Green Tire Firm, Leigh Technologies, Adds Personnel and Boosts R&D
Lehigh Technologies, a sustainable materials company with emphasis on green tire applications has strengthened its R&D (research and development) efforts by adding Chad Jasiunas as Technical Manager for Functional Materials and investing in new mixing and analytical equipment for its Application and Development Center (ADC).
According to the company, the expansion is designed to enable Lehigh to “drive further adoption of its sustainable micronized rubber powder (MRP) material in green tire applications.”
“The global green tire market is expected to grow significantly over the next five years,” said Alan Barton, CEO of Lehigh Technologies. “Lehigh has positioned itself to support this growth by establishing best-in-class research and development facilities and a strong technical team.”
Jasiunas joins Lehigh’s ADC team with more than a decade of experience in the development of SBR systems. Previously, he worked at some of the world’s largest tire and rubber companies, including Goodyear and Synthos S.A., Europe’s largest manufacturer of emulsion rubber polymers.
Lehigh has also made significant investments in advanced silica-silane mixing and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) capabilities. The new internal mixing unit was custom-built to Lehigh specifications and includes precision speed and temperature control as well as capability for mixing high viscosity silica-silane-SBR compounds. The capabilities of this unit include measurement of predictive parameters critical to green tire performance such as rolling resistance, traction, and handling under a wide range of conditions.
As Lehigh noted, “MRPs lower costs, increase the sustainability profile of end products and deliver performance without sacrificing the reliability and performance offered by traditional raw materials.” Lehigh’s customer base already includes five of the top ten tire companies in the world, and more than 250 million tires have been manufactured using its MRP technology. More information at: www.lehightechnologies.com.
More information at: www.lehightechnologies.com.
Category: Green, People, Wheels & Tires