Dr Gerard Nijman

How Dr Gerard Nijman de-mystified the ‘black magic’ of tyre engineering.

In the high-stakes, multi-billion-dollar world of automotive engineering, where the screeching captures the headlines, Dr Gerard Nijman focuses on the quiet, molecular drama happening just inches from the asphalt. To the uninitiated, a tyre is a simple black circle of rubber. To Nijman, it is a visco-elastic masterpiece, a complex soup of polymers, fillers and oils that behaves according to laws of physics that many in the industry once dismissed as ‘black magic’.

Recently, the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society announced Dr Nijman as the recipient of the Fernley H. Banbury Award. It is one of the highest honours in the field, a recognition of a lifetime spent bridging the gap between the ‘black magic’ of the factory floor and the cold precision of laboratory rheology.

Now, two months after it was announced, I feel proud of being awarded and it is an acknowledgement of my contributions to rubber processing,” Dr Nijman says, reflecting on a career that has spanned nearly four decades. “However, if I consider the enormous lineup of previous winners, I still cannot realise that I am a part of it... I am probably still too humble to really enjoy it.”

THE FRIDAY EVENING CALL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Dr Nijman’s journey into the world of elastomers didn’t begin with a lifelong passion for tyres, but rather with a fortuitous interruption. In 1987, he was deep into a PhD project focusing on molecular orientation in injection-moulded products. His trajectory seemed set for a traditional academic or specialised research path until a Friday evening phone call changed his life.

The caller was the P&O Manager of Vredestein, the Dutch tyre manufacturer. He was looking for a process engineer, specifically someone who understood the complexities of extrusion. For Dr Nijman, it was an opportunity to apply his theoretical knowledge to a massive industrial scale without abandoning his roots.

“For this position, I did not really have to leave my comfort zone, so I decided to join Vredestein on a 50 percent basis while I completed my PhD project,” Dr Nijman recalls. At the time, the industry’s understanding of material flow was rudimentary. The ‘gold standard’ was the Mooney viscosity test – a simple measurement that Nijman knew was insufficient for the high-speed, high-heat world of modern manufacturing.

“I was fascinated by rheology and especially how the material morphology was related to the processing behaviour. At Vredestein, the common understanding of Rheology was ‘Mooney viscosity’, but somehow, I could make them clear that understanding processing means that one must understand the (thermo-)rheological behaviour and morphological characteristics of rubber compound in much more detail,” he says.

SEEING THROUGH ‘SCIENTIFIC GLASSES’

Dr Nijman attributes much of his success to a trio of mentors who helped him synthesise his disparate skills. His PhD supervisor, Prof Ingen Housz, taught him the fundamental skill of ‘looking at industrial processes through scientific glasses’. It was this ability to analyse a complex, messy industrial problem until the root cause was exposed that set Dr Nijman apart.

At Vredestein, his first boss, Albert Dijks, built his confidence by handing him immense responsibility early on. Meanwhile, Kees Hettema taught him the art of the deal – how to negotiate with customers – and Matthias Sieverding of KraussMaffei Berstorff eventually gave him the reins to lead an entire business unit.

“What I learned from all of them is that, while believing in what you are doing, you should not be afraid of answering difficult questions from your stakeholders,” Dr Nijman notes. This philosophy allowed him to navigate the friction that often exists when a scientist tries to tell a factory veteran that their decades-old ‘gut feeling’ might be wrong.

BREAKING THE SPELL OF ‘BLACK MAGIC’

In the 1980s and 90s, rubber manufacturing was often viewed as more art than science. When a production line ran into trouble, solutions were often found through trial and error. “Suddenly, problems were solved without really knowing why,” Dr Nijman explains. “It was commonly called ‘black magic’.”

Dr Nijman became one of the first engineers to replace that magic with math. He realised that the complex technological hurdles of the industry – irregular shrinkage, surface defects and inconsistent quality – could be solved through a rigorous rheological approach.

His most transformative moment came during the ‘Green Tyre’ revolution of the early 90s. Michelin had just introduced silica-based compounds, which offered lower rolling resistance and better wet grip. While industry giants like Goodyear were still scrambling to adapt, the smaller Vredestein successfully implemented the technology.

The secret weapon was Nijman’s understanding of the microstructure. He recognised that silica compounds were a different beast entirely from the traditional carbon black mixtures. “We looked at the compounds’ processing behaviour by looking to the degree of freedom of the rubber molecules moving around in their microstructure,” he says.

By understanding how silica hindered or helped the ‘relaxation’ of rubber molecules after extrusion, Dr Nijman was able to control ‘extrudate swell’ – the tendency of rubber to expand like a sponge after being squeezed through a die. Without this scientific insight, manufacturers faced uncontrolled shrinkage, leading to tyres that simply didn’t fit the rim.

THE PORSCHE 911 CHALLENGE: WHEN THEORY MEETS THE ROAD

Perhaps the most gruelling test of Dr Nijman’s career wasn’t a tyre at all, but a piece of high-performance aerodynamics: the active front spoiler for the Porsche 911 Turbo. This rubber lip had to deploy at high speeds via air bellows and retract perfectly through its own elasticity once the car slowed down.

The stakes were astronomical. Porsche demanded ‘A1 surface quality’ – meaning the rubber had to be absolutely flawless, with zero visual defects and uncompromised functionality, all while meeting the strict Start of Production (SOP) deadlines of one of the world’s most iconic cars.

“Naming it a challenge was an understatement,” Dr Nijman admits. The project required a total immersion in the material’s behaviour. Dr Nijman describes his method as almost meditative: “I try to be part of the microstructure of the rubber compound on its way from rubber slab to the shape in which it is conveyed. Then I am able to ‘observe’ my surrounding and to ‘see’ what happens with the rubber molecules in their world of fillers, process oils and chemicals.”

THE DIGITAL TRAP: A WARNING TO THE NEXT GENERATION

As Dr Nijman prepares to retire at the end of this year, he looks at the current state of engineering with a mix of admiration and concern. Today’s engineers have access to powerful simulations and AI that Dr Nijman could only dream of in 1987. However, he warns that these tools can be a double-edged sword.

“Engineers tend to believe the results of such simulations are true without critical interpretation,” he says. “In the world of rubber, where chemistry and physics are constantly shifting during the heat of production, a computer model can only go so far. A rubber compound behaves truly visco-elastic. This is not something you can ignore.”

He has observed a shift where younger engineers prefer to solve problems via the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) rather than walking the shop floor. To Dr Nijman, the smell of the rubber and the heat of the extruder are essential data points that a laptop cannot capture. “Both must be done to successfully solve the production problem.”

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: THE FINAL FRONTIER

Dr Nijman isn’t using his retirement to slow down; instead, he’s refocusing on the industry’s biggest challenge: sustainability. He believes the next decade of tyre technology won’t just be about grip or speed, but about energy.

“Both tyre manufacturers and extrusion line suppliers should focus more on how to save energy and how to recover heat,” he asserts. He points out a glaring blind spot in current research: while everyone wants ‘sustainable’ compounds, few are looking at reducing the viscosity of the rubber itself – the single biggest factor in how much energy a factory consumes to shape a product.

Reducing scrap and optimising heat recovery, he argues, will require a deeper cooperation between research institutes and manufacturers. “There is still a lot more to be explored scientifically,” he says.

THE LEGACY OF A ‘HUMBLE’ EXPERT

For those entering the field today, Dr Nijman’s advice is simple: love the work, or leave it. But if you stay, never stop asking ‘why’.

“Pursue to deeply understand the problem before you start solving it,” he counsels. “Rubber processing and tyre manufacturing is very exciting... especially if you love being on the shop floor and, at the same time, if you are able to continuously interpret your observations.”

As he prepares to accept the Banbury Award, Dr Nijman remains the same engineer who once spent his Friday nights thinking about molecular orientation. He has spent his career making the complex simple – so simple, in fact, that he measures his success by a unique metric.

“It helped me a lot to realise to explain very complex situations in a way that my mother-in-law would understand,” he says. “That is how I could realise breakthroughs.”

The ‘black magic’ of rubber is gone, replaced by the lifelong work of a man who decided to step out of his comfort zone and look at the world through scientific glasses. Dr Gerard Nijman didn’t just engineer tyres; he engineered a more precise, sustainable and understood future for the entire industry

Zeon Corporation broke ground on a multi-product research and prototyping complex at the Kawasaki Innovation Frontier Port in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on 16 October with a ceremony held beforehand to seek safety during construction. The company expects the complex to shorten the path from laboratory work to mass production for established and emerging businesses alike, making it central to its long-term growth strategy.

Set inside an existing building within the port's Research & Development Center area, the complex is slated to begin operating in January 2028. Its design aims to move products past the laboratory stage and into medium-scale sample output more quickly, clearing a bottleneck on the route to full-scale manufacturing.

Zeon's core production methods – polymerisation, hydrogenation, coagulation and drying – will be built into the complex, which is engineered to handle diverse manufacturing conditions and operating approaches. Beyond serving established and new businesses, the polymer design company envisions the site as a centre for technology development and a platform for rolling out new processes and operational, analytical, and measurement technologies within and beyond the company. It will eventually host development and prototyping work across a wide range of technologies, including contract prototypes commissioned by outside parties.

The Kawasaki Innovation Frontier Port is the umbrella name for the site combining the neighbouring Kawasaki Plant and Research & Development Center. The label underscores the location's role in breaking new ground by merging innovation, research and development and production and casts the Kawasaki waterfront as a port that propels innovation. Once a co-creative innovation facility begins operating in December 2026, the two sites will function as one continuous operation, turning out ever more sophisticated products and production methods and reinforcing their standing as a launchpad for technology.

Vipal Rubber has launched the VT290, a tread designed for truck drive axles used on motorways and paved roads, targeting regional and long-distance transport operations in Europe.

The product is available in widths of 240mm, 250mm, 260mm, 270mm and 280mm. It is designed to provide traction and stability on dry and wet roads, as well as in demanding conditions involving snow.

Frederico Schmidt, General Manager of Vipal EMEA, said, “The launch of the VT290 reinforces Vipal’s ongoing commitment to offering technologically advanced solutions suited to the specific characteristics of European roads and climate.” “We want to further consolidate our presence in the region, delivering a high value-added product that combines innovation, operational efficiency and safety,” he added.

The VT290 carries the M+S marking and 3PMSF certification. Its design includes side sipes and grooves intended to help remove snow and mud from the tread, improving grip on slippery surfaces.

The tread pattern is also designed to distribute engine torque more evenly, helping to reduce uneven wear. Tie bars between the tread blocks add structural stability, supporting vehicle control during driving.

Fabrício Nedeff, Commercial Manager of Vipal EMEA, said, “With the VT290, weare responding directly to the real needs of fleet operators and truck drivers, combining performance, adherence and efficiency in different driving conditions. [RS2.1]In addition to expanding options for our customers, the product strengthens business opportunities for our partners in the region,”

Vipal said the launch would expand its offering for retreaders, distributors and fleet operators in the European market.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) published its Monthly Natural Rubber Statistical Report for August 2026, noting firmer prices in several markets. Supply constraints, stable downstream demand and persistent geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty shaped the month. Renewed conflict and disruptions to major shipping routes added further pressure.

Physical prices for major grades moved in different directions. SMR-20 in Kuala Lumpur averaged USD 2.31 per kg, up 4.25 percent from July, while STR-20 in Bangkok rose 1.40 percent to USD 2.39 per kg. RSS-3 dropped 4.18 percent to USD 2.80 per kg, but RSS-4 in Kottayam gained 0.57 percent to USD 2.92 per kg. Latex-in-bulk fell 4.73 percent to USD 1.73 per kg. Brent crude averaged USD 91.08 per barrel, driven by concerns over possible restrictions on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and wider Middle East instability, which raised energy supply risks and strengthened the oil market risk premium.

On trade, China's imports climbed 3.39 percent month-on-month, while India fell 10.18 percent and Malaysia dropped 8.24 percent; Viet Nam rose 5.08 percent. Exports advanced 5.63 percent in Viet Nam but declined in Thailand (-5.24 percent), Indonesia (-5.36 percent), Malaysia (-1.48 percent) and Cambodia (-1.88 percent).

Global production is projected to rise 0.6 percent to 15.039 million tons in 2026 from 14.952 million tonnes in 2025, after revisions to Thailand's 2025 output and updated 2026 estimates for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Weather, including erratic rainfall and drier Southeast Asian conditions, affected output. August 2026 production was estimated at 1.396 million tonnes, down 4.51 percent from 1.462 million tonnes a year earlier. Demand is forecast to grow 0.4 percent to 15.356 million tonnes in 2026 from 15.301 million tonnes, with the largest consumption gains expected in China, Malaysia and Cambodia. Prospects depend on vehicle sales, tyre production, shipping conditions and weather-related supply disruptions, while steady EV-linked demand supported modest growth led by China and India. The ringgit traded between RM4.02 per USD and RM4.09 per USD, and the baht between 32.68 and 33.34. The SHFE January 2027 contract averaged 18,109 CNY per tonne, up 7.78 percent month-on-month, while the SGX November 2026 contract averaged USD 2.24 per kg, up 4.32 percent.

Epsilon Carbon Pvt. Ltd., a global speciality carbon and carbon black manufacturer, has broadened its emissions accounting to include value chain impacts beyond its direct operations. The move advances measurement and management of Scope 3 emissions across its supply and distribution network, according to the company.

The initiative spans Epsilon Carbon’s integrated carbon complex in Vijayanagar, Karnataka. That site has a production capacity of 500,000 tonnes per annum of speciality carbon and 215,000 TPA of carbon black. It combines carbon manufacturing with energy circularity efforts in one integrated ecosystem. The company assessed material Scope 3 categories under GHG Protocol guidelines.

Scope 3 emissions are indirect and arise from purchased goods and services, transportation, business activities and downstream product use where relevant. The assessment gives Epsilon Carbon clearer visibility into emissions outside its direct control and a foundation for spotting reduction opportunities. It builds on existing operational emissions and energy efficiency work.

The company previously reported a 98 percent Scope 2 reduction against its baseline year. A 17 MW captive power plant uses waste heat from carbon black operations, energy consumption intensity fell 6 percent from baseline, and 77 percent of energy needs came from waste heat recovery, avoiding over 89,000 tonnes of CO₂. Epsilon Carbon now emphasises supplier engagement, data transparency and circularity, aligning disclosures with global sustainability frameworks to track value chain emissions consistently and develop measurable reduction initiatives.

Vikram Handa, Managing Director, Epsilon Carbon, said, “Meaningful climate action requires us to look beyond the boundaries of our operations and understand the impact of the entire value chain. Scope 3 measurement gives us greater visibility into the emissions and enables deeper engagement with our partners and suppliers. Building this visibility will help us make more informed decisions as we scale our operations and advance our decarbonization plans.”