Collaborative workshop on tyre compounding and tyre technology in July

• Initiative by EDB, SLAMERP and PRI

EDB in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP) and Plastic and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka (PRISL) will be organising a two-day workshop on Tyre Compounding and Tyre Technology, on 25 – 26 July at Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo.  It aims to upgrade the knowledge of the industry on technological advancements in the global tyre industry by obtaining the services of international technical experts from India. This is the second such workshop to be organised as a follow-up to the first workshop in 2018 on Product Innovation, Technology and R&D.

The tyre industry is known to be a technology intensive industry which changes rapidly. This requires trained, skilled personnel who have the knowledge and experience on modern machinery and equipment, mature processing technology and high level of product development to keep in line with the global market trends.

In order to sustain and grow in the international market, the tyre industry has to constantly upgrade their production processes, adapt and improve their products, invest in R & D , innovations, comply with standards and required certifications, as well as new technology and laboratory testing available in the world.

EDB works very closely with the industry and is constantly in dialogue with them to identify and address the sector’s needs to keep in line with global requirements.

Given the importance of the above, EDB has implemented several programs for the rubber industry in the recent past, including a System Development Program to obtain ISO 14001 and 50001 certifications, Technical Training and Exposure Program at Tun Abdul Razake Research Centre (TARRC), UK and Hevea Academy of Malaysia, Malaysian Rubber Board in Malaysia, etc. In addition, EDB in collaboration with SLAMERP and PRISL organised a two-day workshop from 13 to 14 July 2018 on Product Innovation, Technology and R&D also with the services of international technical experts. The first collaborative tyre workshop was conducted successfully with the participation of over 100 technical personnel of leading tyre manufacturing and exporting companies in Sri Lanka.   Considering the knowledge gained by the first workshop and acting on the request made by the technical personnel, EDB is organising this second workshop in collaboration with SLAMERP and PRISL.

The content of the workshop is more focused on reverse engineering, mechanical and dynamic properties of rubber, novel materials in tyre industry, tyre mechanics, role of the tyre on a vehicle, mechanics of cord-rubber composite, rubber abrasion and tyre wear, rolling resistance of tyres, compound formula designing, development and validation for tyre traction (wet/snow/dry traction), tyre rolling/cut /heat resistance and rubber to textile and rubber to metal bonding.

These public-private collaborative efforts are very well targeted and benefit the industry immensely. This will also contribute towards increasing export revenue to achieve the National Export target of $ 28 billion in 2022.