Author: RubberWorld

RPM International Inc. officially opened the doors to its new Innovation Center of Excellence in Greensboro, North Carolina in January. This 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is the first shared research and development center for RPM companies. It is designed to foster partnership and harness collective expertise among RPM companies to accelerate innovation for their customers. The facility represents a continuation of the increased collaboration that has been developed through MAP 2025 initiatives.

Offenbach am Main, Germany – Falken has unveiled the AZENIS RS820 – a new ultra-ultra-high-performance (UUHP) tire. The new pattern

Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) has been strengthening its premium focus in China as part of its “Rebuild Earning Power” initiative, since 2021. In its next three year plan, the Mid-Term Business Plan (2024-2026), Bridgestone will further intensify this focus and will cease production and sales of truck and bus tires at Bridgestone (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (BSCN), and withdraw from the commercial tire business in Chinese market. The aim is to “Reinforce Earning Power” and achieve the “True Next Stage.” Moving forward, strategic resources will be directed to the premium tire market for passenger vehicles, where growth is anticipated, leveraging Bridgestone’s strengths to “reinforce earning power.”

Team Milestar came in strong during the 2024 round one event at Bagdad, Arizona.
With eight teams in the running, their skill and determination led to multiple podium finishes.
W.E. Rock is renowned for pushing drivers and their off-road vehicles to the limit on extreme obstacle courses.

GRI has made a significant stride in bolstering its leadership team with the appointment of Mr. Barry Guildford as the Global Commercial Director (GCD), effective 1st March 2024. Guildford brings with him a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in strategic leadership and sales management roles within the tire industry. As the GCD, Guilford will lead the global sales and marketing organization of GRI.

Covestro has published its climate neutrality targets for scope 3 emissions, completing its climate strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As a short-term goal, the company plans to reduce greenhouse gases by 10 million metric tons by 2035. This corresponds to a drop in emissions of 30 percent compared to the base year 2021, with some growth-related emissions through 2035 included in the calculation. In the long-term, Covestro plans to be climate-neutral in terms of scope 3 emissions by 2050.

Submission on topics related to quality, performance, innovation, and implementation in modified asphalt paving and roofing applications are welcome. The abstract must not exceed 500 words and must provide a description of the presentation.

ARLANXEO announced the planned construction of a hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) plant in Changzhou, China. With a nameplate annual production capacity of 5,000 tons, the first phase of construction will allow for the production of 2,500 tons of high-quality rubber per year. The plant is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2025.

Bridgestone Americas announced it will have its largest racing presence to date at the 82nd running of the Daytona 200 March 7-9, 2024, at Daytona International Speedway. Bridgestone will supply tires from its premium motorcycle tire line, BATTLAX, to 15 riders from seven different countries, including Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Niccolo Canepa from the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART Yamaha) who are the reigning champions of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC).

This in-person event, taking place April 8-9 in Endurica’s hometown of Findlay, Ohio, has the theme ‘Delivering Durability Across the Rubber Supply Chain’ and will bring together OEMs, rubber parts manufacturers, and material suppliers to engage at a high level on how durability is evaluated and assured within their specific domains and across the industry.

The conference’s two-day agenda will focus on the latest in simulating rubber durability, materials characterization and testing methodologies, showcasing how these technologies are advancing rubber product and tire durability worldwide. Participants can look forward to a mix of keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops and user presentations by technology leaders from Endurica, CNH Industrial, Birla Carbon, Rassini Bypasa, General Motors, Tenneco, BASF Corp., Bridgestone Americas, Stellantis, and the Centre for Tire Research (CenTiRe). The conference is free to attend with support from presenting sponsors Axel Products; Coesfeld; Dassault Systemes; and Wolf Star Technologies; and additional sponsors including ACE Laboratories; Akron Rubber Development Laboratory; Rubber Heart; Rubber Division, ACS; and Smithers.