×

Our opinion: Important tracks made in Warren

Farmers across the country now have access to a tire that won’t puncture as they place seed in their fields — and they have a Warren company to thank.

Superior Tire, with a project led by Kyle Knotowicz, lead engineer, and Joseph Peterson, vice president of engineering and quality, has been recognized with a R&D 100 Award alongside some of the biggest companies in the world for their work locally on the AgriTraxx AirCore — a high-performance gauge wheel tire intended for no-till agricultural applications.

We won’t get into the technicalities of the project, though they are fascinating. Seeders used for planting fields use rubber tires that tend to puncture on stalks left from the previous year. The team at Superior Tire developed a tire from urethane that is half the weight of a rubber tire, is hollow and won’t tear like a rubber tire.

“(We are) really excited to be in that group, especially as a small local company in Warren,” Peterson said, noting that entities also recognized include DuPont and MIT. “We’re pretty pumped to be on that list with some of the big companies. We’re pretty excited. (It is) also nice to see something on the list that is practical. We’re helping a guy farm.”

It’s impressive that a product developed locally made such a prestigious list. Kudos to Knotowicz, Peterson and the Superior Tire team for their hard work, and congratulations for that hard work paying off.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today