Artificial intelligence has arrived in the workshop sector. What was long considered future technology is today increasingly becoming a practical tool in the daily business of tyre dealers and automotive businesses. While in many places people are still discussing chances and risks, the first companies are already deploying AI in a targeted fashion for designing processes to be more efficient and securing their competitiveness. The Tire Cologne 2026 shows how concrete this development already is and what potential is becoming available for the industry as a result.
From Booking Appointments to Diagnostics: AI Accompanies the Entire Workflow.
The transformation already begins with the first customer contact. AI-supported chatbots and digital telephone assistants take over arranging appointments around the clock and noticeably relieve staff in workshop operations. Parallel with this, data-based systems in the background ensure intelligent parts stockage, optimise purchasing decisions and reduce storage costs. That is a decisive factor for the economic efficiency of many operations.
AI is also fundamentally changing processes in the workshop itself. Digital assistance systems can now be used directly on the hydraulic lift. They interpret oscilloscope images, analyse error codes and calculate probabilities of error in real time. Especially in the face of the increasing complexity of modern vehicles with their numerous electronic systems, this means considerable gains in efficiency.
A central thought here is: it is not technology that is replacing human beings, but rather competent dealings with it that are becoming a decisive competitive advantage.
AI as a Driver for the Entire Tyre Industry
The effects extend well beyond the workshop. Artificial intelligence is developing into a central accelerator along the entire value creation chain of the tyre industry from tyre development to recycling. Among other things, it enables more efficiency and speed in tyre development, more efficient and sustainable production, automated tyre recognition, optimised fleet management and new approaches for the reduction of microplastic emissions through tyre wear particles.
At the same time, the regulatory dimension is increasing in importance: with the introduction of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) in 2029, gap-free traceability of products will become mandatory. RFID technologies are thereby becoming key components for making data available through the entire lifecycle of a tyre.
For many market participants, a field of tension is currently evolving between innovation pressure, regulatory requirements and the operative routine. It is precisely here that The Tire Cologne starts: it offers a platform that provides orientation and makes the concrete benefits of artificial intelligence and digitalisation. Select exhibitors demonstrate impressively how practically relevant these developments already are: Nettec presents a functioning avatar and thus gets to the heart of its vision: The salesperson of tomorrow is digital and nonetheless stands in the store. Tire Task in turn demonstrates digital solutions for workshops, tyre dealers and fleets, including AI-supported systems for the readout of all tyre information. Detection X stands for reliable image processing and enables automated, AI-based tyre recognition in record time including analysis of tyre data, damage and imbalances in real time.
Experience AI and Digitalisation Live: Highlights of The Tire Cologne 2026
Visitors can expect an extensive programme on the themes of artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Lectures on the central Tire Stage point out areas of deployment in which AI can be and is already being used for the industry:
9 June: AI-based solutions for the reduction of microplastic emissions through tyre wear particles (Tire Stage)
9 June: AI-supported tyre management for transport and logistics companies (Tire Stage)
10 June: Use of AI in the tyre industry and in workshops (Tire Stage)
In the Innovation Lab, innovative applications are demonstrated live, including automated tyre recognition using AI, intelligent fleet management solutions as well as an AI-supported exoskeleton for ergonomic assistance when changing tyres.
Outlook: The Workshop of the Future Starts Today.
However, the development is still in its beginnings. In coming years, appointment planning, storage and purchasing processes will become increasingly controlled in an automated and data-powered environment. Diagnoses will become faster, more precise and more efficient. Operational process sequences will be optimised, employees relieved of time-consuming, routine tasks, personnel capacities freed up for consulting and service and the customer journey improved.
Workshop companies that occupy themselves with AI technologies early on and integrate these into their processes secure decisive competitive advantages. It thereby becomes clear: specialised knowledge, experience and technical judgement are and remain indispensable. In future, the difference will lie in linking these competencies with the possibilities of artificial intelligence. Formats like the “Walk of Services” for The Tire Cologne show how digital solutions and AI applications are permanently changing the aftermarket.
The Tire Cologne 2026, which is taking place from 9 to 11 June in Cologne, shows how close this future already is and how it can be actively shaped.
