Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • ITEC
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Motion Industries rebrands as 'Motion'
      USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
      Goodyear-branded transmission belts set to return
      Hot topics at virtual CES: AVs, air taxis and drones
    • USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
      Greenergy, Haldor Topsoe tech turns tires to fuel
      India decides against extending carbon black duties
      GRI expanding ag tire capacity at 3-year-old Sri Lanka plant
    • Motion Industries rebrands as 'Motion'
      Proto Labs to buy e-commerce company 3D Hubs for $280 million
      NewAge Industries celebrates 15 years of employee ownership
      India decides against extending carbon black duties
    • Tero Peltomaki named Cimcorp CEO
      Nynas expects to be stronger after reorganization
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
      Safic-Alcan and Arkema working together on distribution deal
    • Proto Labs to buy e-commerce company 3D Hubs for $280 million
      Ace Products & Consulting partners with Wallace Instruments
      Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
    • WCCO task force navigates pandemic, expands communications
      ASTM cancels April meetings as COVID-19 continues impact
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Detroit Auto Show canceled; alternative event being planned for September
    • Tero Peltomaki named Cimcorp CEO
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
      ARP Materials adds technical sales manager
      Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
    • USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
      India decides against extending carbon black duties
      Hot topics at virtual CES: AVs, air taxis and drones
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
    • Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020
      Column: Lessons from the 2020 Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Silicone hit hard by pandemic, expected to bounce back
      Column: Still far way from normal
    • Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
      Impact of peroxide blends on the cure rate and aged properties in HNBR
      Techniques to detect long chain branching in polymers
      A comparative study looking at effects of curing kinetics and batch variation on SBR injection molding and numerical analytics
    • Rubber Division seeks abstracts for 200th Technical Meeting
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
      IEC speaker: Specialized elastomers may reduce spread of life-threatening pathogens
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
      Rubber Division planning second Women of Rubber event
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: Nova thinks outside the box with sealing tech
      New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
      New Products: Lanxess launches energy-efficient PU elastomer
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Motion Industries rebrands as 'Motion'
      USW opposes Taiwan tire makers' dumping counterproposal
      Goodyear-branded transmission belts set to return
      Hot topics at virtual CES: AVs, air taxis and drones
    • Proto Labs to buy e-commerce company 3D Hubs for $280 million
      Ace Products & Consulting partners with Wallace Instruments
      Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
    • Bridgestone bets on guayule as alternative natural rubber source
      Synthomer CEO MacLean to step down by early 2022
      Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Understanding and Selecting Performance Additives for Rubber Compounding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2020 International Silicone Conference Virtual Edition
      2020 ITEC Virtual Edition
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 31, 2005 01:00 AM

Invitation to a celebration

Bob Simmons
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    Rubber is, without question, the most underrated and undervalued material on earth. In Harold Evans' book, ``They Made America,'' he states, ``The dissonance between the obscure origins of what we now call vulcanized rubber and its ubiquity is monumental.'' In another reference to rubber, he said, ``Without it, the planet would shudder to a dead stop.''

    The History Channel's ``Modern Marvels'' episode on rubber states, ``Some experts contend that rubber is the fourth most critical resource in the world after air, water and oil...and perhaps the most fragile.''

    The March 20 issue will be unique in the history of Rubber & Plastics News. We have published other keepsake issues in the past commemorating the 100th anniversary of the pneumatic tire and paying tribute to rubber chemists. But this one will be different. It will celebrate the value of rubber in our everyday life.

    RPN is a business newspaper written for executives and technical people at rubber product manufacturers, so we are not naive about the material. Rubber is also a tough business. Many would say the last 10 years have been some of the most difficult historically from a business standpoint. Bankruptcies, consolidations, price-fixing, oversupply, shortages and a monumental geographical shift in materials and end-use product manufacturing all have contributed to this challenging decade for the rubber business. Unfortunately, such tumultuous business conditions are not new to the rubber industry.

    Biographer Charles Slack compared the bursting of the dot-com bubble to what happened to the rubber industry in the 19th century when he said, ``Just as speculators drove the value of untested, unprofitable dot-com startup companies to several levels during the 1990s, thousands of 19th-century New Englanders poured their life savings into a miracle substance called rubber without knowing anything much about it. In both cases, the education was hard-earned and painful.''

    Certainly Charles Goodyear would have agreed that rubber as a material was not an easy business. His trials and hardships trying to develop rubber are legend.

    I think because of the industry's business difficulties and a few-very few-tire recalls, its image has been hammered. Our self image has taken a beating as well. For most of us, the last decade has not been easy. But through it all, rubber's value to society has only increased. The quality of the products and the safety they provide have made huge strides. It is something we can all be proud of. Something we can tell-let's make that shout-about it both inside and outside our industry. To grade schools, universities, employees and families. That's what the March 20 issue will do.

    The ``Celebration of Rubber'' issue in March will not be about the business of rubber but about rubber's value to our everyday life-from the time we wake up in the morning to the time we fall asleep at night. From thousands of feet below sea level to footsteps on the moon. From rubber bands to rubber coatings on stents in coronary arteries. Regardless of where we are and what we are doing, rubber is absolutely vital. It is ubiquitous.

    This issue will celebrate that value unlike any other. We want our readers to be part of it.

    I invite you to share with our editors any interesting stories you may have about how rubber has affected your life and/or your business. It could be in very small ways or something much larger. Just contact them and they will take it from there.

    Make sure you mark the date on your calendar and read this issue. It will be all about the marvelous, mystical, magical material you and I call rubber.

    Simmons is the publications director for Rubber & Plastics News and a Crain Communications Inc. vice president.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • ITEC
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION