Sustainability and tire manufacturing
by Brendan Rodgers, ELL Technologies LLC.
There are many tools to facilitate sustainability in tire manufacturing, including automation and robotics, operations modeling and simulations, and new material technology concepts.
Sustainability has emerged as one of society’s expectations and values. It encompasses ecological practices, health, conservation of resources and resource security. The macro-drivers behind sustainability are multi-dimensional with each constituency, such as central governments, regional authorities, demographic groups and manufacturers having different priorities. The common major factors are, however, population growth, which could reach 10 billon people by 2050, the need for increased mobility and freedom, and improving education. Zero pollution is a societal demand, along with clean water, secure food supplies, and medical and health services all at low cost.