Parker Reaches Deal to Acquire Lord Corp. by Chris Sweeney Doing

May 6, 2019 The Rubber Industry’s International Newspaper $99 per year. $4.50 per copy Parker reaches deal to acquire Lord Corp. By Chris Sweeney doing. They have a fantastic culture tion of the proposed deal, Lord will be sales for its Engineered Materials Group; Rubber & Plastics News Staff with people first. The board thought it combined with its Engineered Materials however, the company does disclose four MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio—Parker would be a very good home for the Lord Group, which focuses on four technology technology platforms. Its Engineered Hannifin Corp. has taken a big, proactive team for the long term. We’re platforms—sealing systems, Materials and Filtration platform ac- step to get ahead of emerging trends in the happy it worked out between EMI shielding, thermal man- counted for 22 percent of Parker’s sales aerospace and automotive industries. the two companies.” agement and life sciences prior to its deal to acquire Clarcor. In the The firm has entered into a definitive The transaction has been products. Its products include aftermath of that deal, and following the agreement to acquire 100 percent of Lord approved by each company’s dynamic seals, elastomeric close of the Lord acquisition, the company Corp. for about $3.68 billion in cash, board of directors and is sub- O-rings, medical device fabri- said that platform will represent about bringing into the fold a billion-dollar ad- ject to customary closing con- cation and assembly, shield- 34 percent of Parker’s overall sales. hesives and thermal management manu- ditions, which includes received optical windows, silicone “Parker has had a strategic goal for the facturer whose technology has a strong ing regulatory approvals. The tubing and extrusions, and past three years to double the size of the presence in aerospace and can be found companies expect that process thermal management. Engineered Materials portfolio,” said Andy on many global electric vehicle platforms. to be complete within the next Parker said the additional Weeks, president of Parker’s Engineered “They’ve had their eye on us for a long four to six months. business will drive its overall Materials Group. “As you look at the com- time,” said Ed Auslander, Lord CEO and All of Lord’s employees and sales to $15.3 billion, up by panies in the space, Lord has been at the president. “It was very clear as we went operations are included in Auslander about $1 billion using infor- top of our list based on culture, product through the process that Parker had a the proposed acquisition. mation from both companies’ portfolio and the market similarities.” great complementary fit to what we were If approved, Parker said in a presenta- 2018 financials. The firm did not disclose See Parker, page 21 Trelleborg opens combined West expands manufacturing facility presence in South Korea, India By Kyle Brown Rubber & Plastics News Staff SEOUL, South Korea—West Pharmaceutical Ser- vices Inc. is expanding its presence in two markets globally with new offices, one in South Korea and the other in India. The company’s expansion in South Korea comes as a result of an acquisition of the distribution business of GIS Korea Ltd., a privately owned medical device and health care product distributor in the regional market, according to Karen Flynn, West’s chief operations officer. West has partnered with GIS as a distributor since 2003, and brought the office with about 15 Flynn RPN photo by Kyle Brown employees into the fold to build Members of Trelleborg Sealing Profiles U.S. Inc. cut the ribbon with local officials at the grand opening of its regional presence, Flynn said. Financial details its combined manufacturing facility in Aurora, Ohio. of the acquisition were not disclosed. “We made a decision that we want- Our By Kyle Brown The building combines manufacturing facilities in ed to actually acquire the distribu- Rubber & Plastics News Staff Streetsboro, Ohio; Bristol, Ind.; and Aurora, as well special report on See West, page 21 AURORA, Ohio—Trelleborg Sealing Profiles U.S. as administrative offices, also in Aurora. It now Health Care Inc. consolidated four buildings into a new houses manufacturing and warehousing capabili- ElastomersPage 10. 156,250-sq.-ft. facility that serves as the company’s ties, along with the business unit’s offices, McKee begins on American headquarters. said. It contains 10 rubber and silicone extrusion The new Aurora location is the result of more than lines, seven thermoplastic and plastic extrusion three years of planning and process, and brings lines, a fully climate-controlled finishing room, a multiple efficiencies to the company’s manufactur- cold storage room, a cooling room and quality lab. ing capabilities, Managing Director Smith McKee As the business unit grew, it was going to have to said. Investment details were not disclosed. expand from four sites to five at some point, said West’s new facility “The main driver behind this was first, getting Magnus Andersson, president of Trelleborg Sealing in South Korea will better efficiencies by consolidating all the plants Profiles Sweden A.B. help it address the into one, and then, being able to continue to grow,” “That didn’t make sense,” Andersson said. “It made growing market. McKee said. “Obviously with more efficient space, more sense for us to look and move into one site.” we can expand and we can grow, which was a limita- The new site streamlined processes, eliminated tion for us in the old buildings.” See Trelleborg, page 22 ©Entire contents copyright 2019 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. NOMINATE YOUR COMPANY AS ONE OF THE RUBBER INDUSTRY’S BEST PLACES TO WORK! Deadline to nominate is less than two weeks away, see page 18 for details. www.RubberNews.com/BestPlaces Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs) for Medical Devices

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trinseo.com Materials. Powering Ideas. www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 3

Nexen opens central research center in South Korea Tristone opens N.C. facility SEOUL, South Korea—Nexen Tire Corp. By Mike McNulty has inaugurated a 613,000-sq.-ft. central re- Rubber & Plastics News Correspondent search center in Seoul that will become the MOORESVILLE, N.C—Tristone Flow- company’s research and development hub for tech Group GmbH will begin produc- its centers in the U.S., Europe and China. tion of engine cooling hoses at its Nexen invested $178 million throughout newly built manufacturing plant in two years in the center, dubbed “Nexen Uni- Mooresville by the end of May. verCity,” which is located within the Magok Headquartered in Frankfurt, Ger- Industrial Complex in western Seoul. The many, the global hose, pipe and surge structure, which stands eight stories tall with tank maker held the grand opening two additional stories underground, houses of its first facility in the U.S. on April both research and business complexes. 17. The company spent about $23.6 The company did not say how many em- million on the project and, together Above: Representatives ployees will work at the new center. with investments made by the owner from Tristone and local of- The opening of the Magok center comes of the site, constructed a complex ficials cut the ribbon to the nine months after Nexen opened a combined that spans about 220,660 square feet. firm’s new hose manufactur- European business/technical center in Kelk- About 177,605 square feet is ear- ing plant in Mooresville, N.C. heim, Germany. Nexen also has R&D centers marked for manufacturing and logis- At left: A look inside the in Changnyeong, China; at its recently com- tics, according to Guenter Froelich, facility, which spans about missioned tire plant in Zatec, Czech Republic; CEO and president of the firm, which 220,660 square feet and and one for North America under construction broke ground on its newest factory in represents a $23.6 million in Richfield, Ohio, north of Akron. May 2018. The remaining space will investment. It will be opera- be used for offices, he said. It is a tional at the end of May with Michelin adds distribution greenfield facility, he added, and an initial work force of 40. center in South Carolina similar to the firm’s two-year-old plant in Mexico. community through local employment.” U.S. and house production of plastic WOODRUFF, S.C.—Michelin North Amer- The plant in Mooresville initially It also mitigates potential risks with pipe and surge tanks for engine and ica Inc. has opened a 3 million-sq.-ft. distri- will make hoses for an automotive deliveries from Mexico to the U.S. and battery cooling applications for major bution center in Woodruff that the tire customer in the U.S., he said, with allows the firm to deliver products to original equipment manufacturers. maker said is capable of processing more deliveries trucked to various factories its customers’ plants in the U.S. and Tristone’s newest facility is its 11th than 200,000 tires a day. in the country. Canada from the U.S. facility. plant. In addition to the one in Mexico, The $270 million, five-building complex, He said the factory in Mooresville In addition, he said, another facto- the others are located in Poland, is capable of warehousing up to 4 million will launch production with a work ry was needed in the NAFTA region Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, tires, Michelin said. force of about 40, who initially will because capacity at its plant in Deli- France, Spain, Turkey, India and Thanks to a proprietary automated tire make engine cooling hose. At the close cias, Mexico, is currently full with China. The company also operates a handling system—which includes 16 robots of 2019, he figures close to 100 will be about $78 million in sales this year sales and engineering center in De- and 29 cranes—the facility is designed to working at the site. “By the end of 2021, and a work force of about 900. troit that services the NAFTA market. handle up to 120 trucks per day, operating we expect to employ roughly 300, both In April 2017, Tristone transferred Established as a stand-alone compa- 24/7. The system uses barcodes, scanners, blue and white collar workers.” production from an older, smaller site ny after the former Fluid Automotive RFID chips and computers, making the fa- Tristone has been planning to set up in Delicias to a new factory in the business unit was spun off by Trelle- cility a paper-free site. a production operation in the U.S. for same city that also has 177,000 square borg A.B., the company is projecting The warehouse complex sits on a 247- some time, Froelich said. “With our new feet of manufacturing space. The sales growth of about 11 percent to acre parcel of land. plant in the U.S., we can provide addi- Mexican site makes engine cooling, $357.7 million in 2019 and a further 24 tional benefits to our automotive cus- battery and air charge hose systems. percent to $445.7 million in 2020, tomers located in the U.S. and Canada. Froelich added that in addition to based on booked business from OEMs Correction The new Mooresville plant brings us engine cooling hose, the Mooresville in the NAFTA, European, Chinese and In a story in the April 22 issue of Rubber closer to our customers’ automotive facility eventually will broaden the Indian markets, despite the weaker & Plastics News, “Vail Rubber to add man- plants and brings benefits to the local company’s product portfolio in the automotive business in some markets. ufacturing plant,” the headquarters for Vail Rubber was listed incorrectly. The firm is based in St. Joseph, Mich. OTR tires at heart of Ponzi scheme INSIDE THIS EDITION By Bruce Davis Ponzi scheme and to minimize tax liabilities, the district attor- Tire Business ney’s office said. In one case, he and others sent various COLUMBUS, Ohio—An Ohio man has agreed to plead amounts of investor funds through a long series of wire trans- Davlyn to expand business guilty to orchestrating a Ponzi scheme involving OTR tires fers to a number of bank accounts he had created to receive The Davlyn Group disclosed plans to that defrauded at least 46 investors of an estimated $50 and distribute funds obtained fraudulently from investors. combine two of its businesses and expand its million. Adkins also laundered his “ill-gotten” proceeds for at operations at NAHAD’s annual convention Jason E. Adkins, 40, of Jackson, Ohio, was arraigned April least five years by investing in front businesses created by held April 5-10 in Las Vegas...... Page 4 8 in U.S. District Court in Columbus. According to case doc- co-conspirators and other methods. uments, Adkins carried out his scheme as proprietor of two He allegedly bought cars, vacations and property with the Bandag goes on the road companies, Landash Corp. and Midwest Coal L.L.C. funds from the scheme. For example, the documents show According to the plea agreement, Adkins conspired from he paid for the construction of a pool at his personal resi- Bridgestone Americas Inc.’s Bandag 2012 through 2018 to solicit millions of dollars from inves- dence and also paid more than $20,000 to lease a private jet. unit embarks on a roadshow to educate cus- tors under false pretenses, failed to invest the funds as Further, Adkins failed to file individual income tax re- tomers and break myths surrounding the use promised and misappropriated investors’ funds for his turns reporting his income derived from the scheme, the of retread tires...... Page 6 own benefit and the benefit of others. district attorney’s office said in the complaint. In 2013 he Adkins and others claimed they were buying and selling reportedly earned at least $1.1 million, which caused a tax Debating responsibility large OTR tires used on earthmoving equipment and min- loss of nearly $237,000 to the Internal Revenue Service. While extended producer responsibility for ing equipment. Investors were told their money would be “A person who creates a web of financial lies will soon be scrap tires will remain for the foreseeable fu- used to buy the tires at a steep discount, and that the tires caught up in it. Adkins offered rates of return of 15 to 20 ture, there is still debate about individual would then be re-sold to a buyer at a much higher rate. percent to investors and unfortunately these were false producer responsibility, according to experts Investors were promised a 15-20 percent return on in- promises,” said William Cheung, acting special agent in at the recently held Clemson University vestment, generally within 180 days, the U.S. Attorney’s charge, IRS, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. Global Tire Industry Conference. . . . Page 14 Office for the Southern District of Ohio said. Adkins Adkins has agreed to plead guilty to three counts of sometimes would pay the return on investment for the wire fraud and six counts related to money laundering— first transaction with investor victims. all crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison—and one DEPARTMENTS “Making good on early investments perpetuated Adkins’ count of tax evasion, which carries a maximum penalty of scheme by appearing to corroborate his claims, which up to five years in prison. Calendar...... 9 helped him attract more investors,” said Benjamin Glass- Individuals who believe they may have been a victim of Editorials...... 8 man, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Adkins’s scheme are urged to contact Barbara Vanarsdall, From the web...... 9 “What the victims didn’t know was that Adkins was pay- the U.S. Attorney’s Office victim witness coordinator, at Technical notebook ...... 16 ing off early investments with the money from later ones. 614-469-5715. Vol. 48, No. 20. May 6, 2019—Rubber & Plastics News Although the product that Jason Adkins was purporting to In addition, Great Southland Ltd. of Mooloolaba, Aus- (ISSN 0300-6123) is published bi-weekly by Crain buy and sell—oversize tires—was unusual, the operation of tralia, filed suit in August 2017 against Adkins, his wife Communications Inc. Periodical postage paid at Akron and at additional mailing offices. Address all subscription his scheme was not. It was right out of Ponzi’s playbook.” Rebekah and 13 other co-defendants seeking to recover correspondence to: Circulation Department, Rubber & For example, the office said, two specific investors were more than $2.4 million it claims it lost in dealings with Plastics News, 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, Mich. 48207- paid for their initial investment of $20,000 with Adkins in Adkins and the other co-defendants. 2912. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Rubber & Plastics News, Circulation Dept., 1155 Gratiot Ave., 2016, but they received only $320,000 from Adkins in return It has asked the U.S. District Court to foreclose on secu- Detroit, Mich. 48207-2912. for about $1 million worth of investments overall. rity interests and allow it to take possession of and sell Adkins used several methods to conceal the scope of the any collateral that can be secured. 4 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com

The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution Las Vegas Davlyn combines units, expands operations By Bruce Meyer Rubber & Plastics News Staff The Davlyn Group is expanding one of its businesses, while bringing two of its units together as a way to serve customers better. The company has added onto the headquarters building of its Davlyn Manufacturing Co., a producer of thermal protection solutions, and also is integrating that business with its Darco Southern operation, which offers a variety of thermal solutions for commercial and industrial applications. Davlyn Manufacturing added about 35,000 square feet to its factory in Spring City, Pa., bringing the facility to more than 100,000 square feet, according to Di- rector of Sales Kevin Daly, who discussed the expansion at NAHAD’s “Both companies have been annual convention, held April 5-10 in Las Vegas. very successful, but really to The project includes the expan- achieve the growth we want sion of some new equipment, along with a variety of streamlining and long term, integrating and lean manufacturing projects aimed at increasing both efficiency and bringing us closer together capacity, he said. More capital in- makes sense.” vestment is likely in the near future Kevin Daly as well. “We’re expecting to continue to invest in lean, we’re going to continue to invest in technology and really utilize that the best we can to be as competitive as we can on a global RPN photos by Bruce Meyer scale,” Daly said. Kevin Daly and Margaret Torrente-Meck staff the Davlyn Manufacturing Co. booth during the exhibit program at Investment figures for the expansion were not disclosed. NAHAD’s annual convention, held April 5-10 in Las Vegas. Davlyn makes a variety of thermal protection products, many lined or coated with silicone, such as its fire be built out as needed. “With the growth we’re experi- portunity to better service customers, Daly said. sleeve, Silco Tape-brand products, a fire blanket, fiber- encing the last few years, I think it’s going to be hap- Darco operates from a facility in Independence, Va., glass sleeve and tape, and fiberglass rope. He said the pening sooner rather than later,” he added. “The added manufacturing such goods as sleeves, gaskets, ropes, biggest end market for Davlyn goods is oil and gas, fol- square footage to the building and the streamlining of tapes, blankets and cloth, and other products. Many of lowed by applications in such sectors as transportation, our manufacturing processes gave us some efficiency its products also are silicone-coated. Its core industries steel foundries, hose fabrication, metals, home and and lean gains that ultimately are going to position the include energy, boilers, chemical operations and OEMs. hearth, and OEMs. products for growth in the marketplace.” “Our focus short term is really training all of our people While the fire sleeves are often used in hose assem- The decision to bring the Davlyn Manufacturing and so they can cross-sell and represent all of our products,” he blies, the fire blanket is similar in construction but Darco Southern businesses together will join the units’ said. “Both companies have been very successful, but real- comes in a roll so the end user can cut it to fit their sales organizations as one, according to Daly, including ly to achieve the growth we want long term, integrating needs, Daly said. using common ERP and CRM systems. “It’s going to and bringing us closer together makes sense.” Business for fiscal 2019, ended March 31, showed allow us to cross-sell more efficiently all of our prod- Daly said there are no plans to integrate the manufac- strong growth, he said, without disclosing specific fi- ucts,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good relationships and turing because the two production processes are complete- nancial figures. momentum in the marketplace, so I think this integra- ly different. “We feel like they complement each other, and Besides the new addition to the facility, Daly said tion will have some quick benefits for everybody.” the people we have at both facilities, we don’t want to lose plans are in place where an additional expansion can There is some overlap in customers so there is an op- their expertise or what they bring to the table.” NAHAD gavel changes hands at convention

By Bruce Meyer draulics business unit, and held prod- Rubber & Plastics News Staff uct and marketing manager roles for Industry veteran Sam Petillo, presi- Saint-Gobain’s Fluid Systems division. dent of Singer Equities Inc., took over He joined Singer Equities in 2013 as the reins as president of NAHAD, the vice president and Midwest regional Association for Hose and Accessories manager. He was promoted to presi- Distribution, during the group’s annu- dent and CEO and 2016, where he fo- al convention in Las Vegas. He will cuses on driving strategy, growth preside over the organization until its plans and acquisitions for Singer. The 2020 convention. Houston-based company is a decen- He succeeds Karen Brandvold, vice tralized group of value-added distribu- president and chief financial tors in the industrial rubber officer of Omni Services Inc., products industry, with 13 who was the first woman to platform companies. lead the association. “Sam’s commitment to NA- “I am honored to be a part HAD is a true testament to of NAHAD and to serve as his leadership style and his president this year,” Petillo said in a dedication to the industry,” said Molly statement. “I served on the NAHAD Alton Mullins, NAHAD executive vice board both as a manufacturer and a president. “Sam brings a wealth of in- distributor, and I feel I bring a unique dustry knowledge to the table and is perspective on the value NAHAD pro- truly one of the most respected leaders vides related to networking, education in the business.” and, most importantly, our commit- The annual convention at the Bella- ment to hose safety and the Hose gio Resort and Casino drew total at- Safety Institute. tendance of 1,016, Mullins said. That His career in the rubber and hose included representatives from 150 dis- industry spans 20 years. He previously tributor member firms and 142 manu- Karen Brandvold of Omni Services Inc. ends her tenure as NAHAD president served as director of North America for facturer companies. The Showcase of with the ceremonial passing of the gavel to Sam Petillo of Singer Equities Inc., Goodyear’s industrial hose and hy- Hose Solutions drew 154 exhibits. who will head the association until its 2020 convention. www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 5 Industry to work with NHTSA on tire ID program By Miles Moore tags, the report said. identification might appear, Littlefield, reviewing the report. Rubber & Plastics News Staff There have been no formal durability who attended stakeholder meetings, “Overall, we believe it is a good foun- WASHINGTON—The tire retailing studies of either technology, but stake- said, “I think it will be quicker than I dation for dialogue as NHTSA moves industry is ready to work with the Na- holders expressed no durability concerns would have said a week ago. It looks forward in developing a tire registra- tional Highway Traffic Safety Admin- about either, according to NHTSA. like they’re trying to get something out tion rulemaking,” the association said. istration to help create an equitable, “While some cost information and this year, but that’s just a guess.” In a statement, Bridgestone called the technologically achievable electronic anecdotal comments noting potential The move toward electronic tire NHTSA report “an important next step tire identification pro- benefits were shared in the context of identification was based on complaints in enhancing tire registration efforts. gram, according to Roy stakeholder meetings, a full analysis that tire registration rates were abys- “These technologies can serve to im- Littlefield III, CEO of of the costs and benefits mally low, Littlefield said. prove the process of notifying consumers the Tire Industry As- associated with imple- “Actually, registration rates were a with speed and accuracy in the event of sociation. mentation of electronic lot higher than people thought,” he any field action, customer satisfaction “We don’t care which identification in all tires said. “But now that we’re here, we campaign or possible recall,” the tire technology is used,” he said. “We just was not performed in the context of this want to do it right. The bottom line is maker said. “We look forward to working want it to be uniform. We want to make study,” the agency said. getting the recall rates up.” with NHTSA and other partners to ensure everybody has the same thing. Asked when an advance notice of The USTMA, which also attended sure technology promotes safe transpor- We’re technology-neutral.” proposed rulemaking on electronic tire stakeholder meetings, said it is still tation and mobility in the future.” Requiring electronic identification of tires based on tire identification numbers is technologically feasible, according to a report NHTSA submitted to Congress April 9. “However, additional industry effort and possible NHTSA regulatory action may be required to ensure use of a Experience that brings your vision to life. single type of technology and standard identification format,” the agency said in the report. NHTSA performed the study as directed by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, which then-Presi- dent Barack Obama signed into law in December 2015. The FAST Act required NHTSA to consider whether it was feasible to require new tire manufacturers to include TIN-based electronic identification technology on all tires. It also required the agency to determine whether that identification could be accomplished using a single technology and information format. The new study addressed the second question, NHTSA said in the report’s executive summary. NHTSA based the report partly on the results of stakeholder meetings that included representatives of major tire manufacturers, large tire dealers, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Associa- tion and the Tire Industry Association. In the study, NHTSA considered two main electronic collection technologies—radio frequency identification tags and two-dimensional barcodes. Both RFID and 2D seem technologi- Providing technical and engineering cally feasible, and NHTSA believes a standard format could be achieved be- solutions to OEMs, mold makers tween the two technologies, provided electronic tire identification also con- and injection molders in the tained unit-level identification, the agency said in the report. plastic and rubber industries. “Since the format of the data on RFID tags is fairly inflexible, achiev- ing compatibility would require that 2D barcodes, include an SGTIN-96 format EPC,” NHTSA said. “Although 2D barcodes on tires do not currently follow this format, the capacity of the barcodes would allow them to do so,” it said. The report discussed the limitations of both technologies. Tire owners would have to purchase an RFID scan- ner, it said, whereas 2D barcodes could be read through a Smartphone app. However, 2D barcodes cannot be read SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding SIGMA academy Customer Development while the tire is in motion, and cannot be read easily if the barcode is on an Software technology that Software training and continuous On-site team planning and development inside-facing sidewall, the report said. accurately replicates the education that helps professionals with clear objectives, measurables and RFID tags have limited memory, and it injection molding process to understand topics like defect continuous technical assistance to insure is difficult to identify individual RFID- streamline production and design avoidance and process optimization your goals are met tagged tires when they are stacked, according to the report. It is impossible to read 2D barcodes on stacked tires, it said. 2D barcodes would be cheaper than RFID tags—18 cents per tire for barcodes on both sidewalls, compared Ask SIGMA® to help achieve your with 50 cents to a dollar for two RFID injection molding goals. 847.558.5600 | [email protected] 6 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com Bandag roadshow spotlights retread benefits

By Kyle Brown you’re retreading it, you’re getting more Rubber & Plastics News Staff value out of it. It’s a complement to a new AKRON—The Bandag Fleets We De- tire, and it helps to extend the life of it.” pend On roadshow is on a cross-country Jarrett said Bandag is using new tour to debunk myths about retreaded compounds that will extend wear fur- tires and honor everyday heroes. ther, which spreads out the frequency of LaTres Jarrett, director of marketing purchases and allowing fleet managers for Bandag, welcomed local retread to get longer mileage and performance dealers and Bridgestone Americas Inc. out of retreads. The new compounds also employees to one stop along the 27-city help with traction, improving use in in- tour, at Bridgestone’s Technical Center clement weather conditions. in Akron. The event, which continues Retreads can also help with environ- through June, will engage fleets on the mental sustainability efforts, as a re- advantages of retreading tires and give treaded tire is produced with 15 gallons attendees the opportunity to see retread less oil than a new tire, she said. dealer spaces up close. “When you consider the nine retread “The industry is evolving,” Jarrett dealers we have here in the Northeast said. “Fleets are constantly looking for Ohio market, that’s nearly a million new ways to improve their business effi- gallons of oil saved just here in the Ak- ciency, continue to be competitive and ron/Cleveland area,” she said. increase safety for their employees.” Bandag has been seeing growth in A major effort of the roadshow is to de- demand for retreads as fleet managers construct myths about retreads, such as have been looking for ways to extend the the idea that the strips of tire seen on the use of their tires, Jarrett said. More side of the road come from retreaded fleets have been increasing their re- tires, Jarrett said. Some third party tread-to-new ratio rather than getting studies are showing that there’s a 50 RPN photos by Kyle Brown rid of casings, and new technologies percent chance that those scraps come LaTres Jarrett, director of marketing for Bandag, points out a tire casing that have allowed those casings to go farther from a new tire rather than a retread. In reached the million-mile mark after two retreadings at the roadshow’s stop at the in a retreading program. either case, the studies show in a majori- Bridgestone Americas Technical Center in Akron. “They may have had specs where they ty of the cases, it’s not a result of the tire’s with Bandag on retreads. the operation.” would change out twice and do two re- manufacturing as much as it is tire “There are some stops that are trade Those trends will open fleet managers treads, then take the casing out of service,” maintenance, such as low air pressure. show events, where we will have fleets of up to looking at retreading as a more she said. “Now they’re extending that. “We’re trying to make sure we address different sizes,” Jarrett said. “We are viable option, she said. You can get three or four wears within the some misconceptions about the reliabili- also making stops at some of our dealer “What autonomous vehicles might do casing life before you take it out.” ty of retreads in general,” Jarrett said. locations where we can actually show- for us is that we won’t have drivers The roadshow’s Fleets We Depend On “There could be long-playing tapes in case the plant, have people walk through checking air pressure as much,” she event spotlights fleets that communities people’s heads of ‘One time, somebody and do real-life tours to see how the said. “They will be able to just retread rely on such as firefighters, school bus had an issue’ and they attributed it to a process operates.” and continue to experience the long drivers and parcel delivery, she said. retread. There are people who believe Including the Akron location, Bridge- wear that they’re looking for. The roadshow’s goal is to demonstrate that what they see on the side of the stone has three technical centers, with “From a technology standpoint, we’re how groups like regional haulers and road are retreads. facilities in Rome and Tokyo. The Akron getting on the front end of that with as- delivery fleets can use a tire program to “We just wanted to take the show on site focuses on new tires and technolo- set tracking technology, which will allow build efficiency as well as to honor those the road and make sure we’re correcting gies for truck/bus, passenger, agricul- us to know how the tires are progress- fleets doing everyday work. and telling the realities of retreading,” ture and off-the-road tires. Attendees ing, what the tire pressures are. We’ll be As part of the program, Bandag is she said. toured through the tire creation process, able to gather feedback and have more of sponsoring a new industry award to The road show’s experience includes from product design to materials devel- a circular loop on when to make those recognize those fleets, Jarrett said. The new and retreaded tires on display side opment and compounding. changeouts,” she said. Fleets We Depend On award will go to a by side for close-up comparison, Jarrett Part of Bandag’s process is changing Technology like incorporating sensors nominee working in one of those indus- said. It also includes a Bridgestone cas- the way that fleets look at tires, she into the tires is in Bandag’s pipeline at tries, who will receive $5,000, with an- ing that reached 1 million miles, having said. With automotive trends like elec- various stages, but she did not disclose other $5,000 going to a chosen charity. been twice retreaded. It also includes trification and autonomous driving, tire any details. Nominees can be submitted at www. Fleets We Depend On campaign videos makers have to evolve to improve across fleetswedependon.com to be judged by a and a trivia game of the retreading pro- key performance indicators like cost, Rebirth of a tire panel choosing finalists. The winner cess. There’s also a wall of interactive productivity, efficiency and safety. That Properly managing tire casings with will be named in September. videos walking through the 10-step pro- means treating tires more like an asset. retreads can boost reliability and per- “It’s designed to spotlight the depend- cess in detail led by an industry veteran. “Collectively, we’re categorizing tire formance, and save both time and mon- able, everyday heroes that keep this casings as sustainable assets, some- ey, she said. country moving,” Jarrett said. “We can Seeing up close thing that is designed to be used over “It helps to rebirth the tire,” Jarrett all nominate people who we know are At stops where a retread dealer is lo- and over and over again,” Jarrett said. said. “After a casing’s been worn for fleet drivers, whether it’s our garbage cated, facility tours will be available, “That’s the way we look at it. Tires are about a year, it actually gets even better collector, and we see the hard work he’s Jarrett said. At the Bridgestone Ameri- much more than black and round air- in rolling resistance, which is going to doing and we want to acknowledge that.” cas Technical Center, attendees toured filled rubber. They are valuable resourc- translate into better fuel efficiency. In- Information on upcoming events is the facility to see how Bridgestone works es for fleets, no matter how big or small stead of throwing that casing away, available at www.bandagroadshow.com. Bridgestone goes road trippin’

Stephen Miranda, section manager of commercial core product development A group of attendees check out the steps in the retreading process, explained for Bridgestone, shows off tire sections ranging from passenger to agricultural in short videos by an industry veteran. On the opposite side of the kiosk is a to demonstrate how the center’s tire designs come together. trivia game testing players’ retread knowledge, complete with high scores. www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 7 USTMA forecasts medium-duty product shipments to drop in 2019 By Bruce Davis Some wholesalers said they’d seen notic- complained for the past few years about “We are encouraging retreaders to ‘get Tire Business es of increases up to 30 percent. the detrimental effect low-priced new im- back to the basics’ and promote total tire WASHINGTON—Will the newly im- One company that did respond was ported tires has on retreading. management programs to fleets by con- posed countervailing and antidumping China Manufacturers Alliance L.L.C., According to Retread Instead—the U.S. ducting fleet inspections, out-of-service import duty orders on truck and bus which distributes the Double Coin brand. retreading advocacy group—the imposi- tire analysis and recommending good solid tires from China lead to shortages of According to CMA Vice President Walt tion of the new duties “will fundamentally tire management policies for fleets that tires and rising prices? Weller, his company—which received change the supply side of new tires in the includes managing total tire life to receive That scenario seems to be more than one of the lowest import duties and U.S. during the next two years” and has- maximum benefits,” the organization said. likely, according to various industry sourc- which is importing more and more from ten a return to an improved ratio of re- With the tariffs in place, the retreading es. The big question, however, is: To what Thailand—decided to increase prices by treads to new tires sold and put into ser- industry hopes to see increased supplies extent? 5 percent. vice in the U.S. of better quality truck tires that will be The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Associa- One segment of the industry that wel- Because of tariffs there is more oppor- more repairable and retreadable, deliver- tion may have presaged a product short- comed the increased import duties was tunity to grow than there has been in ing lower total life-cycle cost and reducing age inadvertently with its latest indus- the retreading community, which has years, according to the group. the negative impact on the environment. try shipment report, which projected a 6.8 percent drop in medium-duty truck/ bus shipments in 2019. The drop, which translates to 1.5 million units, is tied primarily to the anticipated The World’s No. 1 Trade Fair impact of the higher import duties on Chi- na, the No. 1 source of imported truck tires. for Plastics and Rubber Truck tire imports from China last year soared 42.1 percent to 9.22 million units, or more than half of all imports. The increase was inflated by importers’ placing extra orders toward year-end to get product on-shore prior to the Trump administration’s threatened 15 percent tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of goods from China. While the administration eventually postponed those tariffs, the moves proved providential when the Department of Commerce handed down in February its decision to impose countervailing and antidumping duty orders on truck and bus tires from China, sources said. The surplus inventory of these “tar- iff-beater” imports on hand could serve to fill the gap, at least temporarily, for any shortfalls in new imports, sources indicated. At this point it’s still speculation as to how much the duties—ranging from 20.98 to 63.34 percent countervailing and 9 to 22.57 percent antidumping— will affect imports from China. Home of USTMA’s reports reflect the domestic industry’s thoughts on shipments, not demand, which is affected by a spectrum Innovation. K 2019 of influences. According to various sources, trucking activity is expected to keep pace with, if not exceed, that of 2018, which according to American Trucking Associations data was 6.6 percent ahead of 2017. The ATA said that the pace of growth slowed in the fourth quarter and has been up and down so far in 2019. According to the ATA, trucks moved 10.8 billion tons of freight in 2017, gener- ating $700 billion in annual revenue. The U.S. trucking industry employs 3.5 million drivers and 4.2 million more in related jobs. Whether circular economy, digitalization, Industry 4.0, Another indicator of freight growth is lightweight construction, mobility, additive manufacturing, registrations of new vehicles. According to IHS Markit, registrations of Class 8 new materials or other future-oriented issues of the worldwide vehicles are expected to rise about 8 percent this year over 2018. plastics and rubber industry: You will experience innovative An early indicator of how prices might solutions at K 2019. The fascinating forum for innovations and be affected could be Bridgestone Ameri- cas Tire Operations’ decision to raise investments. The industry’s most important business platform. prices on all Dayton-brand truck and bus radial tires sold in the U.S. by 20 per- Approximately 3,200 international exhibitors offer you the cent, effective March 5. Bridgestone said the price change is latest in research and development. Welcome! in response to increased business costs and other market dynamics. Bridge- www.k-online.com/ticketing stone sources most of the Dayton-brand product from China. Bridgestone raised prices on Dayton truck and bus tires sold in the U.S. and Canada in September 2018 by 10 percent. Most companies importing/distribut- ing Chinese truck tires declined to com- ment on pricing or didn’t return calls. For show information: Messe Düsseldorf North America Tel. (312) 781-5180 _ [email protected] www.mdna.com For hotel and travel arrangements: TTI Travel, Inc. Tel. (866) 674-3476 _ [email protected] 8 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com Opinion

Parker, Lord Vol. 48 No. 20 Brennan Lafferty, V.P./group publisher David E. Zielasko, Publisher, vice president (330-836-9180)

EDITORIAL STAFF deal pares ranks Bruce Meyer, Editor (330-865-6124) Chris Sweeney, News editor (330-865-6188) of independents Miles D. Moore, Senior Washington reporter (703-256-9275) t may sound strange to characterize a $1 billion company Erin Pustay Beaven, Online content editor (330-865-6106) as a “small company,” but that’s the situation Lord Corp. Kyle Brown, Reporter found itself in. (330-865-6115) I Michael McCrady, Art director The firm is one of the oldest names in the rubber industry, (330-865-6148) having been founded in 1924. It always has prided itself on ed to broaden its offerings, reach and technology. John Dick, Technical editor developing new technologies, boasted a stable of well-known Parker fits the bill here, and stepped in to offer $3.68 ([email protected]) brand names, and had substantial presence on both the billion for Lord in one of those deals where officials from Keith E. Crain, Editorial director supply side of the business with its adhesives lines and the both sides say the fit is “near perfect.” Of course when the INTERNET finished goods side with rubber-to-metal bonded products. required approvals are received and the process of putting Mark McCarron, Digital coordinator It also has a well diversified business, split fairly evenly the companies together proceeds, things aren’t always that (330-865-6123) among industrial, aerospace and defense, and automotive. simple. The two have a relationship that goes back about a SALES STAFF Lord made a big splash early in the year when it announced Brent Weaver, Sales manager decade, and say they share similar cultures and business (330-865-6119) that it had crossed the $1 billion sales milestone for the first strategies, so that likely will help smooth the transition. Peter McNeil, Display advertising sales repre- time in its history. The privately-held Cary, N.C.-based firm The executives also say Lord is strong where Parker isn’t sentative (330-865-6109) also was active in expanding its capabilities, with ongoing Brooke Stender, Classified advertising sales and vice versa. The adhesives, coating science and thermal representative (330-865-6117) projects in different areas of the globe. However, not long af- management capabilities of Lord will give Parker signifi- Lori DiFrancesco, Sales and conference coordi- ter Lord had touted this billion-dollar news, word leaked out cant boosts, and Lord’s vibration isolation and passive/ac- nator (330-865-6121) that the company had put itself on the sales block, something Sarah Arnold, Marketing and events manager tive damping products are new lines for Parker. (330-865-6169) that came as a bit of a surprise given Lord’s long history of Cleveland-based Parker hopes to capitalize on the major Patrick Cannon, Group sales director being successful by going the independent route. trends of aerospace, lightweighting and electrification with the (313-446-1625) But that’s where the thought of a $1 billion company not Lord deal, citing Lord’s thermal management technology’s cur- RUBBER DIRECTORY & BUYERS GUIDE being so big comes into play. Lord CEO Ed Auslander said rent presence on many of the electric vehicle platforms world- Sally Dietz, Assistant events manager/editorial the company has solid Tier 1 business in the aerospace and wide. When combined, Parker will have strong presences in a coordinator (330-865-6112) automotive industries, but was a smaller player in both variety of markets that besides automotive and aerospace also sectors and sought a Tier 1 partner to accelerate its growth include agriculture and general industry, among others. IT/PRODUCTION STAFF Scott Merryweather, Media services manager up those respective supply chains. In the end, most likely the marriage will be a success and Anthony DiPonio, Chief information officer Given the capabilities of Lord, it certainly was no sur- a force in many elastomer-related areas. But it also will be AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT prise that it would be an attractive acquisition candidate a little sad to see one of the largest independent companies Jennifer Mosley, Group director/Audience devel- for a large player with exposure in those sectors that want- left in the rubber industry not singing to its own tune. opment (312-649-5312)

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Diana Clance, Office coordinator Check out our new website (330-836-9180) By Bruce Meyer Other features include: • A place to sign up for our many free email newsletters; f you’re reading this column in our print edition I’m go- • A click-through section to manage your subscription; ing to ask you to do me a favor. Once you’re done reading • Links to the digital edition of our latest print issue; Rubber & Plastics News is published bi-weekly this I want you to go to the Rubber & Plastics News web- • A place to subscribe to RPN’s print and digital products; by Crain Communications Inc. I Subscriptions: U.S., one year $99; two years, site at www.rubbernews.com. (If you’re reading this online, • Ways to connect to our social media sites for Facebook, $178. Group rates, $79 each for five or more then you’re already in the right place, but I’ll want you to LinkedIn and Twitter; copies. Air mail and first class delivery to U.S., U.S. possessions, Mexico and Canada, $164; the follow the directions just the same.) • Information on how to advertise in the publication, in Middle East and Europe, $219; all other regions, Why, you may ask? That’s because we’ve print and online; $293. For surface delivery to Canada, $138 just revamped the website and I think (including GST); Mexico and all other foreign • Links to sister Crain Communications publications; and countries, $140. Single copy, $4.50. you’ll find a more reader-friendly experi- • A section to contact staff members. Rubber Directory & Buyers Guide, $89 per copy ence to bring you the news of the rubber Along with the updated website, our email newsletters— plus $6 for first class postage and handling in the U.S. and Canada. Four weeks’ notice required for industry. including our Daily Newsmail, Rubber in Automotive, Sil- change of address. GST #136760444. The site is brighter, with sharper, easi- icone News and Latex News—were given a similar make- Printed in the U.S. For new subscriptions and change of address, er-to-read headline fonts. The new website over, making them easier to read with a more modern look. write: Audience Development Department, includes a more concise drop-down menu I will tell you one thing that won’t change, though. The Rubber & Plastics News, 1155 Gratiot Ave., at the top of the site, making it easier for www.rubbernews.com site will continue to bring you a mix Detroit, Mich. 48207-2912; call 1-877-320- 1726 or e-mail customerservice-rpn@crain. readers to navigate the different sections of the top news and feature stories—both from our staff and com for customer service. For subscription of the site. I think you’ll find there are sister publications—to keep you up to date with our industry. information and delivery concerns please email [email protected] or call 877-320- better presentations of photo galleries—we’ve just posted Now go take a look and let us know what you think. 1726 (in the U.S. and Canada) or 313-446-0450 several of these from plant openings and the ACS Rubber (all other locations) Division’s spring technical meeting. It’s also easier to find Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News. He can be reached Reprints: Lauren Melesio, 212-210-0707; e-mail, [email protected]. information about upcoming RPN events and conferences. at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN. Website: http://www.rubbernews.com

CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC WEB POLL RESULTS QUOTE OF THE WEEK Keith E. Crain Mary Kay Crain Chairman Vice chairman “Any employer that doesn’t under- KC Crain Chris Crain President Senior executive stand their responsibility to do that vice president Lexie Crain first probably can’t be an employer Armstrong Robert Recchia Secretary Chief financial officer for very long.” G.D. Crain Jr. Gertrude R. Crain Founder (1885-1973) Chairman (1911-1996) —Jim Fitzgerald, CEO and president of Flexan L.L.C., on the company’s responsibility to put the safety of its employees first. www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 9 From The Web James Walker consolidates operations Tekni-Plex’s purchase of the three Amcor plants will Yokohama works to improve ice grip mark its 11th acquisition in five years. That deal is GLENWOOD, Ill.—James Walker has launched a re- pending approval by the U.S. Department of Justice TOKYO—Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., together with structuring plan within its North American operations and the closing of the Amcor-Bemis merger. researchers at Kanazawa University, have developed a in a bid to grow its business and expand into new sectors. The three plants that Tekni-Plex is acquiring employ way to visualize the “frictional state of contact” of rub- As of April 1, James Walker Mfg. Co. and James 150 and have been serving some common ber on ice, which YRC claims could lead to Walker Oil and Gas Co. merged into one entity: James customers. To keep up with the studless winter tire designs with improved Walker North America. Under the new structure, com- daily pulse of the grip on ice. pany operations—including corporate offices, manufac- Waymo sets up shop in Detroit industry, visit www. YRC said it now expects its work, con- turing and logistics—are based out of the existing facil- rubbernews.com. ducted with researchers under Associate ity in Glenwood. DETROIT—Waymo has reached an Professor Tomoaki Iwai with Kanazawa An additional team, based in Houston, is supporting ex- agreement with American Axle & Manu- University’s Tribology Laboratory, explor- isting oil and gas customers, as well as developing business facturing to lease a factory in Detroit, where ing this phenomenon will enable the discovery of new across the southern portion of the U.S., the firm said. it will integrate its self-driving systems onto vehicles compounding agents with enhanced water absorbency The consolidation aims to enhance the company’s provided by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Jaguar, the and facilitate the development of tread patterns that overall product and service offering in North America, Google affiliate said. deliver higher drainage performance. according to David Gibson, North America vice presi- Waymo will invest $13.6 million to adapt an existing YRC’s joint research with Kanazawa University led dent at James Walker. plant within the supplier’s Holbrook Avenue campus to the development of a testing machine equipped with and could eventually grow to 200,000 square feet and a high-speed camera that enables visualization of a Tekni-Plex acquires three plants hundreds of workers. The size of the footprint Waymo tire’s contact with the ground and succeeds in identify- will open with later this year is not clear. ing the real contact area. The partners also established WAYNE, Pa—Tekni-Plex Inc. is buying three manu- The move will create Waymo’s first full-fledged as- an analytical technique for digitizing contact images, facturing plants from Amcor Ltd.’s Flexible Packaging sembly plant for the purpose of retrofitting vehicles which led to evaluating the water absorbency and business unit for $215 million to broaden its portfolio of with self-driving systems and marks an expansion into drainage of tire rubber numerically. sterilizable medical device packaging. the cradle of the traditional auto industry. The sites in Milwaukee and Madison, Wis., and Ash- In January, when Waymo laid out its ambitions to On the move land, Mass., produce packaging substrates, such as find a manufacturing facility in Southeast Michigan, it coated and uncoated Tyvek, heat-seal and cold-seal said as many as 400 engineers from Canada’s Magna A. Stucki Co.—Named Sagar Sumant its global di- coated paper and films, medical-grade laminates, and International Inc., a Waymo partner, eventually could rector of SAP, leading the company’s new SAP Global die-cut lids and labels. be hired to perform the system integration. Waymo did Center of Excellence. Amcor reached the deal with Tekni-Plex to resolve not say how many employees would be hired initially. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies—Dieter Schae- antitrust concerns raised in the U.S. over the proposed The project is supported by an $2 million grant from fer, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ chief operating $6.8 billion all-stock merger between parent company the Michigan Strategic Fund that covers the first 100 officer, will retire on June 30. The firm plans to realign Amcor and Bemis Co. Inc. The Amcor-Bemis merger will jobs—about $20,000 each—upon signing a lease for no its management team down to three members from create a company with about $13 billion in annual sales. less than three years. Waymo then could qualify for four, with Chief Technology Officer Theodore Duclos Bemis is based in Neenah, Wis., and Amcor is head- $20,000 for each new job at the site up to 400 new jobs, assuming Schaefer’s responsibilities as COO in addi- quartered in Melbourne, Australia. or an additional $6 million in grants. tion to his current duties. Calendar Rubber groups Seminars/conferences Blue Ridge Rubber Group: Spring technical meet- Future Tire Conference: Focusing on technology and ing, May 16, Olde Beau, Roaring Gap, N.C. (Tony Wil- market developments in the tire industry, June 11-12, liams, 302-562-1608, [email protected]; Leonardo Royal Hotel Koeln - Am Stadtwald, Cologne, www.rubber.org/blue-ridge-rubber-group) Germany, organized by European Rubber Journal. (sar- [email protected]; www.tyre-conferences.com) Bourbon Trail Elastomer Group: Golf outing, May 14, Seneca Golf Course, Louisville, Ky.; Technical Healthcare Elastomer Conference: Inaugural event meeting, July 11, venue TBD, Louisville, Ky. (www. focusing on new technologies, trends and ideas in elasto- bourbontrailelastomergroup.org) mers for the health care industry, May 21-22, Renais- sance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, Schaum- Chicago Rubber Group: Spring technical meeting, burg, Ill., organized by Rubber & Plastics News. May 13, Jimmy’s Charhouse, Elgin, Ill.; Chicago Golf ([email protected]; www.rubbernews.com/conferences) Outing, July 18, Village Links, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (www. chicagorubbergroup.org) iLearn Innovation Institute: A division of Ace Prod- ucts & Consulting L.L.C., all courses held at Ace Products Detroit Rubber Group: Fishing derby, June 20, ven- in Ravenna, Ohio; Introduction to rubber technology, ue TBD; Golf outing, July 16, venue TBD; Board meet- May 13; Rubber and plastics failure analysis, May 14; ing, July 29, venue TBD. (Jim Eddy eddy@zeonchemi- Chemistry and technology of polymeric materials used in cals.com; www.rubber.org) medical devices, May 15; Polyurethanes in medical devices, May 16; Introduction to rubber and plastic medical Energy Polymer Group: Spring technical meeting, device regulation and ISO 13485, May 17; Introduction to May 16, Arlington Hilton, Arlington, Texas. (www.en- polymer science, May 20; Plastics materials selection and ergypolymergroup.org) specification, May 21. (Christie Robinson, 330-577-4088, [email protected]) Fort Wayne Rubber & Plastics Group: Technical meetings, June 13, Sept. 12 and Dec. 5, Ceruti’s, Fort ITEC in Focus: Green Tire: Biennial event spot- Wayne, Ind. (www.fwrpg.org) lighting green tires and their impact on the tire industry, Sept. 25-26, Sheraton Suites, Cuyahoga Falls, Los Angeles Rubber Group: Summer conference/TIPS Ohio, organized by Rubber & Plastics News. (bweaver@ meeting, June 7-9, Paso Robles, Calif. (www.tlargi.org) crain.com; www.rubbernews.com/conferences)

Mexico Rubber Group: Courses on June 6, July 25, International Rubber Journey 2019: Rubber indus- Aug. 29, Oct. 17 and Nov. 21, Rubber Chamber Auditori- try gathering in Mexico, organized by Lord Corp., May um. (52-55-55666199; 52-55-55352266; Francisco Mar- 21-23, Hotel Hacienda Jurica, Queretaro, Mexico. tha [email protected]; Miguel Bernal cnih@prodigy. (www.internationalrubberjourney.com) net.mx; Jose Gazano [email protected]; www. cnih.com.mx) Trade/technical associations Michigan Rubber Group: Golf outing, May 30, For- ACS Rubber Division: International Elastomer est Akers, East Lansing, Mich.; Fishing outing, July Conference, featuring Rubber Expo, 196th Technical 26, Grand Haven, Mich. (Keith Korthals, 989-435- Meeting & Education Symposium, Oct. 9-11, Hunting- 7400, [email protected], www.michigan- ton Convention Center, Cleveland. (330-595-5531; rubbergroup.com) www.rubber.org)

Mid-Atlantic Rubber & Plastics Group: Spring Center for Automotive Research: CAR Manage- technical meeting, May 23, Hilton Garden Inn Exton/ ment Briefing Seminars featuring topics impacting the West Chester, Exton, Pa. (Bruce Rhoades brhoades@ automotive industry, Aug. 5-8, Grand Traverse Resort, gtweed.com; www.marpg.org) Traverse City, Mich. (Lisa Hart, 734-929-0465. lhart@ cargroup.org; www.cargroup.org) New England Rubber Group: Golf outing, Aug. 6, Black- stone National Golf Club, Sutton, Mass. (www.nerpg.com) International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Pro- ducers: 59th Annual General Meeting, May 13-16, Ohio Rubber Group: Golf Outing, June 18, Yankee Renaissance Seattle Hotel, Seattle. (www.iisrp.com) Run Golf Course, Brookfield, Ohio; Golf outing, Aug. 26, Silver Lake Country Club, Silver Lake, Ohio. (www. International Zinc Association: 2019 International ohiorubbergroup.org) Zinc Conference-Europe, May 15-17, Imperial Plovdiv Hotel & Spa, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. (www.zinc.org) Southern Rubber Group: Summer technical meeting, June 24, The King and Prince, St. Simons Island, Polyurethane Foam Association: General meeting, Ga. (www.southernrubbergroup.org) May 22-23, Vinoy Renaissance Hotel & Resort, St. Pe- tersburg, Fla. (www.pfa.org) Twin Cities Rubber Group: Past president’s social event, June 18, Twins game vs. Boston, Minneapolis; Golf outing, Tire and Rubber Association of Canada: Tire and Aug. 1, Willingers Golf Club, Northfield, Minn. (tcrg2013@ Rubber Summit 2019, June 11-12, Toronto Airport gmail.com; www.twincitiesrubbergroup.org) Marriott Hotel, Etobicoke, Ontario. (www.tracanada.ca) 10 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com SPECIAL REPORT Health Care Elastomers One clear message Deals, expansions help Flexan unite under singular brand By Chris Sweeney With the acquisitions, the firm needed Rubber & Plastics News Staff to align its legacy business under one LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.—It’s been a busy brand, Flexan, and develop a culture that time for Flexan L.L.C., but now that the reflected the kind of brand it wanted to medical device contract manufacturer showcase to its customers. has the foundation settled, it’s ready to “Brand and culture go hand-in-hand,” chase its high growth goals. Fitzgerald said. “A brand is how people see The firm has spent the better part of the you externally, a culture is how people see last four years transitioning from a family you internally. We had to focus on the cul- owned business that operated as separate ture first because we couldn’t go out and verticals to a more unified company. Inte- sell something that we didn’t believe.” grating two major acquisitions during that Operationally, Fitzgerald said Orsini’s time helped accelerate the process. focus was to develop a clear strategy With that complete, CEO and President that gave everyone in the organization Silicone rubber parts being produced at Flexan’s Suzhou, China, operation. Jim Fitzgerald said the firm has set the accountability for a specific role. highest growth goals since he came on to “Accountability isn’t a bad term,” Fitz- Part of integrating the new operations First Aid certified first responders, and lead the company in 2015. gerald said. “Accountability means I know was improving its footprint efficiency— kiosks have been installed throughout “We wanted to show that we were one somebody I’m depending on knows what I both with its legacy and incoming sites. each building, allowing employees to re- company with multiple solutions as op- need them to do. I know I’ve given them The firm relocated its three Chicago-area port safety concerns anonymously or with posed to multiple companies,” he said. the tools that they need to be successful, I facilities into a larger, 70,000-sq.-ft. site in a name attached to it. The expectation is “Rebranding the company last fall was a know that they know how they’re going to Lincolnshire, Ill, not far from its existing that the site-specific safety committee big step toward that. But rebranding isn’t be measured and they know how they’re footprint. It quadrupled its Class 7 clean will respond to each concern quickly. just something you do externally, it’s going to be rewarded for doing a good job. room space in the process to 20,000 square The firm established a program called something you do internally as well. We A lot of people shy away from accountabil- feet. Employment was unaffected. ‘Call ’em all,’ which will send out a text to wanted to make sure the rebranding ity because they think it means passing Its legacy Flexan non-medical business all employees in the event of an incident. was an alignment of the organization.” blame, but it’s actually passing confidence still operates out of its own 65,000-sq.-ft. Fitzgerald said in one instance, there was to them.” facility in Chicago focused on rubber an active shooter in the community and Unified message molding for industrial applications. the company locked down the site. The The firm had a long to-do list that in- Acquisitions, expansions The firm continues to operate two lo- system allowed them to alert all employ- cluded bringing in Mike Huiras as vice Since private equity firm Linden Capi- cations in China, but relocated its second ees what was going on. Fitzgerald added president of sales and marketing in 2016 tal Partners L.L.C. acquired Flexan, the plant to a building next door to the main that the company ultimately was not im- and Chief Operating Officer Tony Orsini firm has been busy on the acquisition site in Suzhou. pacted by the active shooting. in 2017 to build out the firm’s marketing/ front. Its two notable moves brought At Salt Lake City, the firm acquired Fitzgerald said any time there is a work- direct selling and operational teams, re- Medron and IntroMed into the fold, both additional space within its existing op- place injury there is a root cause counter- spectively. based in Salt Lake City. erations and is set to relocate all of the measure approach to determine what was Flexan previously was split into two Medron gave Flexan its first Utah lo- surrounding production under one roof the cause injury, what can the company do businesses: its namesake dedicated to the cation and a presence in thermoplastic by the end of 2019 as customer approvals to fix it, who is accountable for fixing it industrial space and FMI focused on extrusion, capabilities it did not have be- roll in, Fitzgerald said. and when do they report back to fix it. medical. The firm also acquired Medron fore. IntroMed L.L.C. was a manufactur- He added that each facility still has an “Any employer that doesn’t under- L.L.C. in November 2016 and IntroMed er of patented sheath introducers used in independent quality registration, which is stand their responsibility to do that first in May 2018, expanding its capabilities catheter placements. It also performs in- important in medical to avoid dependency probably can’t be an employer for very in the medical industry with additional house secondary operations like over- on a single site. All, however, are aligned long,” Fitzgerald said. compounds and services. molding, tipping, bonding and printing. under the same quality systems approach. “Part of that discipline is getting every- Looking forward one involved in lean principles,” Huiras The acquisitions of Medron and In- said. “That resonates throughout all of troMed have helped Flexan further stand our business units. Each has distinct ca- out within medical original equipment pabilities and uniqueness, but they’re manufacturers’ supply chain, especially all operating under the same brand and as the trend of rationalizing those chains TOUGH QUESTIONS, SPECIAL culture. Every business unit is going to continues. have its own unique challenges, but how “As our customers look to consolidate APPLICATIONS, TIGHT DEADLINES? we manage the challenges and put the suppliers, having this broad offering puts team in the right position to win has us in a much better situation to solve been exciting.” challenges,” Huiras said. “It gives us an CALL RENKERT OIL. opportunity to broaden our portfolio.” Safety focus Flexan’s materials library expanded That also included a stronger empha- significantly with the addition of ther- Count on expert consulting, creative sis on safety, and it started at the top. moplastics and some urethane capabili- Fitzgerald and the management team ties. Its legacy medical business focused solutions and quality oils o ered at formed a steering committee, headed up mainly on silicone. But the extrusion, competitive prices. Plus, our multiple by human resources. That committee sub-assembly and finished device pack- terminals translate to quick delivery. meets every month and includes repre- aging operations also were critical and sentatives from each site, which in turn Fitzgerald said some of those capabili- Why choose oils from Renkert? has its own safety meeting that reports ties have been integrated into Flexan’s ✓ Clear, water white process oils with out at the monthly steering committee. new Lincolnshire facility. The firm is in Every company meeting starts with a the process of adding some in China. viscosities up to 1500 SUS @ 100F focus on safety, even if it’s a staff or a fi- Ultimately, the main focuses for Flexan ✓ Excellent compatibility with nance meeting. will be to continue improving its opera- rubber polymers “Our theme is safety first, so to em- tional efficiencies, innovating and adding phasize that we make safety first,” Fitz- capabilities. ✓ Low volatility gerald said. “We’re in a tough category,” he said. “The ✓ Low UVs The steering meeting is not resched- pressure on our customers is tremendous. uled, as Fitzgerald said everything is It starts with their pressure to be cost-com- expected to be scheduled around it and petitive year over year. They need to part- if an individual cannot attend they’re ner with suppliers who can help them Contact us today for an expert assessment of your oil application. expected to get a report out after. maintain a level of competitiveness in the 1 (800) 423-6457 www.RenkertOil.com Other improvements included an en- industry or they’ll lose share. We don’t hanced security system that improved make anything that has our label on it, so cameras and ensured all sites require a our success is solely a function of whether Authorized distributor for Chevron Process Oils badge access. Each site also has CPR and or not our customers are successful.” www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 11 SPECIAL REPORT Health Care Elastomers Lubrizol adds new lab at Ohio site By Chris Sweeney facturing operations in Corona, Calif. Rubber & Plastics News Staff The first is to continue upgrading its equipment so its BRECKSVILLE, Ohio—Lubrizol Corp.’s LifeScienc- thermoplastic extrusion lines remain state of the art. es unit continues to invest heavily in its operations. New equipment has included extruders, downstream in- The firm recently opened a $4 million applications vestments and metrology. The second is putting in capa- lab in Brecksville, which increases its customers’ speed bilities to build interventional vascular catheters. to market by streamlining the front-end development The firm invested upwards of $2 million on the equip- process for new products. ment and also hired two engineers who are completely “It takes a lot of time, getting the language right be- focused on new product development, Lathiya said. tween the material provider and the OEM,” said Darren “You’ve got to have an understanding of the product Tuel, global business director for medical polymers at design,” he said. “You have to have the engineering Lubrizol LifeSciences. “With our lab, we’re able to elimi- talent to understand not just the component that we’re nate that process by not just developing the material, but trying to make, but what is the customer ultimately to test the material under the exact same parameters as trying to achieve with their product and having experi- our customers.” ence with that.” The lab currently employs six people and based on These investments will help Lubrizol remain a sup- business needs should grow from there, Tuel said. With plier of choice as medical device manufacturers contin- all of the relevant teams located in a single location, ue to rationalize their supply chain, a trend Lathiya feedback can be processed quickly and in turn custom- said will continue into 2019. ers can hone in on the right material quickly. Tuel said it’s paramount that Lubrizol continues to “Our larger customers are very complex and have bring new technologies that enable their OEM customers their internal priorities,” Tuel said. “There’s often some RPN photos by Chris Sweeney to make devices that improve patient outcomes. These delays internally within our customer base in getting Darren Tuel (left), global business director for medical investments, along with the new applications lab, allow everyone on the same page. We’re able to take that polymers at Lubrizol LifeSciences; Nick DiFranco, mar- the firm to help customers develop unique chemistries complexity and reduce it down because we have that keting specialist at Lubrizol LifeSciences; Apur Lathiya, and bring new products to market quickly. internal development chain maximized.” vice president and general manager of Vesta’s thermo- “We’re seeing it start to happen and it’s fueling The lab opened in June 2018 and continues to add plastics division, a subsidiary of Lubrizol LifeSciences; growth. OEMs want to be with companies who are sta- capabilities, Tuel said. at the firm’s MD&M West booth in Anaheim, Calif. ble, growing and investing,” Lathiya said. “There are “It’s become a main centerpiece in discussions with material is needed to achieve that.” thousands of suppliers and it’s hard for large companies our customers,” he said. “It’s changed the language The lab isn’t the only new development with Lubrizol. to manage that kind of supply base. You can’t just pro- we’ve used with our customers. In the past we’ve been Apur Lathiya—vice president and general manager of vide a quality component anymore. That’s just the talking about tensile, elongation and the physical prop- Vesta’s thermoplastics division, a subsidiary that Lu- ticket to get into the dance. You’ve got to do these other erties of raw materials. Now we’re talking about what brizol LifeSciences acquired in 2014—said the firm has things if you really want to grow with your customer the catheter needs to feel like inside the body and what focused on investing in two areas of its contract manu- and be a meaningful supplier to them.” R.D. Abbott shows off silicone 3D printing technology By Chris Sweeney intellectual property. Rubber & Plastics News Staff “The value of being able to print parts ANAHEIM, Calif.—R.D. Abbott Co. in your own shop gives companies more Inc. has been eager to bring silicone 3D speed,” Ziebell said. “It’s also a retention printing to the market. The wait is over. of intellectual property. Currently an The firm showed off its new liquid sil- original equipment manufacturer has to icone rubber 3D printing technology at send out that part if it wants it to be the Medical Design & Manufacturing manufactured, particularly if it’s silicone. West show, held recently in Anaheim. With a machine like this, they can retain The printer was designed by German that design in-house. Retention of intel- RepRap GmbH and produced parts us- lectual property is really key with this.” ing a Silastic LSR grade from DowDu- Having a part in hand allows manu- Pont Inc. facturers to go through design and “It’s a really exciting technology,” said functional changes before investing in Tom Jenkins, executive director of busi- tooling. With a part in hand that’s close ness development at RDA. “To be able to if not spot-on to what the manufacturer get rapid prototypes on the silicone side is looking for, the amount of time adjust- is just brand new. It should help fabrica- ing the tools is greatly reduced. tors, tool makers and design houses Jenkins said the technology is still looking to develop prototypes faster.” improving and as it does the firm will Jenkins said 3D printing is growing, achieve better resolution. with the technology mainly targeting We’re able to produce a part with thermoplastics parts currently. What about a 45-degree overhang without a RDA sought was to bring the same ad- support material,” Jenkins said. “The vantages of 3D printing to silicone next-gen machines will have a support molders. Its printer can prototype parts material, a secondary print head print- that match the fit, form and function of ing a rigid material to do direct over- Rick Ziebell (left), a technology fellow at R.D. Abbott Co. Inc., and Tom Jenkins, a molded rubber part, saving manufac- hangs. You’ll be able to print very com- RDA’s executive director of business development, with the firm’s liquid silicone turers time in the prototyping stage. plex parts.” rubber 3D printing machine at MD&M West. “Typically if you need a silicone part, you’re going to go to a mold maker and have a mold built,” Jenkins said. “It takes usually weeks to build a mold and International Elastomer Conference they’re quite expensive, you then get Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland • Cleveland, OH your first prototype part and you hope it works and if it doesn’t you go through the process again. It could take weeks Featuring the Expo, 196th Technical Meeting, Educational Symposium and weeks to get molds made, modified and so much more! and get sample parts. Here if you have The International Elastomer Conference is the premier place where educators, an idea, you can upload the idea to the customers, manufacturers and suppliers of materials, equipment, tools and services machine and within hours have a part come together. This event is the one place, one time of year, where you ﬁ nd the best to work with. It’s all the benefits that 3D of the best of our industry all under one roof. It provides a forum for the exchange of printing in plastics has, but now with a true rubber material.” ideas, observations, regulatory reforms and emerging scientiﬁ c technologies, as well Rick Ziebell, a technology fellow at October 8-10, 2019 as learning, networking seeing current customers and developing new ones. RDA, highlighted another advantage 3D printing brings to rubber product Interested in exhibiting or attending? Visit rubberiec.org for details. manufacturers: More control over their 12 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com SPECIAL REPORT Health Care Elastomers Q forms new unit, expands lab capabilities By Chris Sweeney Rubber & Plastics News Staff TWINSBURG, Ohio—Q Holding Co. may look a little different, but its over- riding goals remain the same. The firm developed a new brand and realigned its operations into three manufacturing divisions. Its legacy Quality Synthetic Rubber operation, which focuses on non-medical/industrial applications, was unaffected. Its Qure Medical unit also remains the same, focusing on components and sub-assemblies. Its newest unit—Q Medical Devices— focuses on fully finished medical devices and consists of Degania Silicone Ltd.’s operations in addition to the Biometrix and Arthesys product lines. Its tooling unit, Quadra, continues to support the other three businesses with materials, formulation and mold development. Q is owned by 3i and operates 14 locations in nine countries. “The last year has been a bit of a transformation,” said Gregg Tobin, president of Qure Medical, who joined the firm in Janu- ary 2018. “We’ve been trying to build out the various teams we have in the organization and their various locations. We’ve been focusing on building out our commercial team to improve our sales and marketing. We’re looking at acquisitions globally, and just overall professionalizing the company.” One of those teams will be headed up by Bernie Stritzke, general manager at Qure Medical. The engineering services team was formed to give customers better feedback timelines on where it stands Q Holding invested $500,000 to add a new materials lab in North Canton, Ohio. Above: The with programs they’re launching. The firm’s new logos for its three business units: QSR, Qure Medical and Q Medical Devices. team was built to give a more technical with the technical efforts of bringing its ment to support all three business units. front to the customer and talk directly products to life. Previously, sales had “Material performance is critically Q’s new North Canton, Ohio, materials lab about tooling issues. handled most of this function, which important for a lot of advanced applica- includes the latest testing equipment. The firm developed the program in Stritzke said took away from the team tions,” Tobin said. “Customers can now components, help them develop sub-as- the second quarter of 2018 and launched going out and getting new business. reach out to us, describe certain perfor- semblies and provide finished goods,” To- it in the third. Once sales brings in a “It’s going to be a handoff to engineering mance characteristics and we can con- bin said. “For example, a customer could customer, engineering services will step services, not that sales is going to walk sult with them on what materials would come to us and have us completely manu- in and assign a project manager to help away, but now it’s going to be in good be most beneficial.” facture a catheter for them and they could hands to be able to follow up with the The firm offers both molding and extru- private label it. We can do the front end, timelines and deliveries,” Stritzke said. sion capabilities with a variety of com- sub-assembly and the entire product. The “One of the things we recognize in the pounds: liquid silicone rubber, high consis- acquisition of Degania helped us complete thermoset rubber molding industry is tency silicone rubber and other non-silicone that continuum.” that it’s a pretty complex thing to really rubbers. Stritzke said the firm through engineer- understand. Our customers don’t always Degania significantly enhanced Q’s ing services is striving to find new innova- understand the nuances of thermoset presence in Europe and the Middle East tive ways to produce its products, and these molding, so part of our job is to try to with four facilities in Israel and one new capabilities allow for Q to stand out educate them and have them understand each in France, India and Slovakia. It within its customers’ supply chain. that there may be better ways of making significantly strengthened its presence It also can leverage its materials library a product. There could be tolerance is- in the catheters arena and brought the to give customers options, especially with sues or a better part design that we firm a network of assembly and packag- silicone device manufacturers facing price could help them with. And more impor- ing capabilities. and supply pressures. tantly, there’s more than just LSR Q Medical now offers complete device “We know there are supply problems molding. We offer a lot of different mate- building, packaging, labeling and steril- in the silicone industry,” Stritzke said. rials that a lot of other companies don’t.” ization, which allows it to offer a com- “The more we can offer alternatives, the The firm also made material develop- plete product that can enter into a med- better it is for customers. We have at our ment a focus by adding a new material ical original equipment manufacturer's luxury is one of the largest consumers of A MonTech machine equipped at Q Hold- science lab at its North Canton, Ohio, facil- distribution channel and go directly into heat cured silicone in the U.S. We can ing’s new lab in North Canton, Ohio. ity. Q invested $500,000 into new equip- the market. keep that supply going because of our “We can help our customers develop buying power.”

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It’s a delicate the second-straight year an adhesive from the line took dance to keep the skin healthy underneath a device. Peo- home the top prize as the firm’s 4076 tape won in 2018. ple want to live active lives, so 14 days we can do with a “It’s a recognition of all that our lab is doing,” Tony pretty high percentage of success, it’s beyond that we’re Kaufman, new business development manager for 3M, trying to understand. Keeping something held down is said at the Medical Design & Manufacturing West show quite a challenge.” held recently in Anaheim, where 3M received the award. RPN photo by Chris Sweeney The firm also is one year into its new website FindMyAd- Del Lawson (left), laboratory manager for 3M’s Medical “It’s also listening to the market and working with our hesive.com. The product selector tool was designed to help Solutions Division; Tony Kaufman, new business devel- partners to give them products that are very meaningful design engineers to hone in on technical solutions through opment manager for 3M; and Jacquie Urqula, marketing to help them solve their challenges. We put a lot of time a product hierarchy of decisions—including patient popula- communications manager for 3M’s Medical Materials and effort into the validation and clinical studies that tion, length of time, type of skin and more. and Technologies, staff the firm’s MD&M West booth. back the substantiality of our claims.” Lawson said the firm has added products since the The 4077 is a single-coated medical extended wear adhe- the advent of wearables. 3M is very uniquely qualified to launch. At first it just consisted of stick-to-skin, but now in- sive nonwoven tape that offers omni-directional stretch for address the needs of those device companies, specifically cludes device component adhesives and adhesives for drug stronger conformability and breathability. Like its predeces- with attachment to the body.” delivery. The site currently only consists of the firm’s medi- sor, the tape offers a 14-day wear time, but improves comfort The firm is not done expanding the line. In April, it cal business and is getting ready to go global with localized compared to other tapes. It’s produced using an acrylic-based, added 4075. Del Lawson, laboratory manager for 3M’s language for international markets. non-sensitized and conformable adhesive package. Medical Solutions Division, said the new grade is transfer “It can direct them on their design challenges and get “Health care is changing,” Kaufman said. “You take a tape that features an extended wear pressure sensitive them to a product where they can order samples,” look at where health care has been and where it is now, transfer adhesive and allows design engineers to use a Kaufman said. “Or they can be much more intentional you see a lot of data-driven decisions. With that comes variety of backings not just for bonding to the skin, but with the questions they ask our stick-to-skin experts.” Kent Elastomer touts TPE Synectic relocates as alternative to silicone facility in Connecticut By Chris Sweeney sterilized up to 135°C. Rubber & Plastics News Staff Oborn said the product doesn’t go into By Catherine Kavanaugh man said in a news release. “Our new KENT, Ohio—Kent Elastomer Products lower durometers because the additional Plastics News Lunar Drive operations has provided Inc. wants customers to know that silicone oils lead to extractables. WOODBRIDGE, Conn.—Synectic us a footprint to seize this opportunity isn’t the only solution to their problems. “This is a product that’s been developed,” Product Development, a wholly owned in a space that is optimized to serve With silicone supply tight globally and he said. “The intention is to let everyone subsidiary of contract manufacturer our customers.” prices increasing dramatically since know that technology has come a long way Mack Molding Inc., relocated to a newly As the product development arm for 2017, the firm is touting its thermoplas- when it comes to TPE and engineered res- renovated facility in Woodbridge follow- Mack, Synectic offers design engineer- tic elastomer alternative as a remedy for ins. People have to look at what their curing more than $1 million in upgrades ing of both medical and consumer prod- companies under pressure. Kent Elasto- rent uses are and re-determine if they aimed at meeting increased demand ucts, prototype fabrication, testing and mer President Bob Oborn said that while have to have silicone. We’ve had customers and allowing for future growth. manufacturing. The new facility was its TPE might not be the answer to every who have come to us wanting a price de- The new facility has more than renovated so a controlled area can easily application, it can serve as a replacement crease, and we’ve worked with them to find 10,000 square feet of manufacturing be turned into a clean room for small-vol- in many applications. alternative solutions through TPE.” and engineering space, and it can be ume production. “If you’re trying to lower cost on your de- He added that customers have been sur- expanded by another 3,500 square “We more than quadrupled our as- vices, instead of changing the whole device, prised to discover how far TPEs have come. feet if needed. sembly space to accommodate an in- maybe just look at some of the components Kent said a product designed with silicone Mack officials said the move from crease in growth in our design and rapid to make sure you’re not over-engineering to provide a specific feel may achieve the Milford, Conn., to Woodbridge was prototyping projects. We doubled the the parts that are in them,” Oborn said. same result with an alternative. spurred by an uptick in customers size of our machine shop to increase our “It was something we worked with our But silicone is biologically inert and will seeking design and development ser- in-house capabilities, particularly when compounder on for several years. What not support bacteria growth. Plus it’s been vices, particularly for medical devices, it comes to part production for prototyp- we’re trying to say is there are different a long-standing option within the medical as well as a strong business climate in ing and manufacturing,” Lehman said. levels. There are a lot of legacy medical industry, and the re-qualification process the state. Founded in 1981, Synectic has 15 devices or durable medical products de- can be daunting for firms not wanting to Connecticut has been investing in, employees who are primarily engi- veloped during the last 20-30 years that shake things up. To that, Oborn said Kent and promoting, life sciences, manufac- neers. Their areas of concentration used silicone at that time because it was crunches the numbers and shows them turing and tech industries through include medical devices and health available and relatively cheap.” how quickly they can achieve savings. business accelerators, incubators and care products for cardiac, diagnostic, When silicone was cheaper 20 years ago, “That’s what usually comes up,” Oborn training programs, according to Syn- diabetes care, minimally invasive, or- Oborn said a lot of the TPE compounds said. “We try to walk them through the ectic President Adam Lehman. thopedic, dental and drug-delivery that exist now weren’t invented yet. He math and show them the savings on every “From Stamford to Branford to applications. added that this generation of TPEs have unit they make going forward. Unfortu- Hartford, we are seeing the state and Arlington, Vt.-based Mack Molding caught up technology-wise and are cur- nately, we can’t pay for their re-certifica- private industry making Connecticut opened in 1920 and posts annual sales rently not as expensive as silicones. tion, but if we work them through the a hub of innovation and growth,” Leh- of $368 million. Oborn said silicone is still the best math a lot of time it seals the deal.” product for applications that operate in very high or low temperatures or getting into a fluid pathway using acids. But in Independent Testing and Development for applications where tubes are being used Medical Device and Material Challenges in an air pathway or a fluid pathway • Extractables and Leachables Studies • US Pharmacopeia Testing with no pressure, Oborn said those prod- • FDA Approval & Compliance Testing • Medical Product QC Lab Services ucts don’t need the properties that sili- • Medical Product Material Development • Polymer Identification (FTIR) cone brings to the table. • Medical Product & Materials Testing • Medical Product Failure Analysis “When you’re facing those problems, it’s • Reverse Engineering • Microbiological & Latex Protein Testing good for someone to look back at those • Formula Reconstruction • Contaminant/Surface Bloom ID products and see if this generation of TPEs • Chemotherapy Resistance • Finite Element Analysis will do just as good of a job for them without • Permeation Resistance Testing • Biocompatibility (Chemical the sourcing problems of silicones,” he said. • Service and Shelf Life Prediction Characterization/Equivalency) Testing Kent Elastomer developed its TPE • Fatigue Testing • Consulting through GLS, which is now PolyOne, to address the bio pharmaceutical market. Problem-Solving Experts for Your Elastomer and Polymer Material Needs It’s a 68-durometer material and costs Contact our rubber, plastic and latex experts today or visit www.ardl.com for our wide range of testing capabilities. about 50 percent less than a typical silicone. It has no extractables and can be Akron Rubber Development Laboratory, Inc. • Toll Free (866) 780-ARDL • Worldwide (330) 794-6600 14 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com

CLEMSON TIRE INDUSTRY CONFERENCE Hilton Head, S.C. Producer responsibility still an issue for scrap tires By Miles Moore ket system, backed by tradeable compliance certifi- Rubber & Plastics News Staff cates used to record and identify waste materials re- Extended producer responsibility for scrap tires is ceived for recovery or recycling. here to stay, according to Glenn Maidment, president This system already exists in Europe for waste of the Tire & Rubber Association of Canada. materials such as paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, But the jury is still out on individual producer re- steel and wood, he said. sponsibility, Maidment told the audience at the 35th “Once government has achieved regulatory compli- Clemson University Global Tire Industry Conference, ance, they will never just allow a free market, unless it held April 10-12 in Hilton Head, S.C. includes performance guarantees or compliance certif- Under a directive from the Waste-Free Ontario Act of icates,” Maidment said. “The operant principle is, 2015, tire manufacturers and importers in Ontario offi- ‘Trust but Verify.’ ” cially closed out Ontario Tire Stewardship, their indus- Maidment also gave his “wish list” for scrap tire try-funded recycling organization, in January 2019. management, including: In its place, they established a new system in which • A dedicated, visible scrap tire fee at retail, used individual manufacturers and importers are directly solely for scrap tire management including market responsible for the management and recycling of end- RPN photos by Miles Moore stimulation for a circular economy; of-life tires, on pain of harsh penalties. TRAC President Glenn Maidment addresses attend- • Use of recognized industry product definitions to “They cannot assign their responsibility to anyone ees of the 35th Clemson University Global Tire Indus- identify materials designated in regulations; else,” Maidment said. try Conference, held April 10-12 in Hilton Head, S.C. • Diversion targets negotiated with government to OTS began operations in 2009, under the authority reflect local and regional operating conditions; and of Ontario’s Waste Diversion Act of 2002. The tire in- “There’s no really good home for fabric, so we’re obliged • A ‘shared responsibility’ clause recognizing that dustry was only one of several industries covered un- to recycled 100 percent of the rest of the tire,” he said. “We all participants in scrap tire diversion and manage- der the Waste Diversion Act. will have gone through this great gyration—for what?” ment have regulatory obligations. The Ontario Parliament passed the Waste-Free Nevertheless, TRAC and the Canadian tire indus- “Industry should demand a level playing field,” Ontario Act partly because the Waste Diversion Act try have cooperated every step of the way with the Maidment said. “We’ll be after the authorities to en- created recycling monopolies, and partly because of creation of IPR, according to Maidment. sure all producers are meeting their obligations.” low waste diversion rates, according to Maidment. TRAC began its commitment to IPR early on, he However, low waste diversion rates were never a prob- said. In February 2017, it created a new organization, lem with OTS, he said. eTracks Tire Management Systems, to implement the At the very end of its operations, OTS actually requirements of IPR. achieved a recycling rate of more than 100 percent, Although TRAC is the sole member of eTracks, the because it captured all the waste tires generated in organization has an independent CEO and board of Ontario annually and also reduced scrap tire stock- directors, according to Maidment. Most TRAC mem- piles, according to Maidment. bers and all vehicle manufacturers operating in On- OTS also steadily reduced the per-tire fees on new tario have joined eTracks, which now is contracting tires to pay for waste diversion during the years of its with tire haulers and processors to collect and recycle operation, he said. enough tires to meet its clients’ obligations, he said. “By any measure, it was a pretty successful pro- About 80 percent of the scrap tire volume in Ontario gram,” he said. is handled by eTracks, which has about 40 clients, ac- Maidment expressed frustration with some aspects cording to Maidment. of IPR. For example, OTS offered community grants, As per the directives of the Waste-Free Ontario Act, research and development funding, manufacturing eTracks has several competitors in the IPR tire man- incentives and public education. IPR provides for none agement sector, according to Maidment. of these things, he said. “Originally there were six organizations,” he said. The Waste-Free Ontario Act also contains a provi- “There are now four, and that probably will be down sion that producers recycle 85 percent of the materials to two in the next 24 months,” he said. John Sheerin (left), director of end-of-life tire pro- they collect. But fabric comprises 15 percent of every In its next stage, according to Maidment, scrap tire grams for U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, tire, according to Maidment. management in Ontario likely will return to a free-mar- along with TRAC President Glenn Maidment. Tire makers, regulators must partner on tire registration By Miles Moore el themes.” that there could be three approaches to Rubber & Plastics News Staff The common objectives of the task electronic registration, tailored to the type Now that a federal rule on electronic tire force were to improve the customer data, of retailer, according to Baldwin. identification is a possibility, industry and including tire registration data, avail- There could be a system in which eligi- government must work together to ensure able during tire recalls, as well as the ble tire dealers could serve as designees any such rule is done right, according to effectiveness of tire recalls and safety to hold customer data and transmit them John Baldwin, senior vice president and campaigns, according to Baldwin. to manufacturers in the case of a recall; chief product & technical strategist for Tire manufacturers said they must have an online portal for collection of tire reg- Discount Tire. tire purchasers’ information, which can istrations from non-designee dealers, Baldwin gave his address at the 35th only be collected at the point of sale, he said. overseen but not operated by NHTSA; Clemson University Global Tire Indus- However, tire retailers were concerned and private agreements for providing try Conference, which was held April over data privacy and the proprietary data between manufacturers and retail- 10-12 in Hilton Head, S.C. nature of customer data, he said. They ers or purchasers, Baldwin said. Two days before he spoke, the National also had concerns about enforcement of The information collected should in- Highway Traffic Safety Administration registration regulations, especially for clude tire identification plus customer released its report to Congress on the John Baldwin small dealers, and wanted opportunities names and addresses (required), plus technological feasibility of requiring for compliance assistance. phone numbers, email addresses and electronic tire identification. NHTSA was the Tire Industry Association must pub- The areas of focus, according to Bald- social media information (optional). directed to submit the report under the lish a revised TPMS service chart every win, were: However, customers should be able to Fixing America’s Surface Transportation year for tire technicians. • How should registration work? Could opt out of providing personal informa- Act, which then-President Obama signed “So if we do electronic registration, multiple approaches, such as designees tion, Baldwin said. into law in December 2015. can we just do it one way?” Baldwin said. and online tools, be developed to address NHTSA should offer a compliance as- Baldwin summarized the report as a TIA and the U.S. Tire Manufacturers different types of retailers and tire sales? sistance program for tire retailers, coor- consideration of various electronic iden- Association formed a joint task force in • What tire data should be collected dinating with safety partners and the tification technologies, including radio January 2017 to develop consensus rec- and maintained? states to get the word out, according to frequency identification chips and ommendations to NHTSA on electronic • Could compliance assistance tools, Baldwin. Manufacturers and retailers two-dimensional barcodes. The report tire identification, according to Baldwin. along with industry communications should help to communicate the new re- stresses that the ID format be uniform The task force met several times in 2017 and education, be developed to help quirements and educate dealers, he said. for all tires, he said. and 2018, focusing initially on passenger smaller tire retailers to comply with the “The goal is to have customer infor- “When the TPMS (tire pressure moni- and light truck tires, Baldwin said. regulations? mation available as specified in a timely toring system) rule was launched, it was “The meetings started out to be fairly • Could the initial focus of the regulation manner for each recall,” he said. chaos,” he said. The NHTSA regulation contentious,” he said. “It took us over a emphasize compliance assistance over en- If NHTSA finds the industry approach allowed many different formats and year to agree on a framework, but we forcement? acceptable, many details still have to be technologies, he said, to the point that have reached consensus on several high-lev- TIA and the USTMA eventually agreed worked out, Baldwin said. www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 15

FineLine shows off RFID capabilities for tires By Bruce Meyer East or Africa, where drivers will Rubber & Plastics News Staff change the tires themselves, swapping FineLine Technologies used the recent out older tires for brand new ones, ac- Tire Technology Expo in Hanover, Ger- cording to the FineLine executive. many, to show off its entire portfolio of “With RFID, you can automatically radio frequency identification products check when the trucks leave the prem- for the tire industry under one brand. ises in the morning, you can scan all Norcross, Ga.-based FineLine is a large the tires automatically,” he said. “If the player in the overall RFID industry, pro- driver comes back after three days and viding customizable branded, barcoded he changed the tires, the system will and RFID integrated labels, tags and tell you immediately.” badges for supply chain, omni-channel In other areas, consumers will rent a fulfillment, access control, point of sale car, change the tires with their own, and and consumer engagement needs. It uses bring back the rental with old tires. In its wide-ranging technology to produce the Netherlands, he said some renters billions of tickets annually. will even change out whole engines on But as for the tire industry, the com- vehicles. “After a few weeks, they find out pany has been making strides in RFID someone stole the engine, he said. “But in uses in all aspects of the sector, from the meanwhile maybe 10 other people materials through production, distri- have driven the vehicle, so who did it?” bution and as a way to prevent theft. Its efforts have been bolstered by its FineLine a perfect fit 2017 acquisition of Data2 in 2017 and Uijlenbroek said Ferm RFID sold to Ferm RFID Solutions B.V. of the Neth- RPN photos by Bruce Meyer FineLine because the business had erlands in early 2018. Jos Uijlenbroek at the FineLine booth during the recent Tire Technology Expo reached the point where it needed a And FineLine’s presence at the show in Hanover, Germany. larger structure behind it. was quite visible. Vice President Jos Ui- had set up solutions for material flow in “Mold solutions is a no-brainer be- “We developed a number of solutions jlenbroek, one of the founders of Ferm factories, from the raw material on, de- cause 35 percent of the quality of the for the tire industry, but at that time we RFID, gave a technical presentation on veloping the most suitable solutions for tire is related to mold,” he said. were very small,” he said. “Tire makers “Mold, Bladder, Tooling and Press Man- each of the different process steps. FineLine also can set up programs were asking, ‘Do you have premises in agement in Smart Manufacturing and At some point along the way, the Dutch for logistics, warehousing, proof of de- the U.S.? Do you have premises in In- Industry 4.0.” The firm’s Green Tire government pitched in with some fund- livery, and first-in-first-out inventory dia? How about your logistics?’ ” RFID Label, applied when green tires ing to allow Ferm RFID to further de- control. But getting tire companies to And the Ferm RFID founder couldn’t are produced, was nominated for the velop solutions for implement full- be happier with the decision. “We are Tire Technology of the Year Award at the tire industry. “With RFID, you can automatically range RFID pro- now very happy to be part of the FineLine the conference and expo, and FineLine’s Work soon branched check when the trucks leave the grams can be diffi- family,” Uijlenbroek said. “We do not exhibit showcased its RFID smart tag- out to most of the premises in the morning, you can cult. need to bother with logistics or produc- ging solutions that allow tire makers, large tire producers, “Everybody is tion. We are only focused on selling the retailers and retreaders to store pro- Uijlenbroek said. scan all the tires automatically.” talking about RFID, solutions and setting up new solutions.” duction data on each individual tire. Much of the work fo- Jos Uijlenbroek but there are only Uijlenbroek himself continues to work cuses on traceability a few factories that on technology. In the near future, he Years in the making and transparency, starting first with are really going over to digital factories, hopes to find ways to measure tem- Uijlenbroek’s path to FineLine, along production logistics. but it’s a movement,” Uijlenbroek said. perature via RFID. He said he recently with his company Ferm RFID, was “One large OEM producer said they But it can be difficult to discuss when wrote a number of patents, and with about a decade in the making. He will need all the data of an individual a tire producer has no idea where or FineLine, the legal department took started his firm in 2008 just before the tire that go on all of the expensive how to start, and what the impact will care of the paperwork and filings. economic crisis. It was not an easy pe- cars,” he said. “No matter if you do it be on current processes or IT. “Within He said he knew from day one it was a riod, he said in an interview at Tire with bar coding or QR or laser coating, a week we can help them with the natural fit, with FineLine bringing the Technology Expo, but he had to decide but we want to set up a pilot together to thoughts and business cases,” he said. breadth of business and Ferm RFID the which path he was going to focus on. store all the production data: which “And if you see what the impact is in knowledge for tire-related solutions. There were other big RFID players— raw material, which building machine, your factory, then it’s quite easy to say, “I think 80 percent of it is based on a including FineLine—dominating such which press, mold, quality control pro- ‘OK, we need to start with that.’ ” feeling,” he said. “You have a fit with areas as health care, fashion and ticket- cess and when it is produced.” someone or not. And it’s still there.” ing. So he wanted to go a different direc- In the end, he said each tire needs to Uses for the data Having the FineLine organization tion, and landed on the tire market. have this data behind it, and the easiest There are quite a few things that the behind it also has helped as the firm “There are 2 billion tires manufac- way to achieve that is via RFID. And as data can be used for, including providing looks to make advancements in the tire tured every year,” he said. “It’s a diffi- some of the top-tier tire firms are talking proof that tires meet the growing num- industry. “We were already in contact cult product and the impact of failure is about digital factories and Industry 4.0, ber of regulations manufacturers have to with most of them and had proof of very high. It’s quite an expensive prod- everyone is working on transparency deal with. It also can offer fleets better concept trials,” Uijlenbroek said. “But uct compared to fashion, and there is a and storing data on individual tires, and systems to manage their tire needs. with the coverage of FineLine and the large need for traceability.” how that can be utilized. Some not so obvious uses are for an- integration, you can speed up. And And besides traceability, there was Down the road, Uijlenbroek said it ti-theft solutions. It’s a big issue in some there’s also more trust in the market potential for the needs for new business will be possible to source tires based on regions of the world such as the Middle that you can deliver.” models to cover such areas as fleet man- individual behavior. “I’m convinced in agement. about 10 years I will fill up source from After doing some initial work, he ap- the digital support system, and they On the expo floor proached a major tire manufacturer in will say this is the tire for your individ- 2011 and told them he could vulcanize an ual needs,” he said. “That means tire RFID chip in the tire. “They said it was producers will need to set up different not possible,” Uijlenbroek said. “I said I processes and smaller batches.” was able to. And they said, ‘There’s a factory. Show us.’ And I was able to vulca- RFID beginnings nize four tires and all my chips survived.” When a tire manufacturer expresses The tire maker gave him the oppor- an interest in the use of RFID, the Fine- tunity to use its premises as a develop- Line vice president will come on-site for ment and testing facility. He vulca- about a week, set up some workshops, test nized his own tires, walked through all the solutions, and share his ideas and the factory, and employees would ask knowledge. “After a week, they will have him what he was doing. an RFID road map, an impact analysis “I gave a presentation to people on the for a business case and a rough overview working floor,” he said. “And they asked of how and where to start,” he said. why don’t you set up a solution for molds. I Most potential customers see the bene- said ‘I don’t know anything about molds.’ fits for implementing RFID solutions, he They explained to me the problem with added, with some starting with the “low molds, so I said we could work on it.” hanging fruit,” others signing on because Chris Napier of ExxonMobil Chemical takes a break during the recent Tire So in 2014, Ferm RFID started to work of a request from an OEM, and most Technology Expo in Hanover, Germany. The expo and conference drew on mold solutions. Uijlenbroek said it opting for mold-related help. roughly 5,700 attendees to the three-day event. 16 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com Technical Making the sustainable tire possible By Marvin Myhre Michelin hopes to create a more sustain- Rubber Testing Development Ltd. able tire, and while the company’s targets Executive summary Howard Boever are commendable, are such goals with TC Rubber Inc. current compounding systems achievable, Sustainability and the circular economy. These two ideas are the focus of both Robin Pegden or impossible? Is the “Impossible Tire’” global corporations and the media. Consumption of resources and the one-time use Consultant with high-recycled rubber content techni- of tires pose a huge environmental challenge. Millions of tires are cast off in land- and Neil Powell cally possible? fills, and this global issue continues to grow daily. Compounding issues, tire com- BSI UK Since rubber and tires became an ev- panies today are forced to use only virgin rubber to create new tires. Michelin has recently announced plans eryday product, the rubber and tire indus- The tire industry also faces other problems. Cost increases in energy, product and to change the way a tire is made in the try has tried to reclaim rubber back into production result in revenue reductions. A suitable, practical solution is needed to future and the materials that go into tires with no real success. Rubber crumb produce sustainable tires. Michelin, for example, has announced its “Butterfly” making this tire under a development derived from waste tires is a chemically program. The goal of this program is to create a tire with 30 percent recycled content program called “Butterfly,” as stated by inactive filler. Only 5-10 percent of recy- by 2048. Michelin’s challenge of producing the “Impossible Tire” seems to be just www.greencarcongress.com. cled tire crumb is added to a tire compound that. New rubber compounding technology is required to achieve this goal. Other tire companies also are looking as a filler, if it is used at all. Suppose in the future a compound became available that, when added to old tires, at sustainability seriously as to how Fortunately for Michelin and compa- would make that rubber sustainable, to be used over and over. Genesis evolution now they can have less impact upon the envi- nies like it, the impossible tire proposed has the technology to offer a unique solution to these problems. The compound, Gen- ronment and contribute to addressing of the future is now possible today thanks esis, when added to the rubber of used tires, creates new sustainable tires. These the challenges of climate change. Sus- to a special set of nano formulated poly- tires have a significantly high recycled rubber content in their tread formation. This mers, which now offer an innovative, yet compound has been tested repeatedly with positive results. Worldwide sites for test- TECHNICAL NOTEBOOK well-proven solution to turn the impossi- ing include the United Kingdom, Canada, Oregon and Florida for a period of years. Edited by John Dick ble into the possible. A circular economy, which aims to reduce waste and make the most of resources, This piece of technology will help com- opposes a traditional, linear economy, which has had a “taking, making, disposing” tainability and environmental compli- panies meet their sustainability goals cycle. A systemic shift away from being satisfied with the status quo is required. ance are now key issues facing tire significantly ahead of time, without re- Genesis evolution offers a new opportunity for tire companies. With this com- companies. inventing their tires, and will meet the pounding tool and a set of specially formulated nano polymers, Genesis evolution The Michelin 2030 tire will have a drive to create the sustainable tire and expects impressive growth levels in the next three to five years. composition of 30 percent bio sourced, in- 100 percent tire recycling. The proposal that follows describes more specifically this innovative company. cluding new biomass materials, 10 per- Genesis evolution compounds—the Also included are goals and objectives, a needs assessment, budget forms and a cent recycled rubber and 60 percent fossil copyrighted nano polymer technology— management plan. fuel-derived materials. By 2048 Michelin offer both tire and rubber compounders wants to create tires with a 50 percent a new innovative technology solution Technology overview tivated to create a new compounding tool. bio-sourced content, including rubbers that can already use more than 30-40 Genesis evolution compounds’ nano Genesis evolution is not a devulcanization derived from biomass crops, 30 percent percent recycled crumb rubber back into polymerization system is a unique meth- process; it is a chemical polymer nano recycled materials and 20 percent fossil the rubber manufacturing process with od that now allows previously vulcanized bonding system and whole a new com- fuel-sourced materials. added improved properties. rubber crumb to become chemically reac- pounding tool.

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HOW TO INJECT ERGONOMICS CONNECTED REGISTER TODAY! AND INNOVATION INTO MEDICAL HEALTHCARE Conference registration fee includes: DEVICE DESIGNS TRANSFORMATION ■ Design innovation is about considering As electronic technology Admittance to all paper presentations small details while looking at a big has improved every part ■ Complimentary lunch and refreshments picture. When designing medical devices, of our consumer lives, ■ consider the best way to execute a task the same technology Access to the table top exhibits and take into account all ergonomic and is also transforming ■ Networking reception design factors that impact dexterity, the healthcare market ■ ▲ precision, control and comfort to make ▲ to improve patient Access to all available technical papers BRYCE RUTTER, the product fully accessible to all users. MARIE CRANE outcomes. presented at conference Join Dr. Bryce Rutter, founder and CEO PH.D. Healthcare Market This presentation will of Metaphase Design, shows techniques Founder & CEO, Leader, DuPont highlight the exciting and examples on how to inject human Metaphase Design trends in the market and factors and ergonomics into the design the needs of elastomers. innovation process, reshaping medical GLOBAL device design. POLYMER GROUP QUESTIONS ABOUT EXHIBITING OR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT: Brent Weaver, Sales Manager Pete McNeil, Sales Representative 330-865-6119 I [email protected] 330-865-6109 I [email protected] EXHIBITORS AND SPONSORS: RUBBERNEWS.COM/HEALTHCARE www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 17 Technical

Please refer to Fig. 1 to see how Gen- tire in both passenger and truck tires. tinues to do so as more chemically inac- Trials used new tire casings, these esis technology works. In Diagram 1, All casings were new tire casings and tive rubber crumb is included in the were retreaded using the Orbitread pro- Item 1 is the ground previously vulca- the compounds were applied to the test virgin compound. cess. Compounds were selected from the nized particle. Item 2 is the Genesis tires by the retreading process. The trials with Genesis technology See Tire, page 18 surface coated ground rubber particle The Genesis compounds used 30-40 treated rubber crumb at a 25 percent with a low molecular polymer treatment mesh crumb rubber. Tire formulations loading in the virgin compound showed a The authors deposited on the crumb surface. Item 3 were kept constant through the entire test similar decline in elongation and tensile is the virgin uncured compound. program and the tire compounds matched when compared with the virgin compound. Robin Pegden is an international In Diagram 2: During curing, the commercially used compounds. Rolling However, once the 25 percent Genesis sustainability, surface polymer treatment interacts resistance testing occurred on a drum test compounds’ replacement level was sur- energy and tech- with the virgin compound and combines at 50 mph; the tire test load was 389.6 ki- passed, tire compounds with 40 percent, nology manage- both the virgin and already previously lograms and to ISO standards. 50 percent and 75 percent replacement of ment consultant. vulcanized rubber crumb treated with Table 1 shows that with 25 percent the virgin material with Genesis there He specializes in the nano polymer into the polymer ma- Genesis compound added to the virgin was only a very minimal decline in both renewable ener- trix to create a new hybrid compound. compound and replacing 25 percent of elongation and tensile strength. This gy, sustainabili- In Diagram 3: The end result is a fully the virgin material, a tire with an 11-12 discovery led us to produce tire com- ty, innovation, cured, crosslinked compound containing percent improved wear life and a lower pounds with 40 percent and 50 percent new technology, both virgin and the Genesis surface rolling resistance is achieved when replacement of the virgin compound with waste to energy, treated components to be vulcanized compared to the whole virgin tire. Genesis compounds in the master batch. commercializa- Pegden and become an advanced reactivated Closely monitored independent trials tion to market and rubber compounding tool and material. Passenger tire wear testing have shown that levels of 25 percent, 40 funding. His 24-year experience A new composite and alternative feed- Wear testing occurred using an accel- percent and 50 percent replacement of focuses on rubber recycling. stock material-part uncured virgin rub- erated wear trailer. The tires were fitted the virgin compound with Genesis com- Pegden is the lead developer of the ber and part vulcanized is now possible to a trailer, which can have the angle of pounds is technically possible. Genesis copyrighted Genesis evolution tech- by using the Genesis evolution com- the tire turned in or out to an angle of compounds-treated crumb when inte- nology with his U.S. partners, and pounds specially formulated low molec- 1.5 percent by turning the wheels with a grated into the virgin compound at such he has secured considerable funding ular polymers. pneumatic ram. high levels of inclusion has shown from to undertake research in rubber re- Genesis evolution compounds coating This turning of the tires at 1.5 degrees tire trials that tensile strength is not an cycling. He has overseen the testing technology not only now enables previ- created an effect of a slip on the tire accurate predictor of a tire’s perfor- of Genesis materials, using a lead- ously vulcanized materials to be re-vul- when towed by a truck. This means that mance as our study has clearly shown. ing research institute to inde- canized, but also introduces significant the tires are effectively cornering all the The hybrid of part Genesis and part pendently verify the Genesis tech- and unique physical properties to the time when driven in a straight line. The virgin tires has performed better in all nology for use in tire applications. rubber compound. These improved com- tires are switched toe in and toe out ev- areas—covering rolling resistance, He resides in the United Kingdom. pound physical properties are not cur- ery five miles, and as a result wear wear life, dry and wet skid resistance— Howard Boever is the executive rently available in the existing manufac- readings are obtained more rapidly. than virgin tires with the higher elonga- vice president of TC Rubber Inc., turing and rubber compounding process. Wear resistance was improved by 11 tion and tensile readings. with responsibility for the Genesis The Genesis compounds surface po- percent when the tread compounds incor- Though the benchmarking of tensile evolution com- lymerization process is easily integrated porated Genesis compounds at 25 percent. and elongation is taken as the norm in pound. He has into the rubber compounding process Coincidently this was the same level as the the industry, it is no longer the total end introduced the and uses standard industry equipment. improvement in rolling resistance. requirement in defining tire perfor- compound inter- Summary of the initial testing showed mance, as our trials have clearly shown. nationally to tire Trials and testing a tire with lower rolling resistance and Below are the results of the trials un- companies, recy- Genesis evolution compounds’ develop- wear, and that it is technically possible dertaken to date. clers and rubber ment and testing work goes back more to manufacture a tire with 25 percent product manu- than 20 years. Tires have been built and Genesis compounds rubber back into the Road trials factures. The in- tested using an independent rubber insti- tire compound. After successful laboratory evalua- ternational team tute, which independently tested Genesis tion, the next stage was initial road tri- demonstrates Boever compounds against other proposed tech- Results als. Here the Genesis hybrid compounds how Genesis can nology solutions. This testing covered Tensile and elongation strength are were comprised of part virgin 75 percent be combined with clients’ compounds. laboratory evaluation against the control used by the rubber industry as bench- and part Genesis compounds at 25 per- Boever is the co-author of three arti- compounds, and also in a highly con- marks in evaluating rubber compounds cent in the master batch compound. cles in rubber publications. trolled environment testing against vir- for tire performance. Our evaluation Truck compounds chosen were NR and Marvin Myhre is a chemist and gin control tires to gauge performance of study looked at different levels of Gene- BR matrices and premium formulations owner of Canadian Rubber Testing the Genesis compounds in real road trials. sis compounds added into the virgin tire and a passenger SBR formulation based Development Ltd. His 45-year career This government-funded research compounds chosen. on industry formulations known from the in rubber began with Dunlop Tire program proved that a tire with the Test slabs of both virgin and hybrids research center’s own experience. Research Center in Toronto. After Genesis technology was possible with 25 (part virgin and part Genesis), were that he opened Canadian Rubber percent recycled content in truck and evaluated against all the parameters Fig. 2: This shows the “Impossible Testing and began working with re- passenger testing. The other proposed that standard compounds would be Tire,” the world’s first OTR with 50 per- cycled rubber. Myhre has given sever- technologies failed at the laboratory tested against. This development work cent Genesis evolution compounds in al presentations dealing with various level and tire manufacturing stage. has been independently undertaken by a the main compound. aspects of recycling and has orga- These new hybrid, part-virgin and rubber research laboratory to interna- nized recycling educational courses. part-Genesis compounds had an im- tional standards used by the industry. Myhre has spoken at the Tire & proved rolling resistance when compared Normally, when crumb rubber is add- Rubber Association of Canada, to the control tire by 9-10 percent on a ed to virgin compounds, the tensile and co-authored three recycling reviews standard drum test versus the control elongation properties declines and con- and wrote a chapter in a rubber recycling book. Fig. 1: Description of Genesis technology. Most of Myhre’s work at Canadian Rubber Testing has been to develop specialized compounds to meet spec- ifications for products used with the rubber industry. Neil Powell is an experienced commercial business development manager for BSI U.K. He has more than 25 years knowledge of compounding and polymer formulation Fig. 3: The “Impossible” tires fitted to development, the earthmover truck. having worked with many of the major tire companies in aiding them with the compounding requirement while Table 1: Passenger tire rolling resistance testing 25 percent Genesis evolution working for Avon compounds. Rubber. He over- saw the testing Powell of the Genesis technology along with the United Kingdom partners. 18 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com Technical

compare the control versus the hybrid on the wear data of the retread compound the need for silica in the tire formulation. the same tire, and then to build individ- held by the research institute. From this initial trial, further devel- Tire ual tires. This trial was successful and The high severity environment was opment work progressed over two years trials proceed to full testing on individu- the fourth axle of a tipper style dumper using Genesis compounds polymer treat- Continued from page 17 al tires with both 25 percent in the base truck where abrasion is the highest due ment process to study the various sourc- laboratory test data, and tires were made compounds. to tires literally being dragged around es of crumb rubber to optimize the treat- with 25 percent of the surfaced treated The overall results of the trial showed the corners and tires scrubbing on the ment formulations into various compounds, compound, as this compound from labora- that in low and medium severity the Gen- surface. This is standard on tires through- not just tire compounds. tory testing showed the greatest promise. esis compounds at 25 percent inclusion in out the tire industry. The crumb size for the trial was 30-40 Road trials started with two hybrid the virgin compound, the test tire wore 10 The conclusion of the first trial was mesh crumb rubber. There is no need for compounds on the same tire to establish percent better than the control. In the that it is technically possible to create a fine powder solutions, though fine rubber wear properties. Three environments were medium severity environment, the 25 tire with a 25 percent Genesis rubber powers are normally contained within the selected: Low, medium and high severity. percent were equivalent to the control tire. matrix and produce tires with both low- 30-40 mesh crumb. Future articles will Low severity tests used trailer tires In the higher severity environment, er rolling resistance and better compa- be issued on Genesis evolution compounds on a long haul 40-foot container vehicle. the Genesis compounds tire wore 10 per- rable wear in real life. with other polymer groups. Medium and high severity were on the cent faster than the control tire. The Genesis passenger tire offered a third and fourth axle of a tipper truck A standard industry retread compound lower rolling resistance equal to a silica OTR/truck trials with four tires on each axle accordingly. would have worn far faster when the tire recipe compound. The lower rolling The next stage of testing was to inves- The dual section tire testing was to Genesis compounds were compared with resistance of the Genesis compounds tigate how much of Genesis compounds showed that is it possible to create a tire treated crumb rubber could be added Fig. 4: Hours of wear per millimeter U.K. wear test on third and fourth axle comparison. with a silica-based performance without into a tire compound successfully. It was decided to test tire compounds with 40 Fig. 5: The Canadian tire size with our percent and 50 percent Genesis com- supporting partner. pounds in the OTR formulations to as- sess how far a tire compound could go with the Genesis compounds added to the master batch. The laboratory development had shown technical possibility. The challenge was to see how Genesis compounds would perform in both tire manufacture and use. An OTR commercial retreader was approached, who agreed to undertake the trials. Again, a government grant was awarded to undertake the development work, and the global rubber laboratory was involved to oversee the trials. The OTR premium compound was then blended with the Genesis evolution compounds using the existing retread- See Tire, page 19

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rubbernews.com www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 19 World Summit probes LSR 3D printing By David Vink of infilling. These approaches “provide LSR World best print configuration by producing MILAN—Silicones Europe (CES) best looking and functional perfor- trade association Secretary General mance,” Ziebell said. Pierre Germain gave an update on 3D Ziebell said printing in a programmed printing of liquid silicone rubber at the direction creates anisotropy, rather Silicone Elastomers World Summit, like flow lines from an injection mold- held recently in Milan. ing gate. R.D. Abbott made 3D printing In one example, a high-temperature and injection molding comparisons of vulcanizing solid silicone rubber pros- Evolv3D LC 3335 from Dow Silicones, thetic foot made by Stamos + Braun a type of LSR that is analogous to Prothesenwerk GmbH in Dresden, commercial injection molding grades, Germany, has been enhanced with a yet with curing behavior adapted for soft, fast printing 3D printed UV-cur- 3D printing. ing LSR lattice structure inlay for en- Ziebell concluded that although hanced comfort. printed properties do not exactly match The project was developed at Dres- molded ones, test bar values obtained den Technical University’s IFD insti- were similar and that compression set tute for fine mechanics and electronic values did not differ by more than 5 design. An HTV silicone prosthetic foot with lightweight 3D printed LSR insert. percent. Stamos + Braun was established in R.D. Abbott and Dow Silicones work 2013 by Managing Director Alex Sta- tines and spleens. As Germain pointed overlap are important considerations closely with 3D printing machinery mos and CEO Christoph Braun, with out, ETH University in Zurich, Swit- for optimal printing.” producer German RepRap GmbH in the former focusing on aesthetic as- zerland, already has made a 3D print- The best adhesion of beads and lay- Feldkirchen, which in November com- pects and the latter on technical func- ed silicone heart. ers is obtained, Ziebell said, “when mercially launched its new L280 tioning aspects. Rick Ziebell of Cerritos, Calif.-based materials flow together.” printer, dedicated to printing the Dow IFD says the new insert reduced the R.D. Abbott Co. Inc. also addressed He revealed that beads have been halogen lamp heat-curing Evolve3D weight of the cushion function by 70 LSR 3D printing: “Silicones, and more found to adhere better when successive LC 3335 grade. That launch happened percent over non-latticed silicone gel specifically liquid silicone rubber, are layers are laid down parallel with off- at the Formnext 2018 trade show. previously used. Initial tests have been uniquely suited for their flowable vis- set orientation, with all beads aligned Also at Formnext 2018, Wacker successful, opening opportunities to cosity at room temperature and fast with each other, so that the following ACEO launched a new 3D printable develop artificial hands and fingers heat-activated cure system.” layer can “infill” the trough between electrically conductive LSR, developed with integrated bone structures di- Ziebell described how a printer lays the beads of the preceding layer. with Duderstadt, Germany-based Cin- rectly in a single printing process. down a continuous bead for each layer Extrusion at a rate greater than the ogy GmbH for the conductive area of The researchers also see potential and that “directional, bead thickness, linear travel of the dispensing head its PlasmaDerm silicone cold plasma for 3D printed hearts, kidneys, intes- bead separation and layer-to-layer results in overflow for a higher degree wound care dressing device. Technical

demonstrated that the tires are capable of tion in use depending on service condi- factors yet to be discovered. As shown by high inclusion rates within an OTR tire us- tions, mainly urban and highway. The the trials, the Genesis nano polymers Tire ing Genesis compounds and giving im- reduction in rolling resistance is sub- hold the key to making the “Impossible proved operating wear life over the new tire. stantial against the control tire. Tire” possible today. Continued from page 18 As the data presented shows, it is In the wear trials, the low to medium There is no need to wait for 30 years of er’s compound. Tires were manufactured possible to manufacture tires with 40 severity environments, the 40 percent development to get to the 30 percent of with 40 percent and 50 percent included percent and 50 percent Genesis evolu- tire outperformed the control tire by 20- recycled rubber goal laid down by Mi- in the virgin compound. tion compounds in the virgin compounds 25 percent. The 50 percent tire is still on chelin. As indicated in this article, it is The ‘hybrid’ Genesis compounds tires successfully. test, the wear figures have initially shown possible today. The Genesis compound were fitted to a Moxy earthmover truck The Canadian tests on the OTR tires only a 4.5 percent faster wear against the tire is not dependent on crops for its (Fig. 2). mirrored the U.K. testing with tires in control tire to date. source of raw materials. This earthmover truck operated on a steel mills, quarry pits and earth works. During the study, the tires were mea- Genesis compounds allow the waste tire mixed earth works remediation site with The tests ran for two years. Tires contain- sured at the first 4 mm of wear. This to become a sustainable material for re- a variable terrain during the test period. ing 20 percent and 40 percent of Genesis wear is considered the fastest time as peated future reuse. Our own testing has The OTR trials were also undertaken compound in the tread increased the the tires top compound is worn down shown that crumb from 25 repeated poly- overseas, (again at 40 percent and 50 tread wear life by 11-13 percent. faster here and good assessment of wear mer treatment cycles is as good as the first percent loading), and similar wear data life is determined at this point. polymer treatment cycle, creating a near was obtained with comparable results. U.K. truck tire testing After this initial wear period the tire infinite resource from the waste tire for Both trials have shown that tires with Parallel to the OTR trials, truck tires wear rate declines more slowly per miles re-use and ongoing manufacture. Genesis evolution compounds at such a also were undertaken to determine if such or kilometers traveled. (This figure is Thus, the waste tire is a truly sustain- high inclusion rate also have outper- tires with high inclusion rates of Genesis based upon the first 4mm wear of the able source of raw materials for reuse formed the virgin tire with improved compounds can be used in truck tires. The control tire. Over the service life wear again and again in tires. One hundred wear of up to 14 percent. main laboratory undertook the compound rate usually reduces so that over the life percent tire recycling is possible with a The Genesis hybrid and the control evaluation, tire build and road testing. of the tire its predicted service life in- low or near-zero carbon footprint and tires were fitted to the earthmover truck Rolling resistance tests were carried creases.) The 40 percent Genesis inner non-fossil fuel-based sources. in the United Kingdom (Fig. 3). out to the international standards previ- test tire wore 8 percent better than the Genesis compounds have shown it is not Fig. 4 shows that the Genesis com- ously used and the 40 percent and 50 control tire and the 40 percent Genesis only true, but that the “Impossible Tire” is pounds can operate successfully at 40 per- percent showed a reduction in rolling outer tire wore 20 percent better than possible and are the beginning of a new cent and 50 percent replacement of the resistance, as follows in Tables 2 and 3. the outer control tire. era in rubber compounding, one that can virgin compound material. The ISO standard reports rolling re- have a major impact in bringing the green sistance in terms of the Kgf at the rim. Summary tire and sustainability forward some 30 Canadian testing The observed 20 percent reduction in Michelin’s vision for both the 2030 years by making a minor change yet hav- The Genesis compounds tires here oper- rolling resistance in the table would be and 2048 tire with biopolymers is well ing a huge impact upon the next genera- ated in quarries and steel works. This expected to give a 3.5 percent fuel reduc- into the future and dependent on many tion and the planet accordingly.

Fig 6: U.K. truck tire testing with 40 percent Genesis evolution inclusion in the Table 2: Comparative rolling resistance Genesis evolution compounds against the virgin compound. control tire.

Table 3: 40 percent Genesis evolution compounds truck tires comparative wear data against the control. 20 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com

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Plastic & Composite Processing Equipment 33 0 - 8 6 5 - 6117 Visit us at: rubbernews.com est. 1961 [email protected] www.straton.com/molds www.trinksinc.com www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 21 to the team throughout 2020, Flynn said. “It’s a fairly large size, and we’ll be able to fit a lot of West people in there,” she said. “You can get a sense, we do an- ticipate a pretty significant investment in people there.” Continued from page 1 tor so that West would have a direct presence with the Digital capabilities customers in South Korea, because that market is so The presence in India will bring a concentration of important,” she said. “The (South) Korean market is skills that work hand-in-hand with West’s offices in Ex- growing pretty rapidly in regards to biopharmaceutical ton and Eschweiler to build out the company’s offerings manufacturing.” and capabilities in the digital space. Flynn said the West wants to be close to customers and provide market is shifting to require a core capability in support- technical consultation, building its presence in terms of ing a company’s digital platform, and West wants to have participating in professional organizations and talking that capability internally. This means West won’t have to directly with regulatory bodies in the markets the rely on consultants and external partners only. company serves, she said. Working from an internal position allows West to “touch “We felt we could best do that by having a direct all three pillars,” Flynn said. It gives it the ability to find presence in the market,” Flynn said. new ways for internal employees to work effectively and The office’s scope covers South Korea right now, and efficiently. It touches customer experience in providing West has other offices throughout Asia, Flynn said. West officials and local representatives cut the rib- new ways to continually enhance that going forward. And The South Korean market has been growing quickly, bon to open the firm’s new 17,000-sq.-ft. facility in it gives West the capability to work around Internet con- faster than the average West business, which is in the Bengaluru, India, which will serve as a global center nectivity and product enhancement in the way that con- 6-8 percent corridor. With its location in Southeast of excellence for the company. sumers are working with devices in daily life. Asia, it is a very attractive market for West, and the “When it comes to health care that we see every day, acquisition of GIS will give the company even more Investing in India there’s more and more advancement around things like prospects in the region. West also has offices in Singa- West also officially opened a new digital technology diabetes patients being able to monitor their glucose pore, China, India and Australia, and partners with center in Bengaluru, India. The 17,000-sq.-ft. location levels and deliver insulin,” Flynn said. “There’s a lot of Daikyo Seiko Ltd. for presence in Japan. is near Bangalore, India, and will serve as a global interest across many, many therapies, and helping pa- “Although we worked with a distributor there obvi- center of excellence for the company’s digital and trans- tients to monitor their health. Because we do manufac- ously for a long time and have tremendous respect for formation team, alongside teams based in Exton, Pa., ture our own proprietary devices, we want to be sure the people and their abilities, hence the acquisition, we and Eschweiler, Germany, the company said. that we understand what our pharmaceutical company feel like we can uncover even more value and opportu- “In this particular region of the world, there’s quite customers are needing in terms of digital assets and nity for growth,” Flynn said. an investment in terms of digital assets and skills. then ultimately what the patients are going to value.” The location also provides some warehousing for West is building out our digital strategy with regard to Included in those digital efforts is the company’s West, and had done so even before the acquisition, several aspects of our business,” Flynn said. knowledge center, launched last year to provide techni- Flynn said. West will be investing in the facility and Some of those include developing the company’s in- cal information for customers, Flynn said. It has differ- employees at the Seoul facility “in accordance with the ternal infrastructure through SAP HANA, an enter- ent levels of access for customers, covering various market needs,” she said. prise resource planning system, and building better West products and capabilities, but also the larger eco- “Anticipating that this opportunity for West is going to tools to improve internal efficiency, Flynn said. system of injectable containment and delivery systems. deliver the value that justified the acquisition, we will be West also has an interest in how its customers want to The company encourages consumers to go to the knowl- adding additional resources,” she said. “I think right now, work with the company in digital spaces, so the company is edge center to learn what they need to about the best our focus will be on building out our technical service and creating offerings around E-commerce and engagement practices for packaging and containment. scientific affairs capabilities to supplement the sales and through digital marketing tools, as well as increased atten- West also built an E-commerce capability at the end distribution capabilities that we have there locally.” tion to digital incorporation into medical devices, she said. of last year, which is being built up by the company, Though the company will be adding some employees, “Building that capability as well as into the propri- Flynn said. There, customers can go online and learn “it’s not going to be material to West overall,” Flynn etary products that West offers, we wanted to tap into about the systems they need to identify the most appro- said. The company employs about 8,000 worldwide. this skill set in this region of the world, and build a priate containment and delivery systems, and place “It’s important for West because we want to have a direct digital technology center there that would enable us to orders for samples of those products. presence. We go direct in most of the major countries in the bring all these different aspects of our digital strategy The Bengaluru office will be West’s third in India. It world,” Flynn said. “We do use some distributors in some of to life,” Flynn said. started its presence there with a sales office in Hyder- the smaller regions in which we operate. In terms of overall West has about 100 employees for the site already, abad, and followed with a manufacturing plant in Sri impact for West’s business, it’s still relatively small.” and the company will continue to add additional skills City in 2014, Flynn said.

Asia-Pacific accounts for 25 percent; plant in Saegertown. During the next passive vibration control systems used in Europe, Middle East and Africa 23 per- five years, Lord will add 75,000 square engine management, elastomer mounts for Parker cent; and Latin America 6 percent. feet to the building, which sits on a 67- vehicles and high capacity laminate bear- Once Lord is integrated, Parker’s acre plot and employs 235. ings for helicopters. Continued from page 1 combined portfolio will remain balanced The firm also repurposed space at its site Parker said Lord’s presence in adhesives, Powerful combination throughout four primary areas, based in Indianapolis to add more production. coating science and thermal management Tom Williams, Parker chairman and on 2018 sales figures: filtration and en- Most recently, Lord began construction will be significant additions to its portfolio. CEO, said on an April 29 conference call gineering materials accounting for 34 in March on an expansion to its Hueckel- Lord also brings new areas in vibration discussing the deal that the two firms were percent, flow and process control 28 hoven, Germany, facility—a $15.8 million isolation and passive/active damping solu- introduced 10 years ago when Lord reached percent, motion systems 23 percent and investment to build a 35,000-sq.-ft. additions. out to benchmark Parker’s high-perfor- aerospace systems 15 percent. tion adjacent to the current 70,000-sq.-ft. “The fit between Lord and Parker is mance team. That process made both com- Regionally, North America will ac- facility. The project will create more than very pronounced relative to the comple- panies realize how similar they were in count for 62 percent of the combined 20 additional jobs and is expected to be mentary nature of their portfolio, both in culture, so when the Lord board reached company’s sales, EMEA 22 percent, operating by mid-2020. terms of markets and product and technol- out again years later, Parker knew it was Asia-Pacific 14 percent and Latin Amer- Auslander said that despite its growth ogy platform offerings,” said Dale Ashby, looking at a strong opportunity. ica 2 percent. Lord remains a mid-sized player and vice president of innovation within Park- The firms have two very similar busi- “It’s a very complementary merger,” one of the smaller Tier 1 automotive and er’s Engineered Materials Group. “Both ness strategies, each centered on four fo- Auslander said. “Where we’re strong, aerospace providers. Parker will help companies are material science-based cuses—engaging people, customer experi- they’re weaker, and where they’re Lord accelerate its growth within the companies that have a foundation of pro- ence, profitable growth and financial strong, we’re weaker. When you bring it Tier 1 arena in both industries. viding solutions via advanced material performance. all together, both companies will be “They’re already there,” Auslander said technology, polymer chemistry and predic- “People are the power of any organiza- stronger in the marketplace. We’ll have of Parker. “They have systems-level capa- tive engineering. They fit very well with tion,” Weeks said. “Similar cultures more products to offer and be able to bility in both aerospace and automotive. the history of Parker Hannifin as well.” provide a huge advantage. Aligned cul- provide more content per vehicle. We’ll This will help us move up the curve to be a On the other side, Lord aims to benefit tures enable us to focus on the customers also have more synergistic capabilities Tier 1 supplier much faster, and that’s from Parker’s cockpit controls, sealing immediately in the process.” to provide value to our customers.” something our customers will appreciate.” technologies, EMI/RFI shielding and Headquartered in Cary, N.C., Lord is a thermoplastics areas. Both have a very privately-held company founded in 1924 Right timing Strong products strong presence in the elastomers arena. that offers a variety of adhesives, coatings, The last year or so has been a big peri- The deal represents a significant product The combined unit will have a strong specialty materials, and vibration and od for Lord. The company crossed the expansion to Parker’s Engineered Materi- foothold in the automotive, aerospace and motion control technologies. The firm re- billion-dollar mark in sales for the first als unit. Lord’s portfolio contains Chemlok defense, construction and agriculture, and ported sales last year of $1.03 billion with time in 2018, inked the biggest contract adhesives for rubber-to-substrate bonding general industrial markets, while main- about 3,100 employees throughout 17 in company history in 2018—a deal with and has a presence on virtually every vehi- taining a solid share in the energy and manufacturing and 15 research and de- Boeing to produce an auto-throttle mod- cle in the world, according to Parker. Its process and telecom/information technolo- velopment facilities globally. ule for cockpit control within its air- CoolTherm-branded thermal management gies arenas. Parker said aerospace, light- Lord’s $1.03 billion in sales is split crafts—and secured contracts with solutions provide a broad range of chemis- weighting and electrification are the pri- relatively evenly between three core many global electric vehicle platforms. tries—acrylic, silicone, urethane and mary growth accelerators for the combined markets, according to a Parker presen- Those automotive deals have inspired epoxy—and will have a presence on business. tation disclosing the transaction: indus- significant investments so the firm can more than 1 million electric vehicles by “It’s a wonderful synergistic combina- trial (37 percent), aerospace and defense further capitalize on E-mobility trends. 2019. The firm also produces structural tion where we have similar technologies (33 percent) and the remaining 30 per- In May 2018, the firm disclosed plans to adhesives under the Versilok, Fusor, Max- that are complementary in nature,” Ashby cent from automotive. The U.S. and Can- invest $80 million to expand and up- lok and Lord brands; electro mechanical said. “We’re very excited about the combi- ada make up 46 percent of its sales while grade operations at its 250,000-sq.-ft. systems for active vibration control; and nation of our technology portfolios.” 22 Rubber & Plastics News • May 6, 2019 www.rubbernews.com lines of communication were open.” Trelleborg Future plans With the new facility going forward, Continued from page 1 McKee said Trelleborg is focusing on two waste in moving product, improved com- new segments of the industry: aerospace, munication and collaboration between em- and its sunroof seal business. The compa- ployees and accelerated employee engage- ny will need new plastic and rubber extru- ment, McKee said. sion capabilities to support an aerospace The benefit to employee communica- segment, and it’s working on that with tion especially should be noticed, said some existing customers to develop new Lena Sundlof, marketing and communi- products. Trelleborg also developed a sun- cation executive for Trelleborg Sealing roof seal initiative to try to expand a pres- Profiles Sweden. ence in the market, as a part of the compa- “People are actually in one place and ny’s vision to grow the overall business. talking together,” she said. “Miscommu- Building and construction market nication happens when you’re in differ- and applications remain the company’s ent sites. Distance can make conversa- core business, and that segment will tion a little bit longer. I think that’s a also continue to develop, expanding both huge part as well.” geographically and with new product, RPN photos by Kyle Brown Andersson said. Choosing a location Magnus Andersson, sealing and profiles president for Trelleborg Sweden A.B., “We’re looking at the things that are In the process of deciding where to build addresses the crowd at the opening of the firm’s combined site in Aurora, Ohio. somewhat within our capabilities and the new facility, Trelleborg looked at its decision of where to locate the new plant, Developing the site things that really fit within what we do footprint in each location, McKee said. As Andersson said. Early in the process of developing the best,” McKee said. “But then we’re try- far as manufacturing plants, Trelleborg’s “One key criteria for us in selecting new facility, Trelleborg gave its employees ing to find areas that we can differenti- Ohio presence was just more than twice the place was to be close to our existing surveys to plan the office space, to deter- ate ourselves. A lot of extrusion compa- the size of its presence in Indiana. So it sites here, so we wouldn’t lose the com- mine what employees preferred in commu- nies are very focused on a very simple made more sense to bring Indiana’s manu- petence in the people we have,” he said. nication and work spaces, Sundlof said. type of product, and we want to be able facturing capabilities to Ohio. “Building experience in our people and Employees had to transition from a to separate ourselves.” “We knew that if we looked too far then having them stay when they are private office space to a more open office The new location is an affirmation of from Aurora or Streetsboro (Ohio), we trained is critical for our business.” environment, which took a period of ad- the company’s commitment to custom- were going to lose all of our blue-collar McKee said the full-time total head- justment, McKee said. For example, the ers, colleagues and partners in the U.S., employees,” McKee said. count at the Aurora facility is about 165, sales team originally had offices down and expands its capabilities to grow and Trelleborg notified its Indiana employ- and the company is still in the hiring the street from the manufacturing plant serve customers better stateside, An- ees 11 months ahead of time, he said. process for several of those positions. in Aurora. Now they’re seated right next dersson said. “We offered employment to all of our From an equipment standpoint, the to the factory, where they can hear the Within the last year, Trelleborg also in- employees in Indiana, knowing that we new facility is about 80 percent utilized equipment running throughout the day. vested in its sealing profiles unit in Quere- weren’t necessarily going to be able to with its current installation, McKee “It took them a little bit of getting-used- taro, Mexico, adding 13,400 square feet to relocate everyone,” McKee said. “They said. The new space will allow for the to, to be able to concentrate and think, the building and six jobs. Trelleborg Seal- just weren’t going to be interested, espe- additional installation of three rubber but I think it’s much more important for ing Profiles America also has sites in Mil- cially with the economy and unemploy- extrusion lines and one plastic extrusion them to be close to the process than be in ford, N.H.; Bonne Terre, Mo.; and one in ment rates.” line without the need to expand the a quiet space,” McKee said. Tijuana, Mexico. Each site comes under At the end, one employee from the building itself. Within two months of the move, man- the leadership umbrella of the new Aurora Bristol facility moved to the new Ohio lo- He said bringing some of the automo- agement checked in again with employ- facility, Andersson said. cation, and only stayed for about three tive business from the Bristol facility ees to see where more adjustments “For now, we think our footprint is weeks before moving back, McKee said. proved to be an obstacle, as well as set- needed to be made, including things like pretty much what we need it to be for a The recreational vehicle business is ex- ting it up and learning how to run some getting blinds for some employees work- time period,” Andersson said. “There panding in Bristol, which allowed some of those products, especially without the ing right next to windows, McKee said. will always be things we’re looking at, if from the Trelleborg plant to find new facility’s employees moving with them. “So we have a list of things that we we add a warehouse here or inventory work quickly. “So we had a couple months where we want to work on, things we didn’t know close to market. As far as the manufac- “It’s good for them that they were able were really trying to figure out that about at the beginning,” he said. “But it’s turing footprint, we’re very happy with to find jobs, but that’s why we weren’t learning curve,” he said. “But now we’re a process. We wanted to make sure those the current setup.” really able to relocate many of them. starting to learn and get much better. I And they just didn’t want to move too far think the biggest benefit so far has been from home, either. That’s where their … the employee communication and be- family is,” McKee said. ing able to learn quickly, being able to Keeping as many experienced employ- manage the process and figure out what ees nearby was a driving force in the the next steps are.”

Company Name Web address/Email Phone# Page Akron Rubber www.ardl.com 866-778-ARDL 13 Development Lab [email protected] CHT USA www.silicone-experts.cht.com 804-767-3528 12 [email protected] Trelleborg’s new site in Aurora, Ohio, combines four locations into one. Ergon, Inc. www.ergonnsa.com 601-933-3148 24 [email protected] French Oil Mill www.frenchoil.com 937-773-3420 9 Machinery [email protected] Zeon exec finalist for CFO award HollyFrontier www.HollyFrontierLSP.com 800-395-2786 23 LaStacia Dalton, chief financial Dalton plays a key role in imple- Corporation [email protected] officer of Zeon Chemicals L.P., has menting new financial systems and Messe Dusseldorf www.mdna.com 312-781-5185 7 been named a finalist for the Crain improvements at the company. Zeon’s Global Polymer Group’s CFO of the accounting, human resources, pur- [email protected] Year Award. chasing and information technologies Renkert Oil, LLC www.renkertoil.com 415-408-3706 10 Dalton, a 13-year veteran at Zeon, management operations all report to [email protected] is one of four finalists for the award, her. She previously served as corpo- which will be announced at the Fi- rate controller and works alongside Rubber Division ACS/ www.rubber.org 330-972-7424 11 nancial Summit on May 21 at the the company’s senior leaders. International Elastomer [email protected] Renaissance Schaumburg in Schaum- Other finalists for the award are Conference burg, Ill. The conference is hosted by Ann Campbell of Performance Engi- the Crain Global Polymer Group, in- neered Products Inc., Patrick Mc- Sigma Plastic Services www.3dsigma.com 847-558-5600 5 cluding Rubber & Plastics News and Kune of M. Holland Co. and Bob [email protected] sister publications, and offers ses- Ruehl of Hansen Plastics Corp. sions targeted to financial profession- Conference and registration infor- Trinseo [email protected] +4961969693 2 als in the rubber, plastics and poly- mation can be found at www.plastics- urethanes industries. news.com/financial. A reader service from to Rubber Industry Advertisers The Legendary Extender Oil with a Unique Identity.

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