Smithers Group adds capabilities to Chinese lab

Akron, Ohio —Smithers Group has announced a series of expanded capabilities at its Smithers Rapra Suzhou China testing laboratory.

The firm added four new testing capabilities — long-term oven ageing and endurance tire testing, radial and cornering fatigue testing of passenger car radial wheels, rolling resistance of truck and bus radial tires, and radial and cornering fatigue testing of truck and bus radial wheels.

The firm said with these new capabilities it is able to support the rolling resistance requirements of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No. 117 and the ISO 28580 specification commonly used for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay verification.

Both standards are critical to supporting the sale of tires to the US and European markets by Chinese tire manufacturers, the firm said.

“We’re executing our strategy to expand our expertise and capabilities for tire, rubber and polymer component testing in China,” Smithers Rapra President Jim Dowey said in a statement. “Our clients shared their needs, and we listened. The result is an increased scope of services that will help to support our clients’ current testing needs today and into the future.”

Smithers said the lab achieved ISO/IEC 17025 in 2013 and has been providing testing for a wide variety of specifications, including SAE, GMW, ASTM and ISO protocols to the Chinese market for several years.