Joe Walker: Dwindling supply of U.S.-made rubber chemicals a national security risk

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Joe Walker isn't holding back. Particularly when it comes to the rubber industry.

Because rubber, he said, holds the world together.

The parts and goods that the rubber industry manufactures may not always be apparent to consumers, but those parts are critical to their everyday lives.

"When you buy an automobile, the only thing you see that's rubber are the tires," Walker, president of Elastomer Technologies, said during his presentation at the ACS Rubber Division's Spring Technical Meeting. "You don't see the other 2,000 rubber parts that go into making that engine function. And it is the same with most of the parts that our industry produces. We create non-obvious, silent, invisible technology."

Invisible? Maybe. But critical? Most certainly.

That's why Walker continues to sound the alarm about looming shortages of key rubber chemicals, essential ingredients to the compounds for the parts that keep the world moving, healthy, fed and entertained.

"Think about what it would be like if you couldn't move goods from coast-to-coast," he said. "That would be truck tires, aircraft tires, seals, O-rings, gaskets," Walker said.

"Think about not being able to have a procedure done because there is no IV tubing or there are no catheters."

Those, he contends, are the things at risk if nothing is done to boost manufacturing of those chemicals in the U.S., where demand for them is growing at a rate of more than 16 percent per year.

And the chemicals supplies most concerning to Walker are cure chemicals and anti-degradants.

"These chemicals improve quality, they are really an indispensable part," Walker said. "You cannot have the rubber article without them.

"In the rubber industry, although the amount of these additives are small in the overall formulation ... you may only have one part of this or two parts of that. But they play a decisive role because without that one or three (parts), you are not able to cure rubber."

At present, the U.S. demand for the chemicals is around 345,000 tons. And U.S.-based supply of those chemicals is about 25 percent shy of its demand for the rubber chemicals at 288,000 tons. And given the growth rate of that demand, Walker said the problem will only compound.

"This lack of domestic manufacturing capability places the entire U.S. rubber industry at risk and consequently, our nation is at risk," Walker said.

The supply of the imported chemicals the industry relies on is also at great risk, Walker contends, particularly when you consider geopolitical concerns.

Walker said the solution to the looming chemicals shortage is the build-up of U.S. manufacturing for those chemicals, which allows the U.S. to become less reliant on off-shore production—particularly production in China.

But the rubber industry also needs to be its own advocate. Companies must work with customers to stabilize and shorten their supply chains.

"Involve your customers and engage them in risk mitigation activities," Walker said. "Let them know; raise awareness. Build compounds and compositions using as much dual-sourced and U.S.-based products as you can."

He also encouraged everyone to write their representatives to make them aware of the importance of rubber goods. Because rubber products are essential to daily life in the U.S., Walker said any significant disruptions to the production of rubber products raise national security risks—think: exam gloves during the pandemic.

"Contact your people in congress, make sure they understand the seriousness of the supply issue and make sure they understand the risk of doing nothing," Walker said. "Help them recognize that it's a national security problem."