Journey to Automation (J2A) Awards
The Journey to Automation (J2A) Awards recognize leading players in the field of automation and digital transformation of the tire industry. Winners will be announced live. Awards will be presented in the following categories: ‘Tire Manufacture - Producers’, ‘Tire Manufacture - Suppliers’, ‘Tire Technology’, ‘Tire Supply-Chain’, ‘Tire Sustainability’ and ‘Specialist Engineering SMEs’. The J2A Awards are organized by European Rubber Journal, sister publication of Rubber & Plastics News. Learn more
Goodyear Soybean Oil Technology: Performance & Sustainability Driving Demand for Goodyear Products
Over the past decade, Goodyear has been investigating the viability of soybean oil (SBO) in automobile tires to replace petroleum-based distillate aromatic extract (DAE) and medium extracted solvate (MES) oils. Our team of researchers discovered that the unique properties of SBO compared to petroleum-based oils can be leveraged to provide benefits in tire applications. These findings initially led to the development of an SBO-extended solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) for tire applications, and additional developments employing SBO in both polymer and compound technologies remain ongoing. Goodyear has successfully employed SBO to break traditional tire performance tradeoffs, increasing overall tire performance while also realizing significant processing benefits. Since 2017, Goodyear has launched four new consumer tire products containing soybean oil, including the Assurance WeatherReady. The benefits achieved with SBO, combined with Goodyear’s commitment to the use of sustainable materials in its products, has inspired Goodyear to declare a long-term goal of fully replacing petroleum-derived oils by 2040.
SPEAKER: Robert Woloszynek, Ph. D., Chief Engineer, Polymer Science and Technology, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
The Shift to Electric Vehicles: Tire Design Perspectives
As the automotive industry continues to move towards electrification, electric vehicle manufacturers are challenging tire makers to design their tires specifically for the distinct performance requirements. Low rolling resistance, reduced noise, better tread performance, and modified load distribution are all characteristics that tire engineers and material scientists are working on to improve overall performance. In this presentation, we will discuss tire design trends from an internal proprietary database of tires purchased from the market in 2019 and 2020. The study will focus on tire construction features, rolling resistance, foot prints, tread and sidewall compound changes as well as other variables to provide a picture on market developments over the past few years.
SPEAKER: Christine Domer, General Manager, Akron Labs & Tire Service, Smithers
Women’s Leadership Panel
SPEAKERS: Lakisha Miller-Barclay, Executive Director & CEO, Rubber Division, ACS; Cara Adams, Director of Race Tire Engineering and Production, Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations; Stephanie Beaulac, Vice President, HR, Yokohama Tire; Andrea Berryman, Director - Product Management, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company; Catherine Loss, Head of Retread Worldwide Commercial Vehicle Tires, Continental