Day 1: Sights and sounds of ITEC

FAMILY BUSINESS: Todd Hendricks Sr. (left) and Todd Hendricks Jr. represented their company, Pioneer Industrial Systems L.L.C., at the International Tire Exhibition and Conference (ITEC) in Akron Sept. 9-11. Specialists in such tire equipment as robotic green tire sprayers, fluid delivery systems and sidewall spray machinery, the owners of the Alvordton, Ohio-based Pioneer Industrial Systems said they expect to receive their third patent this year. To date the company has 91 units in 27 tire plants representing such major names as Goodyear, Bridgestone, Cooper, Continential and Apollo, the Hendrickses said.

PLAY OF LIGHT: Light plays on the shoulder of Caren Luedemann, sales rep for LAP Laser L.L.C., at the International Tire Exhibition and Conference (ITEC) in Akron Sept. 9-11. The light emanates from one of LAP Laser's patented lasers for non-contact measurement and quality control. LAP lasers are used in many industries including aerospace and steel, according to Luedemann. In the tire industry, she said, LAP lasers allow positioning and alignment of layers of tire materials in the final step of assembly. LAP Laser is headquartered in Germany; its U.S. subisidiary is in Erlanger, Ky.

Representatives of Computype put tires through their paces in a demonstration of the company's expertise in applying tire tread labels. Computype is a leader in the tire labeling market, and its experience in applying European Union tire fuel efficiency labels since November 2012 make it a natural for applying U.S. tire fuel efficiency labels when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues that rule, said Computype Managing Director John Newton and Marketing Manager Katie Pugh. Computype has the capability to apply the correct label on any given tire automatically, no matter the type of tire or the country in which it will be sold, Newton and Pugh said. Computype is based in Kingston-upon-Hull, U.K., and has its U.S. office in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Representatives of Computype put tires through their paces in a demonstration of the company's expertise in applying tire tread labels. Computype is a leader in the tire labeling market, and its experience in applying European Union tire fuel efficiency labels since November 2012 make it a natural for applying U.S. tire fuel efficiency labels when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues that rule, said Computype Managing Director John Newton and Marketing Manager Katie Pugh. Computype has the capability to apply the correct label on any given tire automatically, no matter the type of tire or the country in which it will be sold, Newton and Pugh said. Computype is based in Kingston-upon-Hull, U.K., and has its U.S. office in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Representatives of Computype put tires through their paces in a demonstration of the company's expertise in applying tire tread labels. Computype is a leader in the tire labeling market, and its experience in applying European Union tire fuel efficiency labels since November 2012 make it a natural for applying U.S. tire fuel efficiency labels when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issues that rule, said Computype Managing Director John Newton and Marketing Manager Katie Pugh. Computype has the capability to apply the correct label on any given tire automatically, no matter the type of tire or the country in which it will be sold, Newton and Pugh said. Computype is based in Kingston-upon-Hull, U.K., and has its U.S. office in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Nathan Kufel, sales engineer for Natick, Mass.-based Cognex Corp., stands beside one of his company's vision inspection devices at the International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC) in Akron Sept. 9-11. Cognex makes vision inspection and bar code identification equipment for every conceivable industry, Kufel said. For the tire industry, Cognex ID devices can read the DOT code characters off a tire sidewall, and verify it in connection with the bar code to ensure that both match, he said.