Momentive announces tire application technology laboratory
Momentive Performance Materials USA Inc. representatives at Tire Technology Expo 2010 have announced that the company has established a 22,000 square foot tire research and development laboratory with state-of-the-art capabilities in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, through the purchase of certain assets and the sublease of laboratory space from Continental Tire North America, Inc.
In addition, Momentive has hired five highly experienced R&D personnel previously employed by Continental. The facility enhances Momentive’s ability to provide faster innovation for customers in the tire and rubber industry while helping the company reduce new product development cycle times. The laboratory significantly expands Momentive’s strategic capability for analysis of the chemical interaction of innovative
silanes within the complex network chemistry of tire and rubber compounds.
When Continental decided to consolidate an R&D laboratory facility elsewhere, we seized the opportunity to significantly add to our tire and rubber research capability,” said Mike Stout, Momentive’s global marketing manager for tire and rubber.
“Our goal is to help customers more rapidly achieve the benefits they seek, both in terms of design and performance,” said Eric Thaler, Momentive’s chief technology officer. “The Charlotte facility, with its highly trained technical staff and cutting edge capabilities, will enable us to deliver new value to the industry by better understanding the factors that affect silanes in tire composition.”
With the new lab, Momentive expects to substantially increase the annual number of complex compounds tested, provide more specific, relevant data, and reduce turnaround time for development samples. “We can now more directly engage our customers with application data and analysis, while shortening their evaluation cycle of new Momentive products,” said John Nicholson, global technology manager for silanes, Momentive.
“We have established not only an exceptionally well-equipped R&D facility, but also added a tremendously experienced staff to operate it, with 160 years of combined experience in tire development.”
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