JAPANESE tyre maker Bridgestone’s US operations is researching on the viability of using guayule as an alternative to natural rubber in tyres. The plant is native to the deserts close to Mexico and southwestern parts of US but can also be grown in parts of Europe, North Africa and in other arid, dry zones. Funded by Bridgestone Japan, most of the research project will be carried out in the US and the firm will leverage its resources from two of its research and technical centres.
The company expects to finalise a location, establish a pilot farm and begin constructing the process research
centre in South-West US by this year. The facility is expected to be operational in 2014 and trial rubber production will commence in 2015. It says it is also working to develop tyres using 100% sustainable materials
(renewable and recyclable resources), which it will reveal information about “in the near future.”
In other news, Bridgestone plans to build a 50 billion yen plant in Rayong, Thailand, for the production of off the-road radial tyres for construction and mining vehicles (ORRs) and for steel cords used in ORRs.
To start up by 2015, the facility will have a capacity of 85 tonnes/day by 2019, when scheduled capacity increases are completed. Until now, Bridgestone has produced these tyres in Japan and the US.(PRA)
Asia's First E-Magazine for the Rubber Industry