There are number of challenges that keep rubber industry executives up at night, but supply chain chaos is almost certain to be among them. And 2022—like the previous two years—is shaping up to be a difficult one for those looking to ship products and secure materials.    

At 2 p.m. EDT on June 15, Rubber News Managing Editor Erin Pustay Beaven and Reporter Sam Cottrill will be joined by a panel of industry experts who will help break down shipping and logistics challenges and sort through what to expect in the months ahead.  

The Livestream on May 18 will cover the current state of the silicone elastomer industry. Rubber News Managing Editor Erin Pustay Beaven and Reporter Andrew Schunk will host a panel of industry experts who will focus on what is causing volatility in this growing market. They will touch on such hot-button issues as pricing, supply chain issues and material availability concerns, including an ongoing shortage of silicon metal.

The key to exceptional quality control is to drive out variation from your process. But if you cannot measure the problem, how can you reduce the variation.

Many processors and compounders are using Mooney Viscometers and Moving Die Rheometers (MDR) as the primary methods for raw material and compound quality control. These workhorse technologies measure viscosity and cure profiles well, but they often lack the sensitivity to diagnose your most perplexing processing problems.

Alpha Technologies Engineers, John Dick and Richard Hanzlik, will discuss the application of RPA test methods to help process improvement teams to identify root causes of common processing and compounding problems.

The tire industry is in a period of significant change. To stay competitive, you need smart, flexible, and low-cost tire operations to help you contend with challenges like scaling operations in response to consumer demand in a challenging economy. Whether you’re reallocating resources or shifting your tire operations to address these challenges, digital technologies should be central to your strategy.

Luckily, you don’t overcome these challenges on your own. Join us for an expert-led webinar to learn how bringing together hardware, software, services and solutions is helping tire manufacturers achieve their goals and remain globally competitive.

 Recruiting, training and retaining workers is one of the top issues facing companies today in the tire and rubber sector. The Rubber News Live livestream on March 9 will see Editor Bruce Meyer and Reporter Andrew Schunk talk with a panel of industry experts in a frank discussion on the labor shortage, its causes and effects, and the best practices for hiring and retention. The panelists also will share how their companies have been impacted by the issue, and what their strategies are for overcoming the challenges.

For the ACS Rubber Division, nothing beats meeting in person to network, share ideas and celebrate successes. After a chaotic and unexpected 2020, the Rubber Division has returned to in-person events in 2021.

During a special livestream event on Oct. 18, we’ll talk with Rubber Division Executive Director Lakisha Miller-Barclay and Rubber Division Chair Kim Dempsey-Miller about how they worked to bring the industry back together at the International Elastomer Conference, how the association is growing and what’s in store for the Rubber Division in the year ahead.

Join Tire Business and Rubber News for a discussion on the health of and trends impacting the tire industry from a global perspective. Tire Business Managing Editor Dave Manley, Special Projects Reporter Bruce Davis and Rubber News Managing Editor Erin Pustay Beaven will present the annual Global Tire Report that tracks changes in tire sales and import markets.

Localization solutions enable the accurate tracking of the location of assets, materials, and vehicles throughout your facilities. With ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, you can use tag-based localization solutions to more effectively localize your assets to improve material flow.

Discover how a UWB localization system can add greater visibility to your processes and lead you to move from just gathering data to gaining real-time knowledge to improve operations.

Primary Topics:

· Common tracking solutions used currently
· How an ultra-wideband, tag-based localization solution works
· Use cases of manufacturers using UWB technology

This livestream will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rubber & Plastics News, now named Rubber News. We have a panel of four esteemed industry veterans who will split their time evenly reminiscing about the rubber industry’s past and focusing on what the sector’s future landscape will look like.

Sustainability and circularity is a big focus nowadays. In this webinar you will learn how a high molecular weight process-aid such as VESTENAMER® trans-polyoctenamer can enable use of recycled rubber materials such as recycled carbon blacks, tire-derived polymers, and recycled rubbers (GTR) in rubber compounds.

The example presented in the webinar will focus on incorporating recycled materials in a windshield wiper blade compound. Together we will explore effects on the formulation and then drill down into more specific details with recycled carbon black (rCB). We will also review performance of trans polyoctenamer versus a high molecular fatty acid ester as a reference in this study.

Join us in this informative webinar where Alexander Paasche, Global Business Development Manager and Ankur Kant, Global Business Manager, Evonik Corporation will address an effective way to evaluate your process, increase recycle content, reduce costs, and take part in a more sustainable economy.

Current mold cleaning methods offer several challenges in today’s manufacturing environment whether it be extended downtime, mold damaged from transit, or even potential safety hazards. Chem-Trend has developed an in-process solution with no harsh odor that helps reduce these limitations all in a matter of minutes. The IPMC-1200 cleaning compound removes buildup and residue from the mold while remaining in service, offering increased product quality and value throughout the production process.

Primary Topics:

• What causes dirty molds/mold fouling?
• Comparison of traditional mold cleaning methods and IPMC-1200
• Technical advantages
• Commercial advantages/Cost savings analysis – preventative vs reactive cleaning

Join Rubber & Plastics News’ Silicone Livestream May 20, “Silicone 2021: An unsettled market with unlimited applications,” as Editor Bruce Meyer and Reporter Andrew Schunk host a panel of experts for an in-depth discussion of the versatile elastomer. With volatile pricing creeping up once again and new applications being discovered at a rapid rate, silicone continues to represent one of the most sought-after products in the industry today.

Save the date for the Livestream, which will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern, last about an hour and conclude with a question and answer session with our audience. The staff at RPN and our expert panel members look forward to conducting another informative discussion, one that touches on current market trends, the virtues of silicone and both established and niche applications that may not previously have been considered.

One year made all the difference. The auto industry faced one of its most challenging years ever in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the game in both the short and long term, forcing shutdowns and slowdowns and altering the course for the years ahead. Today, the industry is moving forward, changed, but in many ways for the better. At 2 p.m. EST March 23, Bruce Meyer, Rubber & Plastics News editor, and Managing Editor Erin Pustay Beaven will moderate a panel discussion that focuses on where the auto industry has been, where it’s going and how it has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors that made 2020 such an unusual year. Panelists include Matt Portu, president of Freudenberg NOK’s North American operations; Patrick Clark, vice president and chief global manufacturing officer for Cooper Standard Automotive Inc.; Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research; and Mike Jackson, executive director of strategy and research at the Original Equipment Suppliers Association.

Diversity is more than a buzzword. In the last year, companies and organizations throughout the tire and rubber industries have made commitments to their employees and communities, pledging to engage in thoughtful discussions about diversity, social justice and inclusion, while adopting practices that not only encourage diversity within their organizations but do so in a way that fosters empathy. Following up on a special report that examines these efforts, Bruce Meyer, Editor of Rubber & Plastics News, and Managing Editor Erin Pustay Beaven will extend the conversation about diversity and inclusion. As part of the livestream discussion planned for 2 p.m. Feb. 23, Meyer and Pustay Beaven will share insights from sources and lead a discussion that includes professionals and experts who can offer perspectives, thoughts and ideas about how the rubber and tire industry’s commitments to diversity best can be achieved.

Sponsored by Uncountable

Scientists are the literal lifeblood of new product development and innovation, but they often spend much of their time simply pulling together data to conduct analysis in hopes of key learnings. The biggest lever that R&D leaders have today is to implement tools that make this learning process faster and easier, through better data tools. This Webinar will focus on the benefits of implementing a true data infrastructure, and the challenges that organizations will face along this journey.
 

Join Bruce Meyer, editor of Rubber & Plastics News, and RPN Managing Editor Erin Pustay Beaven,  as they review the highlights of the IEC with Lakisha Miller-Barclay, Executive Director & CEO of the American Chemical Society’s Rubber Division, and Brian Barkes, Business Development Manager, GFL Americas, and Rubber Division chair this year.  This wide-ranging discussion will include how the IEC did as a virtual event for the first time, what feedback the division heard back from participants and   what were some of the highlights of the show.  Don’t miss this recap of one of the year’s most important events for the rubber industry.  

Sponsored by ARDL

This webinar will be an overview of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and fatigue testing methods and will give examples of non-tire applications (including silicone applications) where these test methods are relevant. The DMA overview will discuss strain, temperature, and frequency sweeps performed in tension, compression, or shear. It will also review the data generated by those sweeps including storage modulus, loss modulus, tan delta, Payne effect and Mullins effect. Fatigue testing methods that will be discussed will include Demattia crack growth, Monsanto fatigue-to-failure, Ross flex crack growth and Goodrich flexometer (heat buildup and blow out).
 

Will Bridgestone retain its title as the world’s No. 1 tire maker in terms of overall sales? Or will this be the year that Michelin vaults to the top spot? How much did tariffs and other duties affect sales globally? How has the tire market been impacted by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic? What was the latest from the virtual International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC)?

Join Rubber & Plastics News Editor Bruce Meyer, Tire Business Special Projects Reporter Bruce Davis and Editor Don Detore, and as they dissect results of the comprehensive annual Global Tire Report. See how the tire makers ended 2019 --- just months before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world as we know it.

Sponsored by HEXPOL Compounding. In this Livestream, Rubber & Plastics News will put a spotlight on activities in the silicone market and how the COVID-19 pandemic is shaking up an already turbulent market.

In this webinar you will learn how to improve mechanical properties and increase recycled content of rubber parts. Today recycled rubber is used in in many applications; however use of recycled rubber comes with challenges such as processing of high recycled rubber compounds, sharp-drop in mechanical properties, and manufacturing defects in final end products.

Find out how to combine better processing and superior performance by incorporating an additive technology that has proven itself in the last 20 years. Together we will explore 3 main strategies to bridge the performance gap when using recycled rubber: type of rubber, particle and surface size, and surface modification with and without using VESTENAMER® transpolyoctenamer (TOR).

Join us in this informative webinar where Alexander Paasche, Business Development and Ankur Kant, Business Development Manager, Evonik Industries will address an effective way to evaluate your process, increase recycle content, reduce costs, and take part in a more sustainable economy.

Topics covered:

• Sources of recycle rubber
• Improvement in wear and abrasion
• Gain technical benefits such as viscosity reduction and green strength
• Achieve better processing with higher recycle content and lower scrap rate
• Reduction in costs

Who should attend?

• Rubber chemists and managers interested in incorporating recycled rubber in compounds
• Product and business managers looking to increase product profitability by increasing recycle content
• Sustainability and environmental stewardship managers

Sponsored by Endurica. This Livestream will bring viewers up to date on what the coronavirus outbreak means to the automotive market and the companies that supply it. There also will be discussion on the ongoing evolution in the market toward electric and autonomous vehicles.

VESTENAMER® transoctenamer (TOR) has been used as an additive in the rubber industry for many years. By virtue of its properties, the versatile transoctenamer (TOR) can solve a variety of problems in the compounding and processing of rubber. It can also improve the dynamic properties of the vulcanized material and as well be used to recycle waste rubber.
 
In this webinar, you will learn about the benefits of transoctenamer (TOR) in all areas of rubber manufacturing – from mixing to shaping to better finished properties of your final rubber part. In addition, recipes with transoctenamer (TOR) covering rubber goods such as hoses, rubber rollers, and rubber mats made out of recycled rubber will be discussed to highlight product benefits.