Government acclaim for Yokohama inner liner development

Two Yokohama Rubber employees have been acknowledged by Japan’s government for their work on developing tyre inner liner technology. Yuichi Hara and Yoshiaki Hashimura, both research and development managers at Yokohama, received “Commendations for Science and Technology” from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science. The awards were given in the development category for developing a tyre inner liner that possesses a balance between the low air permeability of resin and the flexibility offered by rubber, thereby substantially reducing air leakage despite being only 20 per cent as thick as a conventional liner. The product developed by the pair and their research teams was released in 2009 under the name Advanced inner liner.