Tag: research and development
Nexen partners with Plug and Play
Nexen Tire has formed a strategic partnership with Plug and Play, the world's largest corporate innovation platform and startup accelerator. Plug and Play was an early investor in Silicon Valley's most renowned firms including PayPal, Lending Club, Dropbox and SoundHound. In doing so Nexen has highlighted its view of the importance of start-up thinking, future mobility, open-R&D and the Internet of Things (IoT) – all trends that the wider tyre industry is predicted to become increasingly involved in over time.
Nexen Tire opens central R&D facility
Nexen Tire has a new R&D hub – the Nexen Central Research Institute, or Nexen univerCITY. Located in the Magok Industrial Complex in Seoul, South Korea, the 57,000 square metre facility will act as a research and development hub for Nexen Tire’s centres in the USA, Europe and China. More than 300 people attended an official opening ceremony for the Nexen univerCITY late last month.
Test World opens newly expanded indoor proving ground
Test World officially opened additional new indoor test facilities at its Ivalo, Finland operation on 27 March 2019, signalling the culminating of that latest part of a multi-million-euro series of investments in Test World. The recently constructed indoor facilities increase Test World’s capacity for year-round cold weather testing, allowing for simultaneous testing on snow, ice, and wet and dry asphalt, 365 days a year.
Test World wins Tire Industry Supplier of the Year Award again
Test World has won the ‘Tire Industry Supplier of the Year’ award at the Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence 2019. According to the company, the win recognises continued investment in Test World, with expanded indoor test facilities due to be officially opened during a ceremony on the 27 March.
Smithers opening new test lab in China
Smithers Rapra is opening a new product testing laboratory in Suzhou, China. The 4,000 square foot facility provides air leak and burst, cleanliness, material properties, salt spray, and pressure, vibration, and temperature (PVT) testing. According to Smithers, the new lab will support the evolving automotive market in China with fluid transfer system expertise, combining with Smithers’ existing labs in Akron, Ohio; Lansing, Michigan; and Shawbury, UK to support global clients.
Nokian Tyres building off-highway tyre R&D centre
According to Nokian Tyres, global demand for premium heavy tyres is rising and new, larger tyres for bulkier machinery need to be developed. To meet this demand, the tyre maker’s Nokian Heavy Tyres unit will erect a new research and development centre in Nokia, Finland next year.
Horiba MIRA appoints new CCO
Horiba MIRA has appointed Miller Crockart as its new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). An experienced commercial leader, Crockart brings with him more than 20 years of international sales experience; most recently global vice president for sales and marketing at PTV, a provider of traffic simulation and optimization software and services for the transportation industry, and now part of Porsche Automobil Holdings SE.
Eastman experts to discuss sulphur dispersion in high severity service heavy tyres
Sulphur dispersion and formulation insights for high-severity service in heavy tyres will be the focus of work shared by two Eastman Tire Additives scientists at the KHK 13th Fall Rubber Colloquium in Hannover, Germany 6-8 November, 2018. The technical presentation by Dr. Dominica Wong will explore why the tensile dispersion test provides valuable insights into sulphur dispersion and how this approach guided the development of innovations such as Eastman Crystex Cure Pro insoluble sulphur. A poster by Dr. Leandro Forciniti will examine how polymers and other additives influence formulations for high-severity service in heavy tyres, including Eastman Impera performance resins.
Yokohama opens USA tyre R&D centre
An opening ceremony has been held for Yokohama Tire Corporation’s new tyre research and development facility in the USA. Local officials joined Yokohama executives for the ribbon-cutting festivities at the 25,000 square foot (2,323 square metre) Yokohama Development Center America (YDCA) in Cornelius, North Carolina. The facility replaces the temporary research and development office that Yokohama has utilised since 2016.
Yokohama Rubber applying frictional behaviour knowledge to cold-weather tyre development
Pinpointing precisely where a winter tyre comes into contact with an icy road surface is surprisingly difficult. Yokohama Rubber partnered with Kanazawa University in Japan to identify this oft-allusive point of contact, and in a statement reports the development of an “evaluation technology that visualises rubber’s frictional state of contact on an icy surface.” Yokohama Rubber expects this evaluation technology to ultimately result in cold weather tyres with dramatically improved ice performance.
Dunlop Tech, Sumitomo Rubber Europe open European Development Centre
With a new 30,000 square metre facility, Sumitomo Rubber Europe GmbH and Dunlop Tech GmbH now have the capability to develop and test tyres, produce liquid latex and design tyre pressure monitoring systems. Following the start of operations in May, their ‘European Development Centre’ in Hanau-Steinheim, Germany officially opened yesterday.
MIRA outlines suite of automotive apprenticeships
MIRA Technology Institute, a partnership between North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, Loughborough University and the University of Leicester has detailed a suite of apprenticeships that will underpin their ambition to help the UK develop the next generation of skilled engineers.
Tread updates web site with new services
After seven years of development Tread Ltd has published an updated website, reflecting “the expanding number of services the firm offers”. “In addition to subjective and objective test driver support, our fleet of test vehicles has just been updated to reflect the current OEM and REM/Magazine trends for tyre development and fitments using the latest test cars,” the company explained in a statement, adding the following vehicles are now included in its test fleet:
Toyo to realise truck and bus tyre fuel efficiency gains through Nano Balance Tech
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co has achieved rapid fuel efficiency savings in its truck and bus tyre line-up through its Nano Balance Technology. The manufacturer has been advancing its indigenous rubber material development technology since 2011; the latest step forward is a new process development technology Toyo says will contribute to significant reduction in fuel consumption from “nano processing.”
Tyre distributor invests in sensor start-up
Dealer Tire, a US replacement tyres and parts distributor for automotive dealerships, has announced it is the leading investor in financing Duke University startup Tyrata, a tyre sensor and data management company.