The first Tire Technology Symposium in China that was organised by Smithers Rapra, a global leader in rubber, plastics and composites testing, has attracted the presence of over 70 technical experts from companies throughout the tyre industry supply chain including automotive OEMs, tyre manufacturers and retailers.
The symposium was designed to bring the Chinese tyre industry together to share technical knowledge, regulatory expertise and business insight.
Dr. James A. Popio, Vice President of Smithers Rapra’s North American operations, kicked off the day of technical sessions with a history of Force and Moment testing. The session was designed to help fellow technologists understand the reasons behind such measurements and why they are a critical input to vehicle design.
“These measurements are made to allow vehicle makers (OEMs) to ride and drive tyres in the virtual world. In addition, it allows them to do chassis, control and suspension design,” stated Popio. “For automotive OEMs and tyre manufacturers alike, understanding how tyre dynamics change with different driving conditions provides key data that can be used for performance measurements and is essential to creating tire models.”
The sessions continued with discussions by several industry experts on topics providing insight for Chinese manufacturers looking to enter and succeed in global markets. They included:
- Tyre Modeling for vehicles presented by Dean Tener, Business Development Manager – Smithers Rapra
- Regulations presented by Dr. James A. Popio, VP North America – Smithers Rapra
- Rolling Resistance Testing and Data Analysis presented by Henry He, Lead Test Engineer – Smithers Rapra
“It was amazing to see so many of the top tyre technical minds from the Chinese tyre and automotive industry in the room,” noted Derek Read, General Manager, Smithers Rapra’s Suzhou testing laboratory. “The Chinese market has experienced exceptional growth in volume, but also in technical knowledge and expertise. Our symposium provided the industry with a forum to learn and discuss the latest trends in tyre testing technology.”
Smithers Rapra has supported the global tyre industry since the company’s inception in 1925. Today, the company operates industry leading tyre testing facilities in the US, China and England along with a winter proving ground for tyre traction testing in Michigan in the US.
From material characterisation and formulation chemistry to endurance testing and a wide variety of other tyre testing techniques, Smithers Rapra provides the full supply chain with tyre development support.