Versalis, Bridgestone co-developing elastomers for high-performance tires

Milan, Italy – Versalis AG and Bridgestone Europe Middle East India and Africa (EMIA) have joined forces to co-develop synthetic rubber with advanced properties for high-performance tires, the Italian materials supplier announced 29 March.

The two sides signed a joint development agreement for the research, production and supply of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) for the manufacture of 'differentiated' tires.

As part of the project, the R&D divisions of both organisations will collaborate, using an “open innovation model”, to develop technologies and new elastomer grades.

Versalis will leverage the expertise of its research centers in Ravenna and Ferrara, Italy, while Bridgestone will use its European technical center near Rome.

“This agreement combines our technological knowledge with that of Bridgestone… to accelerate the development of grades and applications in tires improving their performance, starting from raw material,” said Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis.

According to Alfani, the two sides will explore “supply chain synergies” in a “high-value technical and commercial collaboration”.

“At Bridgestone, we know that ground-breaking innovation and sustainable mobility can’t be achieved without collaboration,” commented Emilio Tiberio, COO and CTO of Bridgestone EMIA.

“We are pleased to strengthen our existing partnership with Versalis and believe that the technology we co-create will be a differentiator for our future products,” he added.