Tire Testing Facility
At Laredo, Texas, we are now operating the most modern tire proving ground in the industry. On its four-lane, five-mile circular track, tires can be tested at speeds up to 140 miles an hour, and eventually at 200 miles an hour. Other courses and tracks at Laredo are designed for testing and evaluating farm and off-the-road tires, tire cords and carcasses, and skid resistance characteristics. A two-mile course constructed of gravel has been built for determining how well tires can withstand chipping and cutting, and how treads can be designed that will not pick up stones in the grooves. There is an additional two-mile unpaved road for off-highway testing.
Improved Textiles
At Winnsboro, S. C. a new unit is now in operation that produces an improved nylon cord for tires by a hot-stretch process, and construction is now underway on a new plant to produce our newly-developed piece-dyeable polypropylene fiber for use in carpets, upholstery and other consumer products. In Gastonia, N.C., we are now operating a new plant producing Yvrone, our new stretchable spandex fiber. In Winnsboro, we are also building a new research and sales headquarters for our Textile and fibers division.
Chemicals and Tires in Japan
U.S. Rubber has formed a joint company with Sumitomo Chemical Company, Ltd. to turn out synthetic plastic and rubber polymers. Also in Japan, we have made a substantial investment in a tire plant to provide a production base for our tires in the Far East.
Three Canadian Projects
In western Canada we have completed a new plant to produce a variety of chemicals. In Montreal, we are erecting a reclaimed rubber plant which will have an annual capacity of 25 million pounds, enough to meet the needs of the Canadian market for this product. In Ontario, we will build a plant to supply nylon and rayon tire cord for our Canadian tire plant. In Canada, where we are the leading manufacturer of tires, we continue to expand and modernize our facilities.