AKRON—Michael Hochschwender, president and CEO of the Smithers Group, will kick off the International Tire Exhibition and Conference for Tire Manufacturing on Tuesday morning with a keynote address.
Hochschwender's talk is titled “The New Reality of Innovation.” His address will be held in conjunction with the Tire Society, which is holding its annual meeting along with ITEC starting today at the John S. Knight Center,
ITEC, organized by Rubber & Plastics News, will be held Sept. 9-11 in Akron, the site where it originated in 1994.
ITEC combines both a technical program touting more than 50 original papers—with as many as three technical sessions scheduled at a given time—and a nearly sold out expo floor featuring more than 100 exhibitors representing every area of the tire industry.
“Our return to no-nonsense Akron symbolizes ITEC's desire to stay true to our mission of servicing the innovation needs of tire manufacturers with cutting edge proposals that have early application potential,” said Harold Herzlich, ITEC conference chairman and technical editor of Rubber & Plastics News. “The program includes the availability of a range of selected experts who can offer our delegates a rare opportunity to ethically discuss ways to improve the performance and profitability of their products or operations.”
ITEC was first held in Akron in 1994 and was held there every other year until 2010. For that year and 2012, ITEC was moved to Cleveland and expanded to include programs and exhibits of interest to independent tire dealers.
This year, however, ITEC was split into two shows, with the one that focused strictly on tire manufacturing topics returning to Akron and the one for dealers held in August in Orlando, Fla.
Herzlich said the technical papers in Akron represent the “intended eclectic nature” of the meeting. “The triple session schedule will require good planning and coordination if you want to capture opportunities in your immediate field as well as opportunities you can convey to others in your company,” he said.
Registration begins Tuesday at 7 a.m., with Hochschwender's talk set to begin at 8:30. Technical sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. In addition, a tire mechanics short course will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The short course will continue at the center for the remainder of the week.
A networking reception will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m., at the Goodyear A & B and Upper Corbin Rotunda.
