Run-flat gets BMW approval
Goodyear's 17-inch Eagle RS-A EMT all-season, run-flat tires have received approval from BMW Group as an option on the 2002 MINI Cooper S supercharged version.
Goodyear still is developing the 16-inch EMT tires, which will be standard on the MINI. Last year BMW approved the tire maker's Eagle NCT 5 EMT run-flat tires as a 16-inch summer tire option for the vehicle, in addition to Dunlop run-flat fitments on the car. By midyear, more than 80 percent of all MINIs coming into the U.S. will be on either Goodyear or Dunlop run-flats, according to Howard Steele, Goodyear director of original equipment tire sales in North America.
Two plants win Shingo prize
Two facilities connected with Freudenberg-NOK G.P. have earned the 2002 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing.
Receiving the honors during an April 10 ceremony was Freudenberg-NOK's Shelbyville, Ind., plant, along with the Ligonier, Ind., factory run by Vibration Control Technologies L.L.C., a joint venture owned by Freudenberg-NOK and TAG Holdings L.L.C.
The Shingo prize recognizes companies throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in manufacturing processes leading to quality enhancement, productivity improvement and customer satisfaction. It is named in honor of the late Shigeo Shingo, one of the world's leading experts on improving the manufacturing process and one of the creators of the Toyota Production System.
Loctite offers workshops
Loctite Corp. will be holding Advanced Adhesive Technology Workshops through June 4 in the U.S. and Mexico.
The workshops were developed to provide manufacturing, product and design engineers with an in-depth understanding of the range of adhesive technologies available for industrial bonding and assembly applications. To find dates and locations, visit the Loctite Web site at www.loctite.com/training.
ASTM group seeks specialists
ASTM International's Task Group F03.20.20 on Dynamic Spring Rate is looking for people to help create a new standard test method to predict and quantify DSR.
The proposed Standard Test Method for Determination of Dynamic Spring Rate of Gasket Materials will help to comparatively evaluate materials and predict real-world performance over an extended period of time. The group seeks participation from gasket designers and individuals with expertise in resilient materials and predictive techniques such as finite element analysis.
To find out more information, contact Stephen Bond, Materials Development Lab, Federal-Mogul Sealing Systems, Skokie, Ill.; phone 847-568-2387; e-mail [email protected]
IRSG welcomes TOCOM
The Tokyo Commodity Exchange has joined the International Rubber Study Group's Panel of Associates.
The exchange is the world's largest futures market for rubber and platinum, and the second largest for gold and gasoline. It supplies the IRSG with information and statistics on the rubber position in Japan.
Huntsman line gets certified
Huntsman Polyurethanes' Linestar-brand adhesives line has received product certification from the Canadian Construction Materials Centre.
The certification makes Linestar adhesives the first single-component adhesive authorized for use in I-beams sold in Canada.
In brief
Envirotronics, a manufacturer of environmental test chambers, has named Keteca Thailand its agent in Thailand...Akzo Nobel Polymer Chemicals L.L.C. has appointed Azalea Color Co. its distributor in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.