Goodyear has announced that it has agreed to acquire Ventech Systems GmbH, a leader in automated tyre inspection technology, from Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH.

Ventech Systems are based in Dorsten, Germany and delivers innovative measuring devices for the vehicle industry. The company was founded in 2006, and it provides a fully-automated tyre inspection system that quickly and easily checks tyre pressure, tread depth and vehicle weight for buses, trucks, cars and other vehicles.

"Over the past three years, our Goodyear Proactive Solutions business has collaborated with Ventech Systems to integrate its data gathering and analysis capabilities into our fleet management solution," said Christopher Helsel, Goodyear Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. "Feedback from our fleet customers has been excellent, and we view this as an important opportunity to enhance our service and value proposition for customers."

"Goodyear and Ventech Systems are both companies founded and driven by innovation," said Andreas Pietsch, Ventech Systems Chief Operating Officer and Business Manager. "Goodyear's strong market presence enables additional worldwide growth opportunities for Ventech Systems. We are excited to support Goodyear's fleet customers with our unique technology in terms of process optimisation, business efficiency and road safety."

Truck tyre care and maintenance is one of the largest contributors to commercial fleet uptime and total cost of operations. Last year, Goodyear launched Goodyear Proactive Solutions in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region to provide a full suite of demonstrated Vehicle-To-Fleet operations management solutions supporting fleet owners to improve vehicle and fleet safety, decrease fuel use, reduce their carbon footprint and support the digital transformation of their fleet.

The acquisition of Ventech Systems will further expand Goodyear Proactive Solutions' commercial offerings with an efficient, user-friendly closed loop service enabling fleet operators to measure tyre pressure, tread depth and vehicle weight on all their vehicles each time they enter or exit their depot.

In addition to its Goodyear Proactive Solutions mobile tyre/fleet management offerings, Goodyear is also working with automakers to provide tyre information to vehicle control systems to enhance safety and performance. Earlier this month it announced that it is equipping Tesloop, a city-to-city mobility service that exclusively uses Tesla electric vehicles, with wireless sensors in its tyres to improve overall tyre management and maximise uptime for its growing fleet. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter. The business and technology will be integrated into the company's Goodyear Proactive Solutions business.