DANVERS, Mass. — Maxam Tire plans to launch a premium tire line later this year that will offer reduced rolling resistance and increased tread life, thanks to new mixing technology being employed at the firm's tire plant in Vietnam.
The new liquid-phase process, dubbed EcoPoint3, provides superior distribution of ingredients during the mixing process, Maxam Tire said, producing compounds that contain less inert filler, higher ratios of stress at elongation and minimal proportions of impurities.
Danvers-based Maxam Tire, a business unit of China's Sailun Group, is coupling the new rubber compound with advanced automation at the two-year-old factory in Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam, yielding increased production volume, efficiency and consistency.
"After several years of research and development of high-performance rubber materials, the Eco-Visco-Elastomer-Composite, EcoPoint3 compound elevates the organization to a new level of global competitiveness," Troy Kline, president of Maxam Tire North America, said.
Maxam intends to launch the new resilient and cushion solids materials-handling models to in North America in the second quarter.
"The improvement on production efficiency and EcoPoint3 technological advancement is our commitment to be the trusted business solutions provider our customers deserve, proving that our factories are there for them," Jimmy McDonnell, vice president of sales and marketing, said.
"Customer satisfaction is the foundation of Maxam, that is why we continue to innovate in all aspects of our business. Building upon our strong relationship with dealers, this new factory was a critical addition to increase production efficiency and quality."
Maxam did not say how the new products would be priced compared with other similar tires.
Maxam described the new process as a proprietary liquid-phase mixing process, not using conventional mechanical methods
The company said the technology represents a breakthrough in green and low-carbon tire development, from the selection of raw materials, manufacturing, and product life cycle, while also reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions.