Dr Stuart Cook presents paper at ARC 2009

TARRC’s Dr Stuart Cook presented a paper at the 5th ASEAN Rubber Conference (ARC 2009) in Vientiane, Laos in June. The conference was held between 18th - 20th June at the Don Chan Palace, the first international five star hotel in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. The theme of this year's conference was "Technology, innovation and market driven strategies: Keys to the global development of the natural rubber industry", taking heed of the current economic scenario during these challenging times.

Dr Cook's paper was titled "Epoxidized natural rubber: A new rubber with technical and commercial advantages impacting the tyre manufacturing industry" and was presented on Saturday 20th June 2009. Dr Cook is currently leading work on the development of tyre tread compounds based on Epoxidised Natural Rubber (ENR or Ekoprena™) with the aim of reducing rolling resistance and improving wet grip.

The conference was organised by NextView and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Laos. The conference and exhibition helps support the growth of the global rubber industry by delivering objective and accurate information to the rubber community giving them an opportunity to discuss commercial prospects. Rubber is an integral part of the foundation of most economies in this region. It is due to this importance that new strategies are imperative for the industry to maintain competitiveness and further contribute towards its economic value.

If you require more information on Dr Cook's paper please contact scook@tarrc.co.uk.

For more information on the ARC 2009 visit their official website.