Representatives from the primary tire manufacturing industry, academia, government, tire and vehicle interests will be speaking at Clemson University's 24th Annual Tire Industry Conference to be held March 12–14, 2008, at the Westin Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Tire experts will be offering 22 presentations focusing on current topics that will have profound effects on business and technology.
Following is a list of the speakers and some of their topics:
Donald Amos, manager, industrial standards and government regulations for Continental Tire North America Inc. Amos is registered as a Professional Engineer in Ohio and has been deeply involved in both consumer safety and highway safety. He will speak on "Tire inflation -- Consideration of gas partial pressures."
Harvey Brodsky, managing director of the Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). Brodsky is a well-known speaker and has written numerous articles concerning retreading. He has been a featured weekly guest on “The Open Road Café’” radio program. He is featured monthly on the Midnight Trucking Radio Network. He will speak on "What's new in retreading in the 21st century."
Roy Bromfield, CEO of Q Tires Inc. He is past CEO and president of TCI Tire Centers, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Michelin North America Inc. His topic will be "A tale of a knowledge economy in the land of tire giants."
Dr. Denis Byrne, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Akron where he taught for 25 years. He continues to be a frequent lecturer on the economics of the tire industry as well as to suppliers of the industry. His keynote speech will focus on "The state of the tire industry: Are happy days here to stay?"
Dr. Giuseppe Capplelazzo, managing director of Pelmar Engineering, Italy. He began his tire career as Heavy Duty Tire Development Manager at Bridgestone Technical Center in Rome, Italy. He also served as Vice President of R&D at Trellebory Wheel System in Rome, Italy prior to joining Pelmar Engineering. He will present "An examination of global demand, evolution and outlook for tire products."
Dr. Dov Derman, director of rubber materials and processes for Pelmar Engineering Ltd. of Italy. Previously, Dr. Derman led the engineering and development at Alliance Tire Co. He will present "Uneven steel cord distribution in all steel truck tires."
Anne Evans, district director for the International Trade Administration of the United States Department of Commerce. Evans is the former owner of Hebron, Conn.-based EER Ltd. and Tyres 2000 Ltd. She will present "Life cycle strategies for market-focused sustainable development."
Peggy Fisher, president of TireStamp Inc., a tire asset management solutions company. Fisher also is president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA). She will cover "A new way to track tires from cradle to grave."
William Hopkins, vice president, technology and strategic initiatives for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. He holds 27 patents for tire developments. Hopkins will discuss "Tire Technology 2020 -- tires for a mobile world."
Dr. Nader Jalili, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Clemson University and director of Clemson University’s Smart Structures and NEMS Laboratory. Jalili's topic is "Embedding piezoelectric-based actuators and sensors in 'smart tires.'"
Zhang Jianhao, general manager of Tianjin Saiziang Technology Co. Ltd in Tianjin, China. Additionally, he is vice president for the Tianjin Federation of Industry and Commerce. He will cover "Recent developments and the future outlook of tire machinery manufacturing from China's perspective."
Denise Kennedy, president of DK Enterprises, an organization which introduces prospective businesses for future alliances
and partnerships, sourcing rubber feedstock for clients, inventory and market assessment studies for the private and public sector, equipment selection, and development of multi-state customer and transportation databases and logistics planning. Kennedy will cover "Building the tire industry through market-driven alliances and partnerships."
Jerry Leyden, is president of Akron Rubber Development Laboratory Inc. He has extensive experience as a failure analyst and expert witness in tires and rubber products. His topic will be "Latest legal aspects of the tire industry."
Whitney Luckett, vice president of sales and marketing for RCMA Americas Inc. For the last 20 years, Luckett has been involved in the natural rubber commodities trade and her current position with one of the industry’s largest dealers allows her to analyze today’s conditions with a unique historical perspective. She will discuss "Natural rubber 101."
Michael McGrail, director of sales, America for Advanced ID Corporation. He has more than 20 years of experience developing creative marketing solutions for national brands competing in more than 45 product/service categories. McGrail will cover "RFID tags and tires... sales potential becoming a reality."
Tomo Mizutani, president of Nitto Tire North America Inc. He will talk about "Innovative marketing techniques using grassroots research."
Dr. Oliver Page, a research fellow at the Transportation Safety Analysis Division of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Currently, he is involved in the study of commercial truck and bus safety issues. Page will present a "Heavy truck tire debris study."
Jacob Peled, managing director and CEO of the Pelmar Group which deals primarily in tire and rubber machinery, engineering and design of production lines and/or complete plants.
Kevin Rohlwing, senior vice president of training for TIA and he serves as editor of TIA’s publication, Today’s Tire Industry. Rohlwing will present "The age of intelligent tires."
Donald Shea, president and CEO of the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). Shea led RMA’s lobbying effort on the TREAD Act. He will discuss "Current public policy challenges for the U.S. tire industry."
Hakan Tiftik, general manager of Kordsa Global. He will discuss the "Latest technology in tire cord manufacturing."
Guy Walenga, responsible for all commercial products for Bridgestone Firestone and Dayton replacement markets for OEMs and for the company’s Mileage Sales Leasing group. Walenga will speak on "Cooling fin technology for run-flat tires."
Michael Wichhusen, director of industry standards and government regulations at Michelin North America. He currently manages Michelin’s North American standards and product regulatory activity as well as international coordination of the same for Groupe Michelin. He will present "A case study for industry's involvement in regulatory matters."
For full speaker bios and to view the program or register on-line, go to www.clemson.edu/success or call Kay James at (864) 656-2200.
