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Rubber Division, ACS annually honors the best of the best with the most prestigious awards in our industry – the Science & Technology Awards. The 2024 winners will accept these awards and be celebrated at a banquet hosted by Rubber Division, ACS and sponsored by Alpha Technologies on May 1, 2024 during the Rubber Division, ACS Spring Technical Meeting in Columbus, OH. Each Science & Technology Award Winner will also give a presentation in the technical session following the banquet.

During his tenure as CEO, Kramer led Goodyear’s evolution into a technology-driven mobility company and fortified the Company’s position as a leader in the global tire industry. Under his leadership, Goodyear delivered the five highest years of annual segment operating income in the Company’s history. He also led a transformation of the business to fully fund and de-risk its pension plans, reduce costs, streamline manufacturing and invest for growth. Notably, Kramer guided the Company through the COVID-19 pandemic and led Goodyear’s largest-ever acquisition – Cooper Tire – in 2021.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a transformation plan – “Goodyear Forward” – to optimize its portfolio, deliver significant margin expansion and reduce leverage to drive sustainable and substantial shareholder value creation. This plan follows a comprehensive evaluation by the Strategic and Operational Review Committee (the “Review Committee”) of the Board of Directors to evaluate all strategic, operational and financial opportunities to maximize value.

ontinental has determined further measures to strengthen the competitiveness of its Automotive sector. To this end, the sector is simplifying and streamlining business and administrative structures. With the planned measures in the administrative structures, Continental is aiming to ease the sector’s costs by 400 million euros annually. The full extend should be reached by 2025. To achieve this, Continental is developing a broad range of measures across all parts and all levels of the organization. Therefore, the exact number of globally affected jobs is not decided yet but is expected to be in the mid four-digit range at Automotive.

ubber Division, ACS has just made their Advanced Rubber Compounding & Testing course available virtually. As part of this new course offering, the Division is also offering special pricing options; either half of registration or two registrations for the price of one or purchase this course and receive complimentary registration for their December 6 course – An Introduction to Continuous Vulcanization.

The fishing groups brought their enforcement action under Section 9 of the ESA against 13 of the largest U.S. tire manufacturers, including Goodyear, Michelin, and Bridgestone. The complaint states that 6PPD in tires is imperiling the recovery of 24 populations of coho, Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout that are listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA. Tire manufacturers’ use of 6PPD generates and contributes to ongoing, ubiquitous contamination of surface waters near roads with 6PPD-q, harming coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and many other fish and aquatic species.

In celebration of National STEM Day, Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced their partnership with Play Like a Girl!® (PLAG), a nonprofit organization that leverages skills gained from sports to help propel young women into careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Bridgestone and PLAG are teaming up with five professional football franchises—the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans—for a series of programs during the 2023-2024 season designed to create equitable access to opportunity and develop the next generation of women leaders.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting a petition from the Yurok Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to address the use of the chemical N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) in tires. The chemical 6PPD has been used in motor vehicle tires for more than six decades to make them more durable. It can also be found in other rubber products such as footwear, synthetic turf infill, and playgrounds.

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced it has been named a 2023 “Top Company for Women to Work for in Transportation” for the second straight year by the Women in Trucking Association (WIT). Representatives from Bridgestone will receive the award, along with other recipients, during a ceremony at the WIT Accelerate! Conference and Expo Nov. 5-8 in Dallas, Texas.