FINDLAY, Ohio—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and the Industrias Negromex S.A. de C.V. group of Grupo KUO announced they have successfully applied silica masterbatch technology in high volume material and tire manufacturing.
Cooper used silica masterbatch to manufacture more than two million passenger tires. It improved mixing productivity and flexibility, eliminated volatile organic compound emissions and improved silica dispersion in tire tread formulations with the technology.
Industrias Negromex plans to expand the capacity of silica masterbatch production and market it under the name "Emulsil Silica Masterbatch.
Industrias Negromex is the sole producer of emulsion synthetic rubber in Mexico. Cooper specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car and light truck tires.