IRC 2005 held in The Netherlands.

IRC 2005, the North European International Rubber Conference, focusing on "Creating value throughout the supply chain," will be held June 7-9 at the MECC Maastricht in The Netherlands. IRC 2005 is organized by IOM Communications Ltd.

Keynote addresses will be presented on the following: "Outlook and trends for the rubber industry in Europe," F. Cinaralp, BLIC European Association of the Rubber Industry, Belgium; "EPDM industry on the move," B. van Kooten, DSM Elastomers; "Silica and silane in the tire industry: A business case," M. Daniel, Manufacture Francaise des Pneumatiques Michelin, France; "The repositioning and development of an industrial group," F. Arp, Trelleborg AB, Sweden; and "Quantities and values of natural and synthetic rubber--what can we expect?" H. Smit, International Rubber Study Group, U.K.

Session la on "Value creation between raw materials and end users," will be chaired by J. Guenter, Lanxess Deutschland GmbH, Germany. Presentations will include the following: "Value creation between raw materials suppliers, system manufacturers and OEMs," A. Hill, Meteor Gummiwerke, Germany; "Stanyl: The cost down metal replacement alternative for metal-to-rubber applications facing high temperatures," P. Habets, DSM Engineering Plastics, The Netherlands; "Customer value first," H. Fehrecke, Freudenberg Seals & Vibration Control, Germany; and "Profitability through the supply chain," D. Shaw, European Rubber Journal, U.K.

Session 1b on "Legislation/environment," will be chaired by F. Cinaralp, BLIC European Association of the Rubber Industry, Belgium. Presentations will include: "REACH--a major challenge ahead of the European rubber industry," J. Leenaers, BLIC European Association of the Rubber Industry, Belgium; "EMAS--relevance to the rubber industry," P. Hamon, European Commission--DG Environment, Belgium; "European ELV directive--a rubber perspective," H. Hirsch, WDK, Germany; "End of life tires management: Update," J. Dorken, British Rubber Manufacturers Association, U.K.; "Reducing zinc in rubber compounds," A. Chapman, Tun Abdul Razak Research Center, U.K.; and "Naphthenic plasticizers, an environmentally conscious alternative to aromatic extracts," A. Neaum and M. Joona, Nynas Nathphenics AB, Sweden.

Session 2a on "TPEs," will be chaired by B. Statham, The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, U.K. Presentations will include the following: "The 21st Century value chain--solutions in action," U. Nilsson, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, Belgium; "Peroxide cured ethylene-propylene-diene/polypropylene (EPDM/PP) thermoplastic vulcanizates: Investigation of the effects of different acrylates as co-agents in dynamically crosslinked blends," R.F. de Risi, J.W.M. Noordermeer, Dutch Polymer Institute and University of Twente, The Netherlands; "New highly-crosslinked TPEs based on VNBEPDM with improved compression set," M.D. Ellul, Advanced Elastomer Systems, L.P;, and P.S. Ravishankar, ExxonMobil Chemical; "EPDM-based thermoplastic vulcanizates: Overview, crosslinking chemistry and dynamic vulcanization along the extruder axis," M. van Duin, DSM Research, The Netherlands; "New thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) with improved processability for injection molding applications," H. Lardinoye, J.T. Fernhout, Y. Wang, H. Cai and R. Brzoskowski, DSM Thermoplastic Elastomers BV, The Netherlands; and "150[degrees]C capable TPVs for demanding polyamide and polyester overmolding," J. Dickerhoof, Zeon Europe GmbH, Germany, and B. Carl and C. Smith, Zeon Chemicals LP.

Session 2b on "Latex IV," will be chaired by J. van't Klooster, Polimeri, Belgium. Presentations will include the following: "An overview of rubber latices," P. Jumpasut, International Rubber Study Group, U.K.; "Compounding latices to meet performance and cost requirements," D. Hill, SSL International plc, U.K.; "Vita Talalay latex--the best foam for mattresses," A. Teeuwen, Radium Foam BV, The Netherlands; "Novel accelerators for synthetic polyisoprene and carboxylated nitrile latices," K.B. Chakraborty and R. Couchman, Robinson Brothers Ltd., U.K.; "Masterbatches: A cost-effective delivery system for latex compounding raw materials," J. Finn, Akron Dispersions; and "Fire resistance and natural rubber latex foam," J. Havinga, TNO Industry Information Center for Natural Rubber, The Netherlands.

Session 2c on "Cost reduction by processing," will be chaired by A. Limper, ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik, Germany. Presentations will include the following: "What a new development machine supplier offer means for the increase of productivity," A. Limper, Thyssenkrupp Elastomertechnik, Germany; "Better utilization of a mixing line by application of technological improvements," G. Nijman, Vredestein Banden BV, The Netherlands: "Better economics by new drive systems," U. Sundelin, Hagglunds Drives AB, Sweden; "Fast roughness particle scan at microscope scales to ensure cost savings in the mixing plant," J. Philipps, Pixargus GmbH, Germany; "Comparison of rubber injection unit designs and their impact on quality, cure/cycle time and process cost," M. Arning, LWB Steinl GmbH, Germany; and "One-component bonding agents--technology for anti-vibration automotive parts production," A. Benarous, Chemical Innovations Ltd.

Session 3a on "TPEs," will be chaired by B. Stathan, The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, U.K. Presentations will include the following: "Recovery and fatigue properties of NRTPV," S. Cook, J. Patel and A.J. Tinker, Tun Abdul Razak Research Center, U.K.; "Effect of morphology on elastic properties of segmented block copolymers," R.J. Gaymans and M. van der Schuur, University of Twente, The Netherlands; and "Chemical modification of new thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers," N.K. Singa and S. Biswas, Indian Institute of Technology, India.

Session 3b on "Modeling for cost reduction," will be chaired by K. Fuller, Tun Abdul Razak Research Center, MRPRA, U.K. Presentations will include the following: "Optimizing design by predicting crack growth phenomena using FEA techniques," J. Busfield, Queen Mary University of London, U.K.; "A methodology to predict age-related mechanical properties and performance changes in seals," A. Achenbach, Parker Hannifin GmbH, Germany; "Initiation of failure in rubber close to bondlines," J. Gough and A.H. Muhr, Tun Abdul Razak Research Center, U.K.; and "The use of advanced non-linear analysis tools in the design office: Recent developments for the rubber industry," A. Ramsey, MSC Software Ltd., U.K.

Session 3c on "Cost reduction by processing," will be chaired by A. Limper, ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik, Germany. Presentations will include the following: "Additive preparations support the rubber compounding process," J. Stehr, Lehmann & Voss, Germany; "Reducing the cost of rubber molding--the benefits of semi-permanent mold release agents," T. Mergenhagen, Schill & Seilacher Struktol AG, Germany; "Epoxidized palm oil, the new ecosystem friendly alternative to plasticizers," M. Wolers, Performance Additives Sdn Mhd, Malaysia; and "Study of rheological properties of rubber/carbon black compounds during the incorporation stage in internal mixers: A mixing dependent approach," S. Ravati, H. Ghoreishy, G. Bachshandeh and F.A. Souraki, Iran Polymer & Petrochemical Institute, Iran.

Sessions 4 and 5 of IRC 2005 will be featured in next month's meetings section. Further information is available from Eileen Ellis, tel.: [phone]; [e-mail].