isolated trends, but instead as closely linked developments that will in future decisively define the competitiveness of companies

One special area of focus of the trade fair was on the theme of circular economy. Questions revolving around resource efficiency, recycling, remoulding and circular value creation chains provided the focus in numerous lectures, discussions and exhibition presentations.

The INNOVATION LAB thereby also provided insights with practical relevance. Live demonstrations made innovative technologies directly experienceable and showed how digital solutions can in future contribute to increasing efficiency and opening up new business potential. In this regard, one particular area of focus was on RFID-based ecosystems that allow new possibilities for transparency, process control and data-based services through the tyre lifecycle.

The participation of Oliver Krischer, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, underlined the increasing economic and political importance of these developments. In the context of the trade fair, he emphasised the central role of circular value creation chains for a future-capable industry and praised THE TIRE COLOGNE as a platform for an exchange about concrete approaches to solutions and new economic perspectives.

The next edition of THE TIRE COLOGNE takes place from 30 May to 1 June 2028 in Cologne.