Author: RubberWorld

Adam McCarthy, ETRMA’s Secretary General, said, “After a negative trend in full year 2023 with -8% in Consumer and -17% in Truck (versus 2022) , the evolution in volumes in first half of 2024 improved in Consumer mainly thanks to the All Seasons segment but remained negative in Truck. The second quarter was better than the first quarter, even if the inflationary and the geopolitical context led to a drop in demand and a reduction of inventory levels. Agricultural tire sales were supported by rainy weather conditions.”

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) announced that members of its 6PPD Alternatives Analysis Consortium have received a Notice of Compliance from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for its revised Preliminary (Stage 1) Alternatives Analysis report. The notice will allow the Consortium to formally launch development of a Stage 2 Alternatives Analysis report that further investigates the most promising potential replacements for the use of 6PPD in motor vehicle tires.

Toyo Tire Corporation selected Hewlett Packard Enterprise to deliver its seventh-generation high performance computing (HPC) system, which is three times more powerful than its predecessor, as a-service through HPE GreenLake cloud. The upgraded system and boosted performance accelerate time-to-market for next-generation tires by processing structural tire data quickly and with greater precision. The expanded computational power significantly reduces the time required for complex and parameter-rich large-scale design simulations that Toyo Tire utilizes to train its AI models.

Smithers announces that Eric Pierce, Principal Engineer, Smithers Winter Test Center & Treadwell Research Park, will be speaking at the 43rd Annual Tire Society Conference in Akron, Ohio, on September 11-13. Smithers is also sponsoring the conference.

Trelleborg Group has, through its Trelleborg Sealing Solutions business area, signed an agreement to acquire the US company Magee Plastics. The company manufactures and performs services on solutions made from high-performance thermoplastic and composite materials for the aerospace industry.

Bridgestone is now expanding those efforts by leveraging its rubber, materials, and design expertise to help enhance rubber components for certain adaptive sports equipment. The list of rubber-related pieces that will be used by select athletes in Paris includes gloves for multiple sports, hand rims for wheelchair racing, tires for wheelchair tennis, and more.

BFGoodrich will make more than 100 sizes available over 24 months. The 13 replacement sizes released in May are now joined by 17 sizes in August, for a total of 30 sizes available. Five new sizes will come out in October. An additional 52 sizes arrive in 2025, followed by 19 more in 2026.

Bellofram Elastomers has added custom flash cutting to the in-house services it offers to customers. It will create efficiencies by eliminating the need for customers to execute flash cutting themselves after taking delivery of Bellofram silicone sheets. The move is also expected to reduce waste for Bellofram Elastomers by 25%.