Smithers Rapra to host webinar on evaluating tire quality

AKRON (April 28, 2014) — Smithers Group's Smithers Rapra unit will host a webinar titled “Qualifying Tires with Confidence: Methods to Evaluate Quality” on April 30 at 11 a.m. EST.

Smithers said the webinar will be presented by Bruce Lambillotte, general manager and senior technical consultant, and George Gillespie, president of Gillespie Automotive Safety Services. It will provide information and tools to assist in the tire qualification process for companies importing tires for sale in the U.S. market or purchasing tires for OE use, Smithers said.

The number of tires being imported into the U.S. has steadily increased, as have the number of tire designs and features. Topics covered include: U.S. regulatory requirements, whole tire qualification testing and benchmarking as well as specification by analysis.

Those interested in participating in the webinar can register by clicking here.

Mr. Lambillotte oversees analytical and physical properties testing at the Smithers Rapra laboratories in Akron. He is responsible for product and process-specific technical reviews involving rubber and polymer products with a specialization in tires.

Mr. Lambillotte joined Smithers Rapra in 1995 and has worked in the rubber industry for more than 41 years, including 20 years at Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C.

Mr. Gillespie retired as a federal employee after 40 years of automotive and aviation safety expertise. With the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, he served as the safety compliance engineer for new automotive tires from 2001 to 2013.

Previously, with the U.S. Navy, Mr. Gillespie served as an R&D engineer and program manager for the RDT&T and life cycle responsibilities of man-mounted safety and survival equipment. He also managed the Navy's HYGE Horizontal Accelerator and founded Gillespie Automotive Safety Systems (GASS).