Smithers ramps up with Suzhou testing facility

SUZHOU, China—As the world's largest single economy reopens in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the automotive industry—and associated testing and certification companies like Akron-based Smithers—are ramping up in kind.

For Smithers, that includes the opening of its state-of-the-art, 7,200-sq.-meter wheel, tire and product testing facility in eastern China, just west of Shanghai in Suzhou's Xiangcheng district. Operational since fall 2020 and staffed with 40 engineers, lab techs and support employees, the machines at the Smithers' site are pulling, pushing, stretching, pressurizing and purposely bursting products once again.

Staff moved to this new, larger location from an existing facility in Suzhou, established for tire and wheel testing in 2011. A product testing lab followed at that site in 2019, and all three have moved to the new facility, which has triple the space of the previous building.

"At Smithers, the science always comes first," said Derek Read, vice president, Asia region, for global development at Smithers. "We are a deeply service-oriented company, and our clients have trusted us for nearly 100 years to deliver accurate data, on time, with high-touch service. The tire and automotive industries in China are growing and changing rapidly. In this fast-paced and quickly evolving environment, it is important that our clients know they can always count on us for accurate data."

Read noted that Smithers will look to hire more people at Suzhou in the coming years to meet the needs of this growing market. Other Smithers teams that are focused on industry events and market research share the facility, with plans for expansion in the coming years as well.

The privately owned Smithers did not disclose its investment in the Suzhou plant.

The testing capabilities at the facility are as varied as they are specific, with the ability to conduct regulatory and certification operations, extensive tire and wheel testing, and hose system evaluations. All examination programs can be customized—an essential flexibility, as Smithers customers include major automotive OEMs, smaller OEMs, tier and aftermarket suppliers, retailers, wholesalers and everything in between.

"Smithers offers a large portfolio of individual tests for tires, wheels, and components, which we can combine to create custom programs based on what our clients need," Read said.

Compliance testing assists clients in meeting regulatory or industry standards, and can require a specific set of performance evaluations.

"Our experts are extremely well-versed in a wide variety of industry standards and can help our clients navigate the regulatory landscape," he said. "Many of our experts actively participate in industry and government standards bodies to assist with developing and modifying testing specifications to keep pace with changes in the industry."

Performance and endurance testing for tires, wheels and hose systems have been key pillars for Smithers since its inception in 1925, and the global company works in the passenger, light truck, OTR, Class 8 and recreational tire realms, such as bicycle tires.

"Each tire segment has its own set of challenges and specifications based on their application differences," Read said. "For example, passenger and light truck tires have vastly different application needs than an off-the-road farm implement tire. So the test methods can be similar, but some (methods) may be more important than others.

"And of course, as the tires get larger, the equipment needs to scale with them to handle the larger mass and inertia from testing these tires."

Meeting current, future needs
Smithers evaluates tires and wheels in Suzhou; Shawbury, England; and stateside in Ravenna, Ohio. The company offers product and hose testing in Suzhou; Shawbury; Lansing, Mich.; and at its Akron locations.

Tire testing abilities in Suzhou include endurance and high-speed analyses, plunger and bead unseating measurements, oven-aged durability testing, rolling resistance testing, air permeation testing, government compliance testing, burst testing and competitive benchmarking.

Wheel evaluations include radial, rotary, impact and corrosion analyses.

But there are unique capabilities at Suzhou that distinguish the facility, even from Smithers' other locations.

"When we moved to the new facility, we added some new capabilities," Read said, including a new slip and camber angle tire durability machine. "We also expanded our IPLR chamber to accommodate truck and bus tires in addition to passenger and light truck tires."

The new tire durability testing machine provides dynamic camber and dynamic slip angle controls from +/-5 degrees, with a maximum speed of 217 mph and a maximum testing load of 6,614 pounds.

The Suzhou facility increases Smithers' testing space in all three areas (tire, wheel and product), but specifically in product testing by about 90 percent, with the ability to measure pressure, vibration, temperature, fatigue, burst, leak, vacuum and impulse parameters.

"Our product testing lab is equipped to work with a large range of products," Read said. "Our team has significant expertise in automotive hoses and fluid transfer systems, including brake lines, fuel lines, coolant hoses and more."

There is no doubt that the onset of the electric vehicle revolution will change the testing requirements for Smithers once again, and the forward-looking company is preparing for that event horizon now.

On the heels of opening a medical device testing lab at its Akron headquarters, Smithers has done the same in grand scale overseas with Suzhou.

"We are in the process of evaluating and pursuing several testing capability and capacity investments to support EV-specific tires, hoses and fluid transfer systems," Read said. He added that these additional capabilities include dynamic ozone and low temperature endurance testing for tires and biaxial testing for wheels—additions the company said will be confirmed for customers as they are finalized.

Adapting to shifting industry

EV tires will be significantly different from their legacy, internal combustion engine counterparts, Read said, since the vehicles they support will weigh 20 to 30 percent more due to their battery-driven powertrains.

For manufacturers, this means EV tires must have a higher load carrying capacity while producing fewer carbon emissions.

"We expect to see the percentage of tires with XL ratings increase," he said. "Additionally, more weight on a tire generally leads to greater noise, so tire manufacturers are working toward reducing noise generated by the tire to ensure a more pleasant driving experience."

There is an oft-mentioned performance triangle for tires, between wear resistance, fuel efficiency and traction—and usually, each of these points on the triangle has an inverse relation to one or both of the others. When one is increased, another often decreases.

EVs will have higher vehicle torque, which means the tire, in concert with electronic stability control, calls for greater traction capabilities. Greater weight and torque means faster wear, which calls for higher abrasion resistance in tire treads.

"Lastly, improved vehicle range and fuel efficiency is a major priority of the EV industry as well as consumers," Read said. "The tire represents 20-30 percent of an electric vehicle's total energy consumption, which means optimizing the tire is a key strategy for improving fuel efficiency in EVs.

"OEMs are working to improve rolling resistance and aerodynamics of tires in order to maximize efficiency."

On the hose and brake line product side, the transition to electric vehicles has significant ramifications as well, Read said. To wit, a vehicle with a standard internal combustion engine commonly uses six different hose assemblies, whereas an electric vehicle only has three. In addition, EV hose systems are in a much different configuration—and not in the engine compartment as IC engine hose systems tend to be. Rather, EV hose systems run from the front of the vehicle, around the battery pack, to the rear of the vehicle.

"One of the most critical operations affecting electric vehicle performance is temperature management and energy consumption relative to those functions," he said. "Hoses play an integral role in maximizing efficiency and maintaining safe operating temperatures throughout the battery compartment."

Enter the need for a critical elastomer testing and certification company like Smithers, which can validate these EV operating conditions separately from legacy engine conditions.

"This makes for a much longer assembly and requires larger testing chambers and custom fixtures that can accommodate it," Read said.

While many of Smithers' testing capabilities are proprietary, the company has added an academic approach to the Suzhou facility intended to forward overall industry knowledge for both current and coming ages.

"A key feature of this new facility is our training center," he said. "Our plan is to create a gathering space and thought leadership hub for industry associations, leaders and partners to come together."

The center ultimately will have a 150-person conference room with auditorium seating and a state-of-the-art projection system to host events and meetings. There also will be a 50-person meeting space for smaller-scale events.

All of these changes for the Akron-based company are intended to meet exponentially increasing demand in Asia, which tends to serve as an economic barometer for the rest of the world.

"The automotive industry in China is experiencing enormous growth, and Smithers has invested heavily in the region to support the exciting developments happening there," Read said. "We are dedicated to hiring the brightest minds in tire and automotive testing and technology so we can support our clients on the path to creating excellent tires, wheels, hoses and other components."