TARRC was delighted to showcase EKOPRENA®, the green tyre rubber from Malaysia, at the most prestigious tyre technology conference and exhibition in Europe, Tire Technology Expo 2013 (TTE) held in Cologne, Germany from 5th - 7th February 2013. This is the sixth consecutive year TARRC has been involved with TTE.
EKOPRENA, a sustainable speciality NR material, produced in Malaysia and provides an alternative to synthetic rubber in tyres. EKOPRENA tyre compounds demonstrate groundbreaking performance in terms of low rolling resistance and high wet grip.
EKOPRENA was developed by TARRC scientists who had the foresight 30 years ago to identify the current demand for green tyres. It is the only way for tyre manufacturers to be at the forefront of green innovation in their industry and claim ownership of the most ecologically sound tyres.
The eyecatching stand attracted many visitors; some of whom were from major tyre manufacturers. The uniqueness of the stand led to many favourable comments from visitors. Services from TARRC’s consultancy unit, Rubber Consultants were also promoted on the stand, including the comprehensive tyre testing facilities and analytical PAH testing for tyre materials according to ISO 21461 (UKAS accredited). One of the features of the stand was a scratch card which had three key questions on EKOPRENA that had to be correctly answered to enter a prize draw. This helped spread awareness of EKOPRENA amongst participants. We were delighted that the winner of the draw was Laurent Guy from Solvay, an international chemical group and one of the world leaders in high performance speciality polymers and chemicals, including silica.
Prize draw winner Laurent Guy from Solvay
with TARRC CEO Dr Kamarudin Ab-Malek and TARRC Director of Research Dr Stuart Cook.
TARRC was also pleased to welcome to the stand in Cologne representatives from Felda Rubber Industries SDN BHD, the manufacturers of EKOPRENA from Malaysia. This gave them the opportunity to meet with potential new customers from the tyre manufacturing industry.
It is expected that in the next few weeks requests for further samples of EKOPRENA will be received.
TARRC was also proud that EKOPRENA bus and truck tyres were nominated for 'Tire Technology of the Year' Award 2013.
As part of the conference TARRC scientists gave presentations again this year:
Tuesday 5th February 2013
14:00 - 'Ekoprena green tires on the road'
Dr Stuart Cook, Director of Research, TARRC
Thursday 7th February 2013
09:00 - 'Rubber-filler interaction vs. filler networking in tire tread compounds'
Dr Andy Chapman, Head of Materials & Biotechnology Division, TARRC
09:25 - 'Novor 800: a new heat-resistant vulcanising system'
Graham Spiller, Advanced Materials & Product Development, TARRC
TARRC also co-organised a two day short course with Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) entitled: 'Rubber Materials' held on 4th and 5th February 2012. This course was designed specifically to give a detailed overview of all the core concepts involved in the design of rubber products.
TTE offers the visitor a technology showcase covering materials and equipment through the complete spectrum of the tyre design and manufacturing process. TTE also offers visitors, exhibitors, and conference delegates an unrivalled networking opportunity within the tyre design and manufacturing sector.
To find out more information on TTE then take a look at the official exhibition and conference
website at www.tiretechnology-expo.com.
