The IRC 2016 Kitakyushu "Rubber & Elastomer Technical Exhibition" (Sponsor: The Society of Rubber Science and Technology, Japan) is a world-class trade show for the rubber and elastomer industry, where various companies and organizations involved in rubber/elastomer raw materials, finished products, manufacturing, processing equipment, testing instruments and so forth show off their latest cutting-edge technologies. This year's "Rubber & Elastomer Technical Exhibition" is being held in Japan for the first time since 2005 and for the fifth time ever.
In striving to answer the question, "What can tires contribute to the global environment?" as one of the goals of our "VISION 2020" Long-Term Vision, the Sumitomo Rubber Group has been actively engaged in the development of environmentally friendly products with a focus on three key areas: "Fuel Efficiency," "Raw Materials" and "Resource Savings." In our booth at this year's exhibition, we will introduce the various cutting-edge technologies and advanced R&D that go into our product development through easy-to-understand displays divided into three display zones: (1) New Materials Development Technology, (2) Utilization of Natural Resources and (3) Utilization of Applied Technologies.

[Display Booth Contents]
1) New Materials Development Technology
Our "ADVANCED 4D NANO DESIGN" New Materials Development Technology enables us to achieve significant improvements in the three key contrary performance traits of tires-Fuel Efficiency, Grip and Wear performance-thanks to the combined use of the "SPring-8^*1" large-scale synchrotron radiation facility, the "J-PARC^*2" Proton Accelerator and Experimental Facility and the "K computer^*3" supercomputer in order to perform advanced simulations that accurately recreate the structures and behaviors of rubber materials at the molecular scale. This display includes an overview introducing "ADVANCED 4D NANO DESIGN" as well as some of the cutting-edge technologies that we have developed using this breakthrough New Materials Development Technology.
*1 SPring-8 is the most powerful synchrotron radiation facility in the world. (Location: Sayo, Hyogo, Japan)
*2 J-PARC is a proton accelerator and experimental facility used for cutting-edge research. (Location: Tokai, Ibaraki, Japan)
*3 The K computer is one of the world's most powerful supercomputers. (Location: Kobe, Hyogo, Japan)

2) Utilization of Natural Resources
This display introduces products and R&D that have made full use of our cutting-edge biomass technology, including "ENASAVE 100," the world's first^*4 100% fossil resource-free tire made from all-natural resources without using any coal, petroleum or other fossil resources; and "WINTER MAXX 02," winter tires that maintain outstanding on-ice performance over the long run thanks to the incorporation of our "Suppleness Additive," a high-performance biomass material that impedes the hardening of tire rubber over time. Also on display is an overview of the research that we have been conducting on "Russian Dandelions" toward finding practical applications for this potential new source of natural rubber.
*4 Since the use of synthetic rubber became the industry standard (based on Sumitomo Rubber Industries' own in-house research).

3) Utilization of Applied Technologies
This display introduces our tire technologies that contribute to improved safety as well as resource and energy savings by eliminating the need for spare tires. These include our "GYROBLADE" airless tire technology, which makes tires immune to punctures by eliminating the need for inflation; our "CORESEAL" sealant tire technology, which prevents air leakage when the tire tread section^*5 is damaged; and our runflat tire^*6 technology, which can continue running at a certain speed over a certain distance even when internal air pressure has reached zero. This display also introduces our "MIRAIE" seismic control units for housing, which can absorb up to 70%^*7 of an earthquake's vibrational energy thanks to "High-Damping Rubber," which efficiently converts kinetic energy into heat energy. Also on display are medical rubber parts that take full advantage of our advanced polymer and rubber processing technologies.
*5 The tread is the part of a tire that is in direct contact with the road.
*6 Based on ISO Standards, a runflat tire is defined as a tire that is capable of running continuously under experimental conditions at a speed of 80km/h for a distance of 80km when internal air pressure is zero.
*7 Results of shaking table test. Actual performance may vary depending on building shape, layout plan or type of seismic waves.