NORTHVILLE, Mich.—Fortrex's strength lies in its flexibility—its ability to find applications across a range of industries from automotive to footwear.
And it's in the footwear space that potential for Cooper-Standard's innovation is growing.
The Northville-based automotive supplier expanded its 2021 partnership with Nike Inc., signing a new technology licensing agreement that gives the shoe maker limited exclusive use of Fortrex material in its footwear.
Chris Couch
The deal allows Nike to develop new product lines and find new applications for the technology.
"We're proud to announce our expanded agreement with Nike for the licensing of our Fortrex material," Chris Couch, Cooper-Standard chief technology officer and president of fluid handling, said in a statement. "Offering a wide spectrum of performance properties with a more environmentally friendly carbon footprint, our Fortrex material has the potential to make a significant impact for companies looking for sustainable material solutions."
In addition to being versatile, Fortrex is sustainable, too.
The proprietary elastomeric material—used in automotive sealing systems and shoe midsoles—offers durability and aesthetics without compromising on performance and sustainability, Cooper-Standard said.
"The material offers a dramatic reduction in product lifecycle carbon footprint versus traditional materials such as EPDM (53 percent reduction), TPV (22 percent reduction) and comparable shoe midsole foams (43 percent reduction) through the use of more environmentally friendly feedstock and manufacturing processes," the company said in news release.
Cooper-Standard continues to push innovation and performance around Fortrex, one of its cornerstone products. In particular, Cooper-Standard is thinking about the recyclability of the product and is looking to incorporate more recycled materials into Fortrex.
"We are working on Fortrex 2.0," Patrick Clark, Cooper-Standard's senior vice president and managing director of global automotive, told Rubber News recently. "We haven't put too much out there in the public just yet, but we really think that it will enhance the recyclability of the product as we go forward."
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