Dr William V Mars, PhD, PE, received the Herzlich Medal recently at the International Tire Exhibit and Conference (ITEC), the largest tyre manufacturing trade show and conference in North America.

The award is bestowed every alternate year to recognise a tyre industry pioneer whose career and accomplishments have improved the industry, lasting impacting tyre design, development and manufacturing. 

Receiving this medal is a pinnacle point in Dr Mars’ lifetime quest to improve how rubber products are designed and brought to market.

Dr Mars is an international leader in the failure mechanics of rubber, and his career has focused on applying experimental and computational mechanics in pursuit of better-performing rubber products. He is the author of the Endurica fatigue life solver – the world’s first commercially available and most highly-validated simulation for fatigue analysis of rubber. 

He is the founder and president of Endurica LLC, a firm whose solutions are used by 13 of the top 20 global rubber product producers. 

Dr Mars has over 30 years of experience developing testing and simulation methods in the rubber industry, including 16 years at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. He earned his Honors BSME with Polymer Specialisation at the University of Akron and his MS and PhD degrees at the University of Toledo. He has also served as the Chief Editor of both Rubber Chemistry and Technology and Tire Science and Technology. He has over 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications and four patents in elastomer durability.

Medal presenter Bruce Meyer, Editor of Rubber News, noted his relationship with Harold Herzlich, whose career spanned decades in the tyre industry, decades more as an expert in tyre forensic cases and more than a couple additional decades as Technical Editor of Rubber & Plastics News. 

Herzlich served as the Founding Conference Chairman for ITEC and 10 subsequent ITEC conferences. “I worked with Harold for many years,” explained Meyer. “He truly was one of the good guys of the tyre industry. And that’s appropriate, because today we are honouring Will Mars, Founder and President of Endurica LLC. And I can say definitively that Will also is one of the good guys in our industry.”

“Harold Herzlich himself is retired, (but) he did serve on the committee tasked with choosing a winner from among the highly qualified nominees. I asked him to send along a message for me to share, and this is what he had to say: ‘‘Even though I had very limited contact with Will, I, like many technical people in the industry, was aware of, and depended upon, his very capable and generous contributions as Editor to the Rubber Division’s highly regarded Rubber Chemistry and Technology. Will went beyond his publication activities and contributed actual hardware and software capabilities that are already accelerating the industry’s innovation process worldwide.”

Bridgestone will supply tailored-made tyres for Lamborghini’s Huracán STO, which will be launched in 2021.

Bridgestone ensured the high-performance tyre can maximise the Huracán STO’s traction, handling, control, and extreme overall performance.

Key to the tyre’s success in maximising the super sports car’s performance is the combination of pattern and cavity design. The Potenza tyres apply an asymmetric tread design for enhanced steering response and cornering stability, and an internal crown structure that distributes footprint pressure evenly when cornering.

As well as the road-focused, custom-developed Potenza fitment, Bridgestone will also be providing a track-oriented, road-homologated version of the tyre that applies “race” technologies to maximise the vehicle’s track performance, especially in dry conditions.

Steven De Bock, VP Consumer Replacement and OE at Bridgestone EMIA, said, “It’s been a pleasure for our team to work so closely with Lamborghini for the first time, and on such an exciting project. The Huracán STO is an incredible piece of engineering that deserves a custom tyre that can fulfill its full potential. I can proudly say that Bridgestone has delivered such a high-performance tyre. It has been fantastic for the team to have worked on a project that is at the forefront of technology in so many ways.”

Hankook, one of the major global tyre brands, has started testing and development operations at its new ultra modern facility in Spain.

The testing facility has been set up on the premises of the Applus+ IDIADA Group and can also cater to European premium car manufacturers that have their own demanding tyre tests. The facility is completely automated and will host a 20-member team from the Spanish testing centre, which is affiliated to the Hankook Europe Technical Centre.

Klaus Krause, Head of European Research and Development Centre, said, "With the further expansion of our testing capacities in Spain, we are reaching the next level together with our local partner Applus+ IDIADA."

He also added, "We are confident that the newly installed testing facilities in particular will significantly improve our efforts to provide the best tyre testing conditions and services to our employees and customers. In addition, we will also be able to conduct significantly more tests on site." (TT)

ASCENSO introduced a construction tyre - BLB 730- which is used for boom lift vehicles used in construction and other industries. It comes with several features that cater to the unique needs of aerial lifting equipment.

The BLB 730 tyre is available in different sizes to fit various boom lift vehicles. This range of sizes provides versatility and compatibility with different types of aerial lift work platforms.

“ASCENSO's BLB 730 tyre is a significant advancement in specialised equipment for the construction industry. It focuses on load capacity, stability, traction, and durability to improve the performance and safety of boom lift vehicles. Whether working at heights or manoeuvring on tough terrains, this tyre offers reliability and durability for efficient operations,” said the company in a statement.

The BLB 730 tyre is built to handle heavy loads and stabilise boom lift vehicles. It has solid lugs and a more extended shoulder design, which ensures good traction and prevents slipping during operation. This is important for safely carrying heavy weights at high elevations. ASCENSO has used a special rubber compound in making the BLB 730 tyre, making it durable and long-lasting, resulting in less downtime and more productivity on construction sites.

To make the tyre even better, the company has optimised its inner volume to reduce tyre fill consumption, reducing the risk of tyre punctures, minimising the need for maintenance, and keep the vehicles running smoothly.

Falken Tyre Europe is an official IHF Men's World Championship 2023 partner for the upcoming tournament, the company has announced. The tournament is taking place at nine venues in Sweden and Poland from 11-29 January, 2023. Falken Tyre claims that the partnership was organised by the sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE. SPORTFIVE is responsible for exclusive marketing and media rights for all IHF World Championships until 2031.

Falken Tyre claims that this is its second agreement with the International Handball Federation. In addition to title and logo rights (Official IHF Men's World Championship 2023 Partner), the company has also secured advertising rights, including the Falken logo in each goal and centre circle of the courts, as well as the presence of Falken branding in the official tournament social media communications and print materials. According to Falken Tyre, this is complemented by 30-second video ads that will be shown on the big screens in the nine sports halls before the start of each match and at half-time.

Sharing his views, Robert Müller von Vultejus, Chief Growth Officer at SPORTFIVE, said, “With Falken, the IHF World Handball Championships have secured a great partner who is positioned with far-reaching influence in the relevant core markets. We are delighted to have been able to bring two global partners together for one of the most exciting sporting events of next year.”

Markus Bögner, COO and President of Falken Tyre Europe GmbH, explained, “Handball isn’t just of great importance in Europe, but all over the world, which has led us to partake in this top-level tournament once again. The fact that the international tournament is taking place in countries that are among our core markets is another great reason for our involvement. We can also look back on a long partnership with our colleagues at SPORTFIVE, who always offers us excellent opportunities that are an excellent fit for the Falken brand, which stands for enthusiasm, performance and achievement.”