ExxonMobil has expanded the tyre testing capabilities of its Shanghai Technology Center to help customers meet rising quality standards in the tyre industry. The company added a new state-of- the-art Inflation Pressure Loss Rate (IPLR) test room that evaluates a tyre’s air pressure loss rate over time.
The Shanghai Technology Center expands upon the company’s global network of tyretechnology support centres in Baytown, Texas, and Bangalore, India.
“With one in every three cars in the world being manufactured in China, we are committed to helping shape the country’s tyre industry through ongoing investment in technology and people,” said Kurt Aerts, specialty elastomers and butyl rubber vice president, ExxonMobil Chemical Company.
The state-of- art test room exceeds American Society for Testing and Materials requirements for IPLR testing. It features a combination of 44 Passenger Car Radial and Truck and Bus Radial tyre test stations and provides computerised hourly readings using high precision digital transducers and a data logger. It is available for both internal and external research and development projects.
“Regional support in polymers technology is through the delivery of innovative solutions and the development of premium product applications,” said Aerts. “Butyl rubber is a critical material for tyre inner liners and, having invented it, we continue to demonstrate tyre industry leadership through enhanced technology support capabilities.”
Opened in 2011, the Shanghai Technology Center is a 27,000-sq m full-service customer support centre. It houses advanced analytical and testing laboratory equipment and commercial scale product processing equipment, including blown and cast film extrusion, injection molding and compounding. In addition, the centre also supports ExxonMobil’s lubricants business through a combination of technical services, applications expertise, collaborative programs, training and marketing support.
As part of ExxonMobil’s ongoing investment in China, work recently commenced on a multi-million dollar expansion of its Shanghai Technology Center. The expansion includes construction of a new, state-of- the-art research and development building to support customer collaboration and growth.