Rema Tip Top North America Inc.’s new virtual reality (VR) tire repair training program is set to debut at the 2025 SEMA Show.
The Rema Virtual Reality Training Academy (REMA-VRT) is “our first virtual reality simulation module on tire repair training,” say Rema Tip Top North America officials.
Using Oculus VR headsets that immerse participants in “a fully interactive 3D” setting, REMA-VRT “combines immersive VR technology with industry-standard procedures to create a safe, hands-on learning environment without the risks or costs of physical equipment.”
In development by Rema Tip Top North America for nearly a year, REMA-VRT walks technicians through each step of a nail hole repair.
"Learners can practice essential skills without exposure to heavy machinery, workplace hazards or consumable material costs. Every module follows proper tire repair standards, ensuring consistent, high-quality training.”
Participants can also be graded based on “built-in tests (that) track execution and provide actionable feedback, streamlining evaluation for instructors and boosting student confidence.”
Grades are administered using a points system, but can be modified to a pass/fail setting.
REMA-VRT is ideal for tire dealerships and technical schools and is designed to bridge the gap “between traditional classroom learning and hands-on shop experience,” according to Rema Tip Top North America officials, who will demonstrate the tool during the SEMA Show before releasing it to the market during the first quarter of 2026.
REMA-VRT can be branded to fit any tire dealership that’s using the system, according to Lewis Whitfield, general manager, motion division, Rema Tip Top North America.
"We’re trying to connect to the newer generation” of current or potential tire repair technicians who have "been raised with an iPhone in their hand and respond to this technology a lot better than the generation that’s leaving this business,” he says.
"We’re coming into a new group of techs,” says Adam Kennedy, south central territory manager, Rema Tip Top North America. “They grew up with (video) gaming consoles. It’s the world we live in.”
"Bringing that next level of training in and helping (tire repair technicians) get up to speed faster and doing it with technology they’ve likely used since childhood makes sense,” says Whitfield.
Rema Tip Top North America officials say REMA-VRT will also assist tire dealerships’ job applicant vetting process. “Dealers need to understand” an applicants’ knowledge base “before they can get onto the shop floor,” notes Whitfield.
"This can assist in weeding out individuals you don’t want to waste your time on,” says Mike Frail, Rema Tip Top North America’s technical director. If an applicant scores well, “you’ll be more comfortable with that individual on the floor (being) capable of repairing tires to industry standards.”
"We’re going to do a major demo” of REMA-VRT inside Rema Tip Top North America’s SEMA Show booth (#43065) in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, says Whitfield, who adds that the company is looking at adding VR training for section repairs.
The 2025 SEMA Show takes place Nov. 4-7.
About the Author
Mike Manges
Editor
Mike Manges is Modern Tire Dealer’s editor. A 28-year tire industry veteran, he is a three-time International Automotive Media Association Award winner, holds a Gold Award from the Association of Automotive Publication Editors and was named a finalist for the prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award - often referred to as "the Pulitzer Prize of business-to-business media" - in 2024. He also was named Endeavor Business Media's Editor of the Year in 2024. Mike has traveled the world in pursuit of stories that will help independent tire dealers move their businesses forward. Before rejoining MTD in 2019, he held corporate communications positions at two Fortune 500 companies and served as MTD’s senior editor from 2000 to 2010.