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ITEC 2000 Opens Biennial Three-Day Session

11 September 2000

ITEC 2000, The International Tire Exhibition and Conference, Opens Biennial Three-Day Session Tuesday in Akron for 2,500 People from Tire Manufacturers from 25 Countries

    AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 8 An international three-day forum that
will focus on the technology, manufacturing and day-to-day business of running
the $70 billion global tire industry begins Tuesday in Akron, Ohio, the
birthplace of the U.S. tire industry.  It is the only U.S.-based event of its
kind.
    Called ITEC 2000, the International Tire Exhibition and Conference, it
will attract an estimated 2,500 delegates, exhibitors and presenters from at
least 25 different countries. More than 80 technical papers will be presented.
It is widely considered the industry's most comprehensive event for exchanging
substantive ideas and information. ITEC 2000 is the fourth biennial conference
that Rubber & Plastics News, a Crain Communications Inc. publication,
sponsors.
    "This year's event takes place under a cloud of uncertainty, generated by
the storm of publicity surrounding Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.'s voluntary
recall of millions of Firestone-brand light truck tires implicated as a cause
in hundreds of traffic accidents," said Robert Simmons, ITEC Executive
Director and publisher of Rubber & Plastics News. Simmons said that "even
though the on-going government investigation of the accidents focuses only on
Bridgestone/Firestone, the entire industry has come under scrutiny."
    Yet prior to the current recall, he said, it had been 20 years since a
safety-related issue of this magnitude had surfaced.
    "In that time, U.S. tire companies produced and sold some 5 billion tires,
with relatively few failures to report, despite consumers' nearly total
disregard for their tires," Simmons said.  "No manufactured product is immune
to failure -- and we in no way want to downplay the seriousness of the current
investigation and the injuries and deaths connected with it -- but the tire
industry's track record over time is commendable."
    Simmons said this year's event will enable delegates and visitors to
"expand their knowledge base and to continue to improve their craft."
    On Sept. 13, the first-ever ITEC Trilogy Awards will be presented.  Each
will recognize significant product, process and testing advancements made in
the 20th Century.
    ITEC 2000 will take place Sept. 12 - Sept. 14 at the John S. Knight
Center, Akron.