Never stop learning with upcoming Rubber Division training courses
Akron, OH – Upcoming Rubber Division training courses will advance your knowledge and stay current with the latest developments in the elastomer industry that provide practical, expert-led education to help you grow your skills and enhance your impact.
July 8 – FREE Economic Update Webinar – ITR Economics
July 23 – Course: Antidegradant Chemistry, Testing & Aging
July 30 – Webinar: Forming Bonds & Leading Innovation – The Operational Challenge in Rubber
August 13 – Webinar: Advanced Reinforcements & Fillers
August 25 – Course: Sponge Rubber 101
August 27 – Course: Thermoplastic Elastomers – From Fundamentals to Novel Applications
September 15 – Course: Processing & Testing of Rubber
September 29 & 30 – GPS Educational Symposium
• Adhesion Science & Polyurethane Adhesives
• Compounding Fluoroelastomers
• Developing a Rubber Molding Process
• Developments in Tire Materials Science & Engineering
• Essential Rubber Testing: What The Data Tells You
• Foundations of Elastomer Technology
• Introduction to Elastomer Durability
• Non-tire Specialty Elastomers
• Rubber Extrusion Technology
• Rubber Vulcanization & Curing Chemistry
• Silicone Rubber Foundations
• The Rubber Initiative® – Next-Generation Executive Leadership
July 23 – Course: Antidegradant Chemistry, Testing & Aging – Instructor: Paul Merda, Akron Rubber Development Laboratory
The course addresses antidegradant use, chemistry, testing and types of aging used in the rubber industry today. A review of the chemistry of oxidation, ozonolysis and UV exposure which applies to not only rubber but many engineering materials currently in use. The types of antidegradants used in rubber will be explored in relation to the different polymers available for thermosets. Most things have a shelf-life and rubber products are no different; a discussion of the persistence of antidegradants will assist in determining a rubber article’s service life. The course will finish with some antidegradant comparisons in various rubber formulas to see how these affect properties of the rubber compounds and their aging. Click for full details.
September 30 – EXCITING NEW COURSE AT GPS: The Rubber Initiative® – Next-Generation Executive Leadership – Instructors: Operators who understand the industry from inside. Michael Clayton (Executive Chair, IRCO) and Dr. Matthew Thornton (Secretary-General, IRCO), co-founders of The Rubber Initiative®
The rubber industry promotes its best technical people into management and rarely prepares them for the shift. This full-day workshop closes that gap. Two operators who have run businesses in the industry teach it; every framework tested under real pressure. You work on your own business alongside industry peers and leave with four practical templates and a 90-day action plan you can use on Monday.
The day, in four working sessions:
- Formulating a Sustainable Business: turn supply, regulatory and customer pressure into competitive advantage.
- Next-Generation Leadership: make the shifts from technical expert to leader, including how to lead with AI in the room.
- Leading Innovation & R&D: back the winners, cut the projects draining your lab, and speed commercialization.
- Strategy into Rhythm: choose where you will win, then build the weekly rhythm that delivers it.
Who it’s for:
• Executives and senior managers in rubber and polymer manufacturing, compounding and testing
• General managers, technical directors, R&D and operations leaders, and future leaders in succession
• Whether you are stepping into your first executive role or sharpening decades of experience