We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Maxxis International and Cheng Shin Rubber Ind ("MIACSRI").
The company was established in January 1967. Founded in Taiwan, Maxxis got its start by making bicycle tires, and soon expanded its offerings to include tires for auto, light truck, ATV, motorcycle, trailer, and more. Today, Maxxis distributes its products in more than 180 countries and has operations in Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia, employing about 23,000 people.There are 11 tire production bases in the world .Top 10 tire factories in the world. Maxxis International has been dedicated to making tires riders and drivers can trust for quality and performance. Those Maxxis distribution centers house some of the finest tires on the market. Using the latest technology, Maxxis engineers at R&D centers in Asia, Europe, and North America work to ensure that the company’s products are cutting edge. theory of business 1. Manage with Integrity. Work Diligently. 2. Quality is Paramount. Produce the Best Quality products. 3. Enhance the Well-being of our Employees. Contribute to Humanity.
Maxxis International and Cheng Shin Rubber Ind Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Maxxis International and Cheng Shin Rubber Ind.
Maxxis International and Cheng Shin Rubber Ind Design - Victra Sport EV Tire
Maxxis International and Cheng Shin Rubber Ind Design - T Razr Transformative Tyre
Designer Interview of Maxxis International and Cheng Shin Rubber Ind:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MIACSRI : We are a team consist of engineers and designers. We try to bring an engineering task into the design field and look at the problem with a design perspective.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MIACSRI : We are a design team under Maxxis, focusing on user research and electric vehicle tire product development.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MIACSRI : Design is the process of discovering problems, and solving problems in a cooler way. We will always come up with a better solution every time we face a new task.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MIACSRI : We are interested in designing products that are very practical and useful, or projects that would make a huge impact not only the interior, but also the exterior of the department.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MIACSRI : LEGOs. Everyone could build easy creations with LEGO bricks.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MIACSRI : Concept of the electric vehicle tire.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MIACSRI : Maxxis Silent Tech and Maxxis Contact Shape Tech. These are the keys to make our products come true.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
MIACSRI : We feel most creative while having discussion with colleagues or people from different fields. The collision of ideas would result in an unexpected outcome. And these outcomes have a big chance to be carried out.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MIACSRI : We pay a lot of attention in durability while designing a product. This should be the basic requirement for a product. Beyond that, creating a unique product that allows it to stand out would also be an important task for the engineers.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MIACSRI : Every design is a new challenge, the excitement and anxiety throughout the process is priceless to the entire designing team.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MIACSRI : When the design is finally done, we felt relief and joyful.
DI: What makes a design successful?
MIACSRI : Definitely teamwork.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MIACSRI : Fulfilling the customer’s need would always come in first.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MIACSRI : In our opinion, causing damage to the environment not only comes from the disposal of the products, but also the chaotic mess production itself. Reducing the waste during product design is what a designer should always keep in mind of. For example, are we able to use different material, recyclable material on the product? Can we change the manufacture process and make sure each step is clean?
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MIACSRI : We believe that with the rapidly development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, it would redefine the way designers work, the role of designers may gradually shift from executors to strategists. In the future, the relationship between AI and human designers will increasingly focus on collaboration and symbiosis. In order to achieve long-term development for a sustainable future, social inclusiveness, environmental sustainability, and the principle of cross-generational equity between the modern and future generations should be take into account while designing and at the meantime, pursuing economic growth.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MIACSRI : We would love to collaborate and develop concept tires and exhibit with car companies
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MIACSRI : Our inspiration comes from the internet, the academy journals, and variety types of books. Keeping an exercise plan, regular meeting with friends from different fields, and random chats are all good ways to inspire our design team.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
MIACSRI : Upon looking at our design, one may think of the term “form follow function”. We do not like designing things that includes too much abstract aesthetics with no actual meanings. However, when all the functional problems have been solved, we would love to shift our focus to the appearance of the product.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
MIACSRI : We live in Taiwan, a technologically advanced island with diverse ethnicities and cultures. The advantage of working and designing here is the good flexibility, while the downside is that the emphasis on time efficiency may compress our thinking.
DI: How do you work with companies?
MIACSRI : We would discuss with the company’s strategy department and achieve yearly goals. Then we produced innovative products.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MIACSRI : We would suggest the company to provide a bigger space and time for the innovate team so that these innovative activities are able to show itself.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MIACSRI : First of all, we will fully discuss our design propose for every project. Secondly, we collect and build a data base of technology news and trends as the input of inspiration. Next, we brainstorm and sketch. After that, we visualize our concepts and had discussions. Finally, we adjust our design till the day we release the product to the market.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MIACSRI : We enjoy using bedding, reading room, bookshelves, clocks, and plants at home.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
MIACSRI : We try to live a life down to earth, and we try to design products that people are willing to use.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MIACSRI : Please don’t feel bad if things did not meet your expectation. Just keep trying. Meet people and listen more to other’s opinion. Sometimes a different perspective helps.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MIACSRI : We have a higher standard towards our surrounding environment, the items we use, and the quality of life. However, we sometimes have unrealistic expectations for many things and have relatively low tolerance for adverse or unpleasant environments.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MIACSRI : The golden principle is to ask the right question and to figure out what the actual problem is. After that, we set priorities for every unsolved problem, and double checking the problems by consulting with the users once again. With a list of design problems in hand, designers then begin a long time-consuming brainstorming process to come up with the concept.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MIACSRI : Observation, imagination, communication and empathy are the most important skills for a designer.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MIACSRI : We use pens, paper, iPad, and laptop during design. Some of the commonly used software and applications includes Rhino, AutoCAD, KeyShot, Adobe, Sketchbook, Procreate and Pinterest. Coffee and snacks are also essential.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MIACSRI : We create time schedule and set controlling point for every step to make sure things are on the right track.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MIACSRI : In the company’s case, it takes about one to two years to finish a project.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MIACSRI : Can you do a slight change right over here? Shouldn’t take that much time, right?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
MIACSRI : Our team have executed projects like development of electric vehicles tires and patent creating.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
MIACSRI : We’d say drivers and passengers are always our most important clients.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MIACSRI : We enjoy using the designs that make us feel happy during using experience. We enjoy the type of design with a clear target user portrait, proper function choices, and a beautiful appearance.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MIACSRI : We are looking forward to participating in the 2024-2025 A’DESIGN award with a whole new airless concept tires for electric vehicles.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MIACSRI : We created Victra Sport EV as a team.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MIACSRI : We are working on innovative construction design for concept tires at this point. Please look forward to our new products.
DI: How can people contact you?
MIACSRI : You reach out to us via snuxcst@gmail.com.