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China has taken a leading role as reflected in the rapid growth of plastics and rubber producing enterprises with smart manufacturing operation as part of its “Made in China 2025” that aims to encourage technology innovations and transition of industries towards automation, IIoT and smart manufacturing. Korea has entered the fourth industrial revolution era with its goal to set up 30,000 smart factories in 2022, not to mention Japanese companies have been applying smart manufacturing technologies in their production facilities around the world. India has also been encouraging the deployment of smart manufacturing technologies as part of its Industry 4.0 plans under Make in India (MII) initiative, with many of those engaged in plastics and rubber production pouring investments into smart manufacturing solutions.

BRB International (BRB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG), recently opened its new lube oil additives manufacturing facility at Echt, Netherlands.

The 2022 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game will be held in Troy, Ala., as the East Division Champions in Coastal Carolina (9-2, 6-2 Sun Belt) will take on the West Division Champions in Troy (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt) at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Guill Tool introduces the NEW 500 Series crosshead with MAGS gum space adjustment. The 500 Series is designed specifically for the flow characteristics and unique processing challenges of elastomeric compounds. One of the key features engineered by Guill on this new crosshead design is the mechanically assisted gum space (MAGS) adjustment system. This new method of gum space adjustment allows the operator to make an effortless adjustment from a single point using a common socket wrench. No more need to struggle with multiple nuts and bolts in order to adjust gum space, which leads to faster adjustments. The visual indicator on the core tube allows the operator to see how far the gum space has been moved, making those adjustments much more accurate and repeatable.

Yokohama Tire’s brand-new, BluEarth-Van All Season™ RY61 delivers on all fronts for a commercial van tire: long lasting, toughness and dependability. The RY61 is available now in three sizes that cover the most popular van fitments in today’s market. Four more sizes will be offered in early 2023.

Sensata’s Tire Mounted Sensor is the next step in the evolution of tire sensing, leveraging tires as the single point of contact with the road to deliver new insights, beyond just pressure and temperature. Sensata’s Tire Mounted Sensor includes TPMS functionality as well as an accelerometer to detect the force with which the tire is striking the ground. Mounted directly to the tire’s inner liner, the Tire Mounted Sensor identifies the brand and model of the tire and provides data continuity for the specific tire throughout its life cycle.

Wickert Maschinenbau has begun passing the family business on to the next generation. Stephanie Wickert, 33-year-old great-granddaughter of company founder Jakob Wickert, joined the management team as Managing Director on September 1. She has headed the company alongside Stefan Herzinger since then.

KRAIBURG TPE introduces the THERMOLAST® H HC/AD1/AP series of compounds that allow adhesion with a range of polar thermoplastics