Method and assembly for applying a tire component to a drum

An assembly for applying a tire component from an apply member onto a receiving member, wherein the tire component comprises a leading edge, a trailing edge and a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, wherein the leading edge is arranged to be spliced to the trailing edge on a tire building drum, wherein the assembly comprises the apply member, the receiving member, an apply member drive for driving the apply member in a transfer direction at an apply speed and a receiving member drive for driving the receiving member at a receiving speed, wherein the assembly further comprises an apply sensor for detecting a plurality of leading endpoints at the leading edge and for detecting, for each leading endpoint, a trailing endpoint at the trailing edge that together with the respective leading endpoint forms a pair of endpoints, wherein the assembly is provided with a control system for determining the relative positioning between the leading endpoint and the trailing endpoint for each pair of endpoints, wherein the control system is operationally connected to the apply member drive and the receiving member drive for adjusting the ratio between the apply speed and the receiving speed for each pair of endpoints during the transfer of the tire component from the apply member to the receiving member in the order in which said pairs of endpoints are spliced to improve the relative positioning of each pair of endpoints for splicing.