Karsten Jung, director of the Rubber Machinery division at Troester, reveals how the company plans to meet the evolving needs and priorities of its customers

Why is Tire Technology Expo a key show for the company?
Tire Technology Expo has become Troester’s most important trade show in the tire segment. A packed exhibition space accommodates all fields and well-known exhibitors and the number of exhibitors that makes the trade show so attractive to customers.

What trends will Troester be focusing on at this year’s show?
We’re noticing continued growth in the tire business, even if the past few months have been defined by caution where investment’s concerned.

Continue reading Tire Technology Expo: Exhibitor interview – Karsten Jung, Troester at Tire Technology International.

New technology from Yokohama Rubber will help in the production of a two-component urethane adhesive with high strength and excellent elasticity.

The technology will be applied to the development of adhesives for automobile body structures, an area expected to see rapid growth worldwide. It can be also applied to various industrial adhesives, including those used in electronic devices exposed to harsh heat cycles.

With this new technology, Yokohama Rubber succeeded in achieving maximum tensile strength of 20Mpa to 40Mpa, comparable to that of epoxy-based adhesives with excellent elasticity unique to urethane adhesives with maximum elongation of 200% to 500%.

Continue reading Yokohama Rubber develops basic technology for a two-component urethane adhesive at Tire Technology International.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries has revealed that world demand for natural rubber (NR) rose year-on-year by 5.2%, to 11.7 million metric tons, between January and October 2018.

World production of NR, meanwhile, rose by 5.5% to 11.7 million metric tons, resulting in a shortfall of 228,000 metric tons during the same period.

In early October 2018, the International Monetary Fund revised its projection for global growth for 2019, down by 0.2% to 3.7%, in view of the negative effects of the trade measures in the six months since its World Economic Outlook April release.

Continue reading Demand for natural rubber is up, according to ANRPC’s latest Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics report at Tire Technology International.

Cologne, Germany-based specialty chemicals business Lanxess has sold its remaining 50% interest in rubber company Arlanxeo to Saudi Aramco for approximately €1.4bn (US$1.6bn).

The transaction was announced in August 2018 and all relevant antitrust authorities have granted the necessary approvals.

Arlanxeo was founded on April 1, 2016, as a joint venture between Lanxess and Saudi Aramco. Headquartered in Maastricht, Netherlands, it generated sales of around €3.2bn (US$3.7bn) in 2017 and employs in the region of 3,800 people at 20 production sites in nine countries. Arlanxeo produces high-performance rubber for use in, among others, the automotive and tire, construction, and oil and gas industries.

Continue reading Lanxess completes sale of Arlanxeo to Saudi Aramco at Tire Technology International.

Commercial tire dealer and retreader BestDrive celebrated the opening of four locations in the second half of 2018, including its first store in Oklahoma.

Established in 2010, BestDrive, which focuses on Continental tire offerings, now has 28 commercial tire centers across the USA. Oklahoma marks the company’s 15th US state.

On November 6, the company celebrated the ribbon cutting of its new 25,000ft2 (2,323m2) service center in Oklahoma City. The location will provide new tires and services for customers in the greater Oklahoma City area, as well as supplying ContiTread retread tires produced at the Dallas retread plant.

Continue reading BestDrive boosts offering with new tire centers in Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Idaho at Tire Technology International.

Tire specialist Continental has commissioned the first driverless tire test vehicle for a wide range of road surface types.

The tests, at the Continental test site in Uvalde, Texas, were based on prototypes of the automated Cruising Chauffeur. According to the company, any tire test track can now be driven without a driver, and the automation enables improved processes and more conclusive results.

The test vehicle is controlled using a satellite-based navigation system. Equipped with camera and radar sensors, the car will be able to react immediately to people, animals, or other unexpected objects on the track, even without a driver.

Continue reading Continental pioneers tire tests with self-driving test vehicles at Tire Technology International.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced two senior leadership appointments, effective January 1, 2019.

Jon Bellissimo, vice president, Americas Product Development and head of Goodyear Chemical, will become senior vice president, global operations and technology. In his new role, Bellissimo will provide executive leadership for a number of Goodyear’s global functions, including: engineering; quality; procurement; manufacturing; environmental, health, safety and sustainability; sales and operations planning; and project management.

Bellissimo brings four decades of experience in the design, development and manufacturing of Goodyear products, having served in a variety of functional and operational roles at the regional and global levels.

Continue reading Goodyear fills senior leadership roles at Tire Technology International.

Sri Lanka’s GRI achieved ISO 50001: 2011 certification on December 4, 2018, for the implementation of a comprehensive and far-reaching energy management system.

The ISO 50001 Energy Management certification specifies comprehensive requirements for establishing, implementing and maintaining an energy management system that results in continual improvement in energy performance, including measures to enhance energy efficiency and reduce consumption.

“Reducing energy consumption not only makes an operating system more efficient, but also aids in mitigating climate change and environmental damage. At GRI, we are proud to have attained this significant certification,” said Dr Mahesha Ranasoma, CEO, GRI.

Continue reading GRI becomes an ISO 50001:2011 certified specialty tire manufacturer at Tire Technology International.