Alexis Garcin, Chairman and President, Michelin North America, will deliver a keynote address at the 41st Conference on Science and Technology that is set to be held on the 12th and 13th of September at the University of Akron. 

Garcin joined Michelin in 2002 as Sales Director – Car Dealer Channel in France and progressed through several sales and retail management positions. He also serves on the US Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) board. USTMA members operate manufacturing facilities in 17 states, employ nearly 100,000 workers and generate annual sales of more than USD 27 billion.

Tracey Norberg, Senior Vice President & General Counsel of USTMA, will give the plenary lecture titled ‘The Road Ahead – Technology and Policy in the Tyre Industry’ at the conference. Dr Nohoon Ki, Engineering Manager at John Deere, will speak on ‘Round and Green: Engineering for Agriculture’.

The welcoming address will be delivered by Dr Gary L Miller, President of the University of Akron. Under Dr Miller’s leadership, the University of Akron has reaffirmed its reputation as a leading public urban research university, committed to fulfilling its long-standing promises to the people of Akron and Northeast Ohio. 

Wide range of topics

The conference is attended by engineers and scientists from around the world, representing the tyre and vehicle industries, academia and governmental agencies. A wide range of topics on tyre applications, ranging from passenger, high-performance, truck and electric vehicles to off-highway, including aircraft to far off-highway Mars Rover, will be covered in the paper presentations.

With this year’s theme, New Horizons in Tyre Evaluation, the papers will cover the characterisation of tyre performance, both physically and with vehicle simulators. Other subjects include numerical predictive methods, data analytics, tyre performance and construction, and rubber compound development.

A panel discussion titled ‘The Future of Tire Testing’, moderated by Heather Bobbitt, Tire Modeling Group Manager, General Motors, will be joined by Christian Bachmann, Senior Manager – Tyre Technology, FKA GmbH; Henning Olsson, Director of Technology, Calspan Corporation; Jonathan Darab, Operations Director, Global Center for Automotive Performance Simulation (GCAPS); Matt Kent, Technical Director of Tire & Wheel Test Lab, Smithers, USA and Sonny Huisman, Manager, Siemens Digital Industries Software.

These experts will discuss the challenges ahead for the tyre industry and provide insights into the next steps in tyre testing. Predictive methods in the emerging ‘digital twin’ era require improved testing methods to understand the physics of tyre mechanical behaviour under circumstances that can cause uncertainty in virtual assessment. Temperature effects, wear behaviour, wet surfaces, soil interaction and snow sinkage are some factors that are not necessarily well understood or integrated when a vehicle-level assessment is concerned.

They will also discuss the testing requirement in developing speciality tyres for racing, agricultural or heavy industrial applications that will remain a challenge for characterisation and parameterisation. Big data, machine learning algorithms and databasing methods and increased leverage of simulation environments are critical enablers for faster turnaround in early vehicle development, which is emerging as an OEM requirement.

Back to roots

This year’s edition will be held at the University of Akron near downtown Akron. In the last 12 years, the conference has only been held downtown once. With the conference’s return in September to its historic home, where it was held for the first 28 years, it is fitting that the Awards Banquet will be kicked off by an address from Mayor Dan Horrigan. 

With the conference’s return downtown to the University of Akron and being aligned in the same week as the International Tire Exhibition and Conference (ITEC) to be held at the John S Knight Center, this ‘Tire Week in Akron’ will provide a nostalgic and informative homecoming, said the organiser.

The conference will be held in a hybrid format.

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Japanese chemicals maker Zeon Corporation raised its full-year operating profit forecast after first-quarter earnings more than doubled, driven by robust demand for battery materials and optical films.

The Tokyo-based company, which produces speciality plastics and synthetic rubbers, posted operating income of 12.1 billion yen ($83.3 million) for the three months to June 30, up 136 percent from the previous quarter and 59 percent higher year-on-year.

Net sales declined 2 percent to 103.1 billion yen from a year earlier, affected by yen appreciation and lower elastomer prices reflecting declining raw material costs. However, sales volumes of optical films and battery materials increased during the period.

The company revised its full-year operating income forecast upwards to 30.5 billion yen from a previous estimate of 28 billion yen. However, this still represents a 9 percent decline from the prior year. Full-year sales are now expected to reach 415 billion yen, up 4 percent.

Zeon maintained its annual dividend forecast at 72 yen per share and said it is proceeding with a share buyback programme of up to 10 million shares or 10 billion yen for the current fiscal year.

The speciality materials business, which includes optical plastics, films and battery materials, generated operating income of 7.4 billion yen in the first quarter, jumping 40 percent year-on-year. Sales in the division fell 3 percent to 29.3 billion yen, partly due to timing differences at overseas affiliates related to the Chinese New Year.

Demand for battery materials remained steady, supported by China’s electric vehicle subsidy policies, whilst shipments to the United States energy storage systems market began during the quarter. The company said European EV sales showed signs of recovery, though inventory adjustments were prolonged.

In optical films, shipments increased due to expanded market share in large-sized televisions, whilst demand remained steady for tablet and smartphone applications.

The elastomer business posted operating income of 4.2 billion yen, up 12 percent from a year earlier, though sales were flat at 58.1 billion yen. The division was affected by weak overseas demand and lower selling prices caused by falling raw material costs.

Zeon also announced plans to sell a portion of its investment securities between August 2025 and March 2026, expecting to book a gain of approximately 10.9 billion yen to improve capital efficiency. The move is expected to reduce its cross-shareholdings ratio to around 11-12 percent of net assets by the end of the fiscal year.

The company said it had completed a reorganisation in June, transferring its chemicals business to the speciality materials division to accelerate decision-making and maximise profitability.

For the second half of the year, Zeon cautioned that optical film shipments are expected to decline due to panel production adjustments and seasonal mobile device demand. However, it described the adjustment as temporary with growth anticipated in fiscal 2026.

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Continental is redefining adventure riding for a new generation with the launch of the TKC 80², a complete re-imagining of its legendary TKC 80 tyre. After four decades, this isn't a simple update but a fundamental redesign crafted for today's powerful and heavy adventure motorcycles. It answers a clear call from riders who are increasingly drawn to uncharted paths, yet refuse to sacrifice performance on the journey there. The TKC 80² is engineered to be an uncompromising partner for this dual-purpose lifestyle.

Its performance begins with a cleverly engineered tread. The pattern uses larger, strategically shifted blocks that create more biting edges for superior grip in dirt, sand and gravel. This design also actively resists clogging, ensuring consistent performance where other tyres might pack up with mud. Stability is enhanced through a larger contact area, inspiring confidence whether carving a paved corner or navigating a rocky trail. The logic even extends to direction: the front tread is angled to dig in during braking, while the rear is designed in the opposite way to maximise acceleration traction without excessive digging.

Beneath the tread, a new carcass provides the backbone. It is specifically calibrated for a balanced 50/50 use, offering the robust stability needed for a loaded bike at high speeds or on demanding off-road sections while also improving ride comfort through optimised damping. An advanced rubber compound tackles the classic trade-off, delivering aggressive grip across diverse surfaces while also promising remarkable longevity and wear resistance. This is complemented by RainGrip technology, which instils confidence by maintaining secure handling when the weather turns cold and wet.

Built for epic journeys on every continent and backed by robust puncture protection, the TKC 80² is for those who ride without limits. To fit a broad spectrum of modern travel enduros from brands like BMW, KTM and Ducati, it will be produced in multiple sizes. With its distinct new sidewall icon, the Continental TKC 80² will be available at specialist retailers starting in Spring 2026.

Raphael Michels, Product Manager for Motorcycle Tires at Continental, said, “Our new flexible rubber compound adapts perfectly to the micro-roughness of the asphalt, providing excellent grip. At the same time, we’ve worked intensively to resolve the conflict between on- and off-road performance in the best possible way. The tyre tread combines maximum flexibility for safe wet grip with high block stiffness for stability and mechanical grip.”

Christoph Ettenhuber, Head of Business Field Motorcycle Tires at Continental, said, “With the TKC 80², we’re setting new standards in terms of versatility, robustness and off-road performance. The combination of innovative tread design, new rubber compound and optimised carcass offers adventure riders maximum safety, control and riding pleasure on a wide variety of terrains.”

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Bridgestone has confirmed a January 2026 launch for its new premium sports motorcycle tyre, the BATTLAX RACING STREET RS12, in North America. Developed under the concept ‘From Circuit to Street,’ this road-legal tyre is engineered to deliver the highest level of dry grip within the BATTLAX lineup by directly incorporating technologies refined in competitive racing.

The RS12 features a specialised compound derived from race tyre development, which works in concert with a newly designed tread pattern. This pattern’s optimised groove ratio enhances overall tyre rigidity and increases the contact area during cornering for superior grip. A significant innovation for the front tyre is the introduction of the HE-MS BELT structure, a technology previously reserved for top-tier global motorcycle races. This flexible belt system equalises contact pressure to provide a further boost in traction.

By integrating these endurance-racing technologies, the RS12 achieves comprehensive performance improvements on the circuit, with a primary focus on dry conditions. The result is a notable reduction in lap times compared to its predecessor, the RS11. Furthermore, the synergistic combination of its compound, pattern and structure ensures that the high grip level is consistently maintained over multiple laps, resisting performance degradation. This gives riders confidence and a more engaging experience across diverse riding scenarios, from aggressive sport riding on dry pavement to tackling winding roads and dedicated track days.

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 India's Rubber Board has donated floor cleaning equipment valued at Rs 10 lakh to Kottayam Medical College as part of the Central Government's cleanliness initiative.

The equipment, comprising a scrubber dryer floor cleaning machine and a vacuum cleaner, was handed over at a ceremony held at the medical college on Sunday.

M Vasanthagesan IRS, Executive Director of the Rubber Board, presented the equipment at a meeting presided over by V N Vasavan, Kerala's Minister for Co-operation, Ports and Devaswom.

The event, conducted under the Centre's 'Swachhata Action Plan', also recognised cleaning workers at the medical college.

Dr Varghese Punnoose, Principal of Kottayam Medical College, Dr T K Jayakumar, Superintendent of the institution, and Dr Binoi K Kurien, Secretary in-charge of the Rubber Board, addressed the gathering.

The Rubber Board, a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, oversees development and regulation of India's rubber industry.

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