Kobelco Stewart Bolling Inc. believes it has that technology. Because when it comes to rubber products - tire and non-tire alike - what goes into the mixer matters. And that means mixers matter, too.

"When you introduce new materials, new filler types and new chemicals, they are problematic to mix", KSBI Lab Manager Quentin Hartley told media. "The heart of any rubber business is in the quality of your compound. If you can make a quality compound, it will last longer than something that is thrown together".

"We have done a lot of development on our rotor designs to give the increase in quality that our customers need to make better products that are more sustainable. So we are assisting our customers in achieving their sustainability levels through our technology."

But don't just take Hartley's word for it. Let Kobelco prove it.

The company has invested $1.5 million to upgrade its 10,000 sq.ft. lab and testing space at the Hudson facility. The aim of the investment is to design a flexible testing area that can mimic the facilities of its customers as it features mixers, extruders and lab equipment.

"We have the opportunity here to test different rotor configurations, different speeds, different temperatures-to really to mimic the conditions of the modern tire plant", said Scott Anderson, KSBI's general manager for sales and marketing. "As (customers) make this change (to sustainability) that seems to be sweeping the industry toward new compounds, they want to test it. They want to come in and see that they can do this".

The newly expanded lab offers something else. It gives non-tire rubber product makers and custom mixers the chance to test what their own operations would look like with Kobelco in the mix.

"We are the Ferrari of the mixing industry and wanted to showcase what we can do", Anderson said. "If you want to drive that Ferrari, we can let you drive it and see all the fun stufft hat it can do".

As the industry evolves and transitions, particularly toward greater sustainability and circularity, new challenges arise in the custom mixing space.

"It sparked our customers to ask what else is available, to push the limits of stagnant thinking and push the limits a little bit", Anderson said.

And Kobelco fully intends to push the limits with them, Anderson said, adding that Kobelco has the kind of equipment that ensures consistent, quality compounds for tire and non-tire customers alike.

"I think (the new lab) will give the non-tire industry - the rubber mixers and the other piece of our business - the opportunity to really come in and put our equipment to the test with their compounds, which are totally different from tire compounds", Anderson said. "It's a whole other field of unique things".