Cabot invests in Malaysia to boost composite line

PORT DICKSON, Malaysia—For Cabot Corp., innovation isn't just about extending the life and durability of some of the world's toughest off-the-road and mining tires. It's about unlocking their greatest sustainable potential.

And this is where the company's Engineered Elastomer Composites (E2C), launched in March 2020, come into play. Built on the foundation of a proprietary mixing process for carbon black and natural rubber, Cabot's E2C pre-mixed composite solutions are intended to help OTR tire makers sustainably and economically improve tire performance.

"E2C combines state-of-the-art reinforcing fillers with high quality elastomers through Cabot's proprietary mixing processes to create made-for-purpose solutions for demanding rubber applications," David Reynolds, vice president and general manager of Cabot elastomer composites, said in an email interview. "E2C solutions are Cabot's newest product line, and were developed to provide rubber product manufacturers with solutions that can accelerate product differentiation, drive sustainability improvements and unlock operational efficiencies."

For more than three decades, Cabot's facility in Port Dickson has been at the heart of the company's proprietary carbon black-natural rubber mixing process. Now it's a critical part of the company's E2C development, and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon, thanks to a planned investment by Cabot.

The Boston-based carbon black manufacturer recently confirmed plans to expand research and development capabilities at the facility, adding to its staff in the process.

A statement from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority notes that Cabot expects to increase employment at the facility by about 30 percent, while installing enhanced digital controls and automated systems.

The expanded R&D capabilities at Port Dickson also will enable Cabot to advance rubber technology via innovations in areas such as modeling and optimization of liquid mixing, characterizing elastomer composites and automation of continuous rubber processing.

Additionally, as part of the expansion Cabot is planning "a long-term extension and expansion of its land lease in Port Dickson," MIDA said.

The size of the latest investment was not disclosed by either party, nor did Cabot elaborate on whether the expansion will include any additional building space or upgrades.

Reynolds, however, did note the importance of the facility to the company's continued growth and sustainability focus.

"Port Dickson is Cabot's flagship facility for development and production of its Engineered Elastomer Composite products and, for now, remains Cabot's primary facility for manufacturing elastomer composites," Reynolds said.

More sustainable tires

As sustainability becomes more of a focus for companies across the tire industry, solutions that help achieve those aims become more important. The E2C products that Cabot offers fit that role, Reynolds said, by expanding the potential use of natural rubber and reducing energy footprints at tire plants by limiting mixing stages and cycle times.

"Because E2C products come in a premixed form, tire manufacturers can incorporate these composites directly into their final compounding and extrusion process, eliminating the need for the time- and energy-consuming step of dispersing filler particles into rubber," Reynolds said.

At this point, the E2C composites have found a practical home in the commercial tire industry, and more specifically, with mining tires, where they can help to extend tire life and improve fuel economy, ultimately lowering greenhouse gas emissions for mining operations.

"The mine environment is incredibly demanding for tires," Reynolds said. "Extreme temperatures, high loads and rough terrain all create tremendously challenging operating conditions. Our E2C solutions are designed to specifically address the unique challenges faced by mining tire designers."

Cabot contends that its E2C composites improve the performance of OTR and earthmover tires because they extend the life of the tire by as much as 15 percent. The longevity of the tires contributes to energy efficiency, reduced raw material consumption and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Reynolds added that the tires' longevity is a further boost to the environment because it reduces the number of waste tires.

Tire longevity also offers practical business performance and financial implications for mining companies, Reynolds said.

"E2C solutions have been shown to break critical trade-offs in off-the-road/earthmover tire design by both lowering operating temperatures and extending tire life significantly," Reynolds said. "This can enable an average mine to increase haulage capacity, boost output and reduce annual downtime for tire changes leading to a potential benefit up to $150 million per year."

At this point, Cabot is focused on optimizing its E2C solutions for commercial vehicle applications, but it has not ruled out possible uses within the consumer sector, especially as new mobility takes hold.

"While our current products are focused primarily on commercial vehicle applications, we do see significant opportunity for E2C solutions to benefit consumer mobility," Reynolds said. "One specific example would be their potential to create low-rolling resistance consumer tire carcass materials. Such materials could help to extend the range of electric vehicles or reduce the GHG emission from internal combustion vehicles."