Our R&D and quality engineers perform both field and laboratory tests when designing a new product, and during serial production – supporting our customers in delivering market-leading studded tyres.
Our ability to ensure consistently high quality, and reliable delivery schedules is a matter of honour for us. The quality of raw materials and finished products is constantly monitored in our high-tech laboratory. Our measurements are accurate to a thousandth of a millimetre and ensure the exact concentrations of different elements. All our operations are certified and comply with accredited quality standards: ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
ISO 9001
Quality management system
ISO 14001
Environmental management system
Idea & Innovation
Project targets, such as price level, technical requirements and schedules, are decided together with the tyre manufacturer.
Virtual design development
A tyre stud that complies with the requirements is designed and product images are created.
Product development & technical verification
First prototypes, extensive field and laboratory testing, in-house design and manufacturing of tooling.
Design verification & pre-series production
Pre-series production using final tooling. Further field tests and overrun tests as required for type approval.
Unlimited serial production
Serial production begins. Typically, a development project lasts 2–3 years, but a prototype can be made from a design in just 3–4 months.
Our tyre studs are tested at every stage of development – from initial R&D to delivery batches of finished studs – using the same methods. This ensures that the studs we deliver meet the requirements of both customers and authorities. With a 3D coordinate measuring machine, we achieve accuracy down to a thousandth of a millimetre, while our in-house laboratory monitors raw materials at the level of elemental concentrations. We also apply machine vision in quality control. Among the properties we measure are stud hardness, bending strength, external dimensions, micro- and macrostructure, and the force with which the stud is attached to the tyre.
3D coordinate measuring machine
Measures external dimensions of studs
Microscope
Analyses micro- and macrostructures of studs
XRF analyser
Determines elemental composition of materials
We can perform the required tests on the studded tyre within the EU area obtain type approval for the tyre on behalf of the tyre manufacturer. The Tikka Spikes type approval laboratory is accredited by FINAS according to the ISO 17025 standard and approved by Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. In type approval tests, studded tyres are driven over a stone slab over 200 times and the weight loss of the stone slab is measured. We have conducted type approval tests in our own laboratory since 2013.
Our plant and R&D facilities are located in Tikkakoski, Central Finland, where studded tyres are used for about half the year, making field testing very convenient. Some tyre producers conduct millions of kilometres of testing before a new tyre and stud model combination enters serial production. We collaborate with taxi drivers, who accumulate high mileage, with their cars inspected every 5,000 kilometres. Typically, new studded tyres are tested on several dozen cars. In addition, tyre manufacturers often carry out their own tests and measurements, for example at closed test centres in Lapland.
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