The Pirelli name is set to disappear from agriculture to be gradually replaced by the Trelleborg brand, writes Andrew Blake.

Since 1999 Trelleborg Wheel Systems has produced its TM range of tyres under the Pirelli name and in 2001 it took over all the Italian firm’s agricultural and forestry tyre business. But its licence to use the Pirelli name runs out in 2010.

Announcing plans to accommodate that, Trelleborg management stressed that only the brand name would change and that the move could not happen overnight.

The company produces 146 sizes of tyre and each mould costs 60,000, so the transition will be phased in with tyre badging changing gradually over the next four years.

About two-thirds of Trelleborg’s sales are to agriculture and the signs are that this will remain the case with producers moving towards smaller fleets, but larger tractors. A factor which will place ever greater demands on tyre technology.

No price increases are expected because of the name change and the company maintains that any price movement will only be linked to raw material costs.

Although the company has factories in the far east, there are no plans to shift production of radial tyres for agriculture from its Tivoli plant in Italy.