Published: 5/19/2015

Smithers, an independent global leader in delivering trusted testing, consulting, and information based solutions to a wide variety of industries, announced a series of expanded capabilities at its China testing laboratory during a recent client event.

The lab achieved ISO/IEC 17025 in 2013 and has been providing tire testing for a wide variety of specifications including SAE, GMW, ASTM and ISO protocols to the Chinese market for several years. Clients gained a first-hand look at the work performed by the Smithers team to support their growing needs for testing and support services.

“We’re executing our strategy to expand our expertise and capabilities for tire, rubber and polymer component testing in China,” said Jim Dowey, President, Smithers “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.”

The following new testing capabilities have been added to the Smithers Suzhou laboratory:

• Long-term oven aging and endurance tire testing
• Radial and cornering fatigue testing of Passenger Car Radial (PCR) wheels
• Rolling resistance of Truck & Bus Radial (TBR) tires
• Radial and cornering fatigue testing of Truck & Bus Radial (TBR) wheels

With these capabilities, Smithers is able to support the rolling resistance requirements of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Regulation No. 117 as well as the ISO 28580 specification that is commonly used for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay verification. Both standards are critical to supporting the sale of tires to the U.S. and European markets by Chinese tire manufacturers.

In addition to Smithers' testing capabilities, the client event showcased key management systems support services. 

“China’s role as the source of much of the world’s manufactured goods provides us with the opportunity to support our clients with services geared toward improving their processes and overall quality control,” stated Jeanette Preston, President, Smithers. “Having a knowledgeable, local team in China to assist manufacturers with their business growth initiatives has been a critical piece of Smithers’ plan for strategic growth.”

The Suzhou facility provides analysis, training and testing for a wide spectrum of products and a variety of industries, including tire and wheel, automotive, transport, consumer, pharmaceutical and medical, and industrial, such as construction, utilities and power generation.