KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama) -- On Wednesday 18^th July 2018 the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) the UK research and promotion centre of the Malaysian Rubber Board, held a ‘Gateway to the Malaysian Rubber Industry Open Day’ to celebrate its 80th Anniversary at its laboratories at Brickendonbury, Hertford.
 
Eight Malaysian manufacturers met over 100 guests from the global rubber industry, including rubber scientists, technologists, academics and industrialists from across Europe, North America and Australia. The day provided a great platform for buyers/importers/distributors of rubber-based products and materials to meet face-to-face with Malaysian manufacturers in the UK and discuss topics of mutual interest.
 
TARRC has been a key player in raising the profile of the Malaysian rubber industry globally in many diverse sectors such as civil engineering, automotive, healthcare and bioscience.  TARRC is renowned as an innovative and collaborative research organisation and scientists continue to be recognised for excellence in their respective fields.
 
Founded in 1938, TARRC’s mission is to enhance the competitiveness and viability of the Malaysian rubber industries in the global environment through focused R&D, effective transfer of technology and quality support services. TARRC’s scientific and engineering excellence is focussed towards the advancement of the Malaysian rubber industry through compounding and processing, materials and product development, engineering design, evaluation and testing and production technology. TARRC’s participation in international exhibitions, seminars and conferences promotes Malaysian manufacturers as leading worldwide suppliers of rubber products and materials.

TARRC has also been providing services to the global rubber industry through its independent commercial arm, Rubber Consultants. The consultancy has established a unique portfolio of in-house services available for the elastomer and polymer industries as well as suppliers to these businesses. It has a global customer base with clients from the tyre, automotive, aerospace, railway, oil & gas, medical & healthcare, pharmaceutical, packaging and the construction sectors.  
 
TARRC’s expertise in base isolation technology has led to several contracts to support in earthquake prone regions. In the 1950s, TARRC helped pioneer the development of laminated rubber bearings technology for the isolation of buildings and other structures against vibrations and thermal expansion. This technology was extended to the protection against earthquakes with the first ever use of high damping natural rubber (HDNR) base isolation bearings for the San Bernardino Law and Justice Centre in 1984. Globally today, there are over 20,000 buildings and other structures fitted with bearings to provide seismic protection.
 
In collaboration with colleagues from the Malaysian Rubber Board, TARRC engineers were successful in designing the seismic rubber bearings for the Second Penang bridge project in Malaysia. This resulted in a large contract for a Malaysian company to manufacture over 2,100 natural rubber and steel bearings for the bridge, which was opened on 1st March 2014.
 
A new seismic test facility project is nearing completion at TARRC which will assist Malaysian bearing manufacturers to obtain essential CE marking and certification for the European and other markets.
 
TARRC has built excellent relationships with the Malaysian industry through industrial support services, factory improvement programme and technical marketing and promotional activities and very positive feedback has been achieved from manufacturers which have benefited from this assistance. TARRC will continue to facilitate companies to develop and sell products into the Western markets, through awareness of market conditions, technical help with standards and specific training. It works alongside MRB in line with the National Strategy, under the Ministry of Primary Industries.
 
The Government will continue to support TARRC in the development of new ways to use natural rubber (dry rubber and latex) to meet current and future industry demand. Ideas already in the pipeline include automation and other technologies, opportunities with electric vehicles, safety and health and engineering applications.
 
Whether these are materials based on natural rubber (NR), modified forms of NR, or combinations of NR and other elastomers, they will involve improvements in sustainability of materials and products. It will involve working within the MRB structure to enable the MRI to take advantage of the opportunities for sustainable ‘green’ materials and technologies, for application in tyres and other rubber products.
 
TARRC is uniquely placed to support and promote the industry in Malaysia as the global centre for rubber. The research centre’s world-class research, high skilled staff and state of the art facilities will ensure that research excellence will continue to provide a competitive advantage for Malaysia.  

TARRC also works closely with the Malaysian High Commission and Trade Commission in London to organise the annual Malaysian Carnival Day to celebrate Merdeka day which takes place in the grounds of the Brickendonbury Estate. Over 2000 visitors each year are welcomed. This year’s carnival is planned to take place on Saturday 22nd September.
 
SOURCE : Ministry of Primary Industries 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : SITI HAJAR ZULKEFLE
Ministry of Primary Industries 
Tel : 03 - 8880 3381
Fax : 03 - 8887 8205

--BERNAMA