Smithers expands its Suzhou, China tyre and wheel testing operation

Smithers has moved its tyre, wheel, and product testing operation in Suzhou, China into a larger 7,200 square meter building in the Xiangcheng district. As a result, the size of the product testing lab has increased by 90 per cent, with plans to invest in more testing equipment to further expand testing capabilities. In addition to laboratory space, the new building includes classrooms and conference rooms for on-site training and industry meetings.

As part of this expansion, Smithers also added a new slip angle and camber angle tyre durability machine to its Suzhou-based tyre and wheel testing laboratory. This new tyre durability testing machine is able to provide dynamic camber angle and dynamic slip angle control from -5 degrees to 5 degrees, expanding the lab’s test capabilities to meet the requirements of OEMs. The new equipment has a maximum speed of 350 kilometres or 217 miles per hour and a maximum testing load of 3000 kilograms or 6614 pounds. The tyre and wheel lab also expanded its IPLR chamber to accommodate truck and bus tyres in addition to passenger and light truck tyres.

“This new space offers a significant opportunity for us to increase our service portfolio in support of our clients in Asia. We are already working to determine the next steps of our plan to invest in additional testing capabilities,” said Derek Read, Vice President of Asia Operations, Materials Science and Engineering, Smithers. “Additionally, we look forward to hosting our industry partners and peers in our new onsite training and gathering annex in the future.”

Smithers established tyre and wheel testing operations in Suzhou in 2011 to serve its existing global clients and a growing market in Asia. Tyre testing capabilities include endurance and high-speed tyre testing, plunger/bead un-seat measurement, oven aged durability testing, rolling resistance testing, air permeation testing, government compliance, burst testing, footprint, and competitive benchmarking. Wheel testing capabilities include radial, rotary, impact, and corrosion.

The product testing laboratory in Suzhou was first opened in early 2019. Product testing capabilities include pressure, vibration, temperature, impulse, burst, leak, vacuum, fluid compatibility, fatigue, corrosion, and cleanliness.