18th Tire Industry Conference held. (Meetings).

Clemson University will present its 18th Annual Tire Industry Conference February 26-28 at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Hilton Head, SC. The conference is geared toward the domestic and international tire industry, including suppliers and allied industries.

This 18th Annual Tire Industry Conference will focus on the ever-changing facets of the tire industry and the resultant consequences to the tire and automotive manufacturers and consumers.

The conference features 20 presentations delivered by experts in their respective fields. Participants will hear representatives from the primary tire manufacturing industry, academia, government, tire and vehicle interests, and tire industry publications. Current topics having profound effects on business and technology will be explored.

Attendees will learn what the experts have to say about the impact of financial markets and the economy on the tire industry, the new standards for light and commercial vehicle tires, and what the industry is doing to address tire safety issues and tire consumer concerns.

Additionally, participants will examine the status of several tire monitoring technologies, including the "Intelligent Tire" and RoadSnoop Pressure Watch, and discover the latest developments in runflat technology by major tire manufacturers.

In addition, attendees will hear what the future looks like for the trucking industry in 2003 and beyond, the state of the retread industry and its impact on the tire industry, and methods used by other countries to manage their scrap tires.

As with previous conferences, there will be ample opportunity to interact with other key members of the industry to receive updates on the latest business and technology strategies.

This comprehensive, interdisciplinary conference is designed to address developments throughout the field of tire design, research and manufacturing in all allied industries, whether directly or indirectly involved in tiremaking. The conference is said to be of interest to product designers and developers, fiber producers, industrial fabric weavers, product converters, quality control personnel, plant engineers, research and development personnel, marketing researchers, rubber compounders, industrial fabric users, chemical manufacturers, industrial suppliers, production managers, and scrap tire users and dealers.

Session I on Wednesday, February 26, will be moderated by Stanley E. Ross, consultant and tire industry conference chairman. The owning keynote address on "Financial markets and business cycles" will be presented by George Dagnino, chairman of Peter Dag & Associates. This presentation will examine the strong relationship that exists between financial markets and economic growth. Using these relationships and their impact on the tire industry, Dr. Dagnino will walk participants through his outlook for the equity market, interest rates, commodities, inflation and the economy.

Dennis M. Byrne, professor of economics at the University of Akron, will present "Problems and prospects for American tire companies: Goodyear and Cooper." The last remaining publicly owned tire companies have had a number of problems in recent years and their stock prices have fallen. In this session, attendees will analyze their problems and examine projections for future trends in sales and profits.

"The changing automotive industry: Some contrarian concerns" will be presented by Michael S. Flynn, director of the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation at the University of Michigan. The automotive industry is said to face a series of new challenges, some of them rooted in its changing market conditions, others in its continuing realignment of the activities and relationships between vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers. Attendees will explore how these market conditions are altering the manufacturing hierarchy, what risks competition poses for each of the Big Five manufacturers and how industry business models are changing in response to these challenges.

George J. Soodoo, division leader of the Office of Crash Avoidance Standards at the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will present "Overview of FMVSS 139--the new standard for light vehicle tires." Attendees will get a summary of the agency's final rule on the tire standards upgrade. Participants will focus on the major performance areas, including high speed, endurance and low-pressure tests.

Guy S. Edington, managing director of Kumho Technical Center, will present "Why Kumho races." While it is an undeniable truth that racing can improve tires, Kumho races for reasons other than pure technology development. In this session, attendees will get a balanced look at why Kumho races, what the company has learned and how it improves Kumho products.

Session II on Thursday, February 27, will be moderated by Clarence Hermann of Michelin North America.

"The evolution of the intelligent tire," will be presented by Robert Rudman, president and chief executive officer of SmarTire Systems. Participants will explore the development of the intelligent tire as it evolves from basic tire monitoring into full information provider.

"State-of-the-art tire monitoring technology" will be presented by Jukka Hakanen, research and development manager for Nokian Tyres plc/RoadSnoop. Attendees will examine the importance of tire monitoring and its implications for safety and economy. Participants will take a detailed look at state-of-the-art tire monitoring technology in the RoadSnoop Pressure Watch. Future tire monitoring technologies and their impact on the tire industry will also be explored.

Claude H. Harris, director, Office of Crash Avoidance Standards, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will present "An overview of the NHTSA activity, rulemaking on TPMS and commercial vehicle tires." Participants will gain an in-depth update on TPMS rulemaking in this session, and will find out what progress is being made in the reconsideration status (petitioning) for research in commercial vehicle tires.

"Aircept: A widebase truck tire runflat system concept," will be presented by Guy J. Walenga, engineer manager of commercial products for Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC. Aircept is a truck tire runflat system aimed at the extra-wide base tire user. This system uses a reinforced inner ring that will expand to full size in the event of a sudden air loss. The system will continue to support the load and allow the driver to maintain complete control of the vehicle while bringing it to a complete stop out of the way of other traffic. At the same time, a TPMS which is part of the Aircept system, warns the driver that he has experienced a sudden loss of air because the deployed Aircept may not allow the driver to feel any change in vehicle handling. Participants will examine this breakthrough concept thoroughly to see how it works and discover its future market viability.

Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, will present "Tire manufacturers and public safety." Participants will thoroughly explore tire safety issues before NHTSA, the U.S. Congress and the courts, and will find out how new legislation and pending court cases are shaping up to have a big impact on business.

Session III will be moderated by Raymond W. Evans, executive vice president, engineering, marketing and sales, for Titan Tire of Ohio.

R. David Pittle, senior vice president for technical policy at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, will present "Start with the consumer." This session will take a look at what consumers need from their tires. Participants will also explore Consumer Union's analysis of NHTSA's proposed tire safety standards and the tire-pressure monitor rule.

"The state of the retread industry in the U.S.: What's next" will be presented by William Sweatman, president and CEO of Marangoni Tread North America. The U.S. tread market is mature and no longer growing like it once was. This presentation will examine the future of this market, and its meaning to the tire industry. Sweatman will review the current market trends and recent changes. He will also examine the most relevant issues that will impact the future of the industry, some through the eyes of the consumer.

"Public sector retreading: The last frontier for retreaders in North America" will be presented by Harvey Brodsky, managing director of the Tire Retread Information Bureau. The retread industry in North America has done a good job convincing the trucking industry that retreads make economic sense. Practically no major trucking fleet would consider not using retreads because of their cost of savings. However, the public sector is another story. The U.S. federal government operates the world's largest fleet of vehicles, yet only a very small percentage of these vehicles use retreads. Brodsky will discuss how attendees can provide performance information to public sector fleets, and explore how pointing out benefits of using retreads, for cost and for the environment, creates knowledgeable consumers.

Michael Blumenthal, senior technical director of the Rubber Manufacturers Association, will present "A comparative analysis of global scrap tire management programs." The methods of managing scrap tires vary from country to country. In this session, participants will examine scrap tire management programs in the European community, Canada, Japan, Brazil and the United States. Attendees will focus on the legislative framework that shapes the programs and investigate the impact they have on the manner in which tires are ultimately managed.

"Tire recycling: The state of the industry" will be presented by Mary B. Sikora, president of the Recycling Research Institute. Tire recycling continues to be a dynamic and growing industry. In this presentation, Sikora will take a look at how and why the three major markets for scrap tires--fuel, civil engineering and crumb rubber--are expanding. Attendees will gain some insight into where the newest trends in recycled robber products are leading the industry.

Session IV on Friday, February 28, will be moderated by Marvin L. Janssen, manager of Tire Engineering Technology for Hankook Tire, Akron Technical Center.

David M. Dryden, manager of research and technology lot Cooper Tire & Rubber, will present "Managing technology projects: Lessons learned." The development and implementation of new technology, whether related to materials, products or processes, can pose numerous risks and challenges. Dryden will explore the critical issues Cooper Tire has wrestled and determine what lessons the company has learned related to project scope and planning, garnering and maintaining support, locating and managing resources, and developing and meeting the business plan.

"Road hazard assessment and modeling with application to PAX tires" will be presented by Cassandra Gentry-Grace and Steve Nicholson, performance engineers at Michelin Americas Research & Development. PAX is an extended mobility system that ensures vehicle operation after a tire has been deflated due to a road hazard. Road hazards are a threat to both tire and vehicle. Attendees will take a look at how the PAX assembly and vehicle suspension system behavior are quantified and modeled for strike-through.

Hideo Hara, division vice president, technical planning, Bridgestone/Firestone North America Tire, LLC, and Juergen Buschmann, manager of extended mobility systems for Continental AG, Business Unit OE, will present "Recent runflat technology based upon conventional wheels." The presenters will provide an overview of advanced Self Support Runflat Tires (SSR) and SupportRing Technology. Together, both systems, which are complementary with respect to tire size, offer a runflat solution based on conventional wheels for all vehicle applications.

"How a tire company supports the trucking industry" will be presented by Al Cohn, manager, strategic initiatives for Goodyear Tire and Rubber. Trucking fleets are in the business of hauling freight and wish to reduce time and money spent on their tire programs. With this in mind, attendees will examine the critical considerations and issues a company must be prepared to deal with to be successful supplying today's fleet.

"The road ahead for the trucking industry" will be presented by Avery Vise, editorial director of Commercial Carrier Journal. Alter a substantial boom in the late 1990s, the trucking industry has seen little but upheaval and misery during the past three years. The prospects for 2003 and beyond will be examined. In this session, attendees will analyze the latest research, industry trends and economic data to suggest who might be the winners and losers in the mouths ahead.

Registration for Clemson University's 18th Annual Tire Industry Conference costs $995. Further information is available from Kay James [phone].