Plenary Speakers Info

Prof Yuko Ikeda hails from Kyoto, Japan is attached to the Faculty of Molecular Chemistry and Engineering, Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) where she is also the Director of the Center for Rubber Science and Technology. She reached her notable career landmark in 1995 when she was appointed as a professor at KIT, after obtaining her Doctorate Degree in Engineering from Kyoto University (1994). She was also the recipient of the international 29th Oenslager Award in 2014. Prof Ikeda’s R&D work focuses on rubber and elastomer science and technology. Her current research topics are fundamental studies on sulphur cross-linking and reinforcement of rubbers by using new analytical methods. Characterization of natural rubbers is also studied by using synchrotron X-ray analyses. Her expertise and active R&D work in manifested in more than 66 publications in high-impact journals, the latest being in reinforcing biofiller “lignin” for high- performance green NR nanocomposites in RSC Advances.

Prof Yuko Ikeda is expected to give a critical review, including new insights, of the mechanism of sulphur crosslinking.

``Prospective insights into vulcanization and reinforcement of rubber: Looking forward to the next century``

The chemistry of sulfur cross-linking and the reinforcement by filler are the two most important issues governing the vulcanizate properties of rubber. Even though various and lots of studies have been carried out to gain better understanding of the two, the findings are yet to enlighten rubber industry practitioners as well as rubber researchers. This keynote address will provide them with a modern insight on the two, which is effective in this century.

Prof Ahmad Fauzi Ismail is attached to the Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He is currently the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation, UTM. His R&D work is centred on the development of polymeric, inorganic and novel mixed matrix membranes for water desalination, wastewater treatment, gas separation processes, a membrane for palm oil refining, a photocatalytic membrane for removal of emerging contaminants, development of haemodialysis membrane and polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cell applications. He obtained his PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering in 1997 from the University of Strathclyde (UK) and has published more than 500 journal articles, authored six books, 45 book chapters, edited four books, four patents granted and 16 pending. Prof Fauzi won more than 120 national and international awards: the most prestigious is the Merdeka Award in 2014. He is involved extensively in R&D&C for national and multi-national companies related to membrane-based processes for industrial application and currently, has two spin-off companies.

Prof Ahmad Fauzi Ismail will speak on purification of waste water using membrane purification technology . The rubber industry , upstream as well as downstream (latex products), are heavy users of water. Prof. Fauzi has developed a working model to recover waste water for re-use.

Sustainable Water Management for the Rubber Industry - A.F. Ismail, D. Veerasamy and J. Jaafar
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, University Technology of Malaysia, Skudai Johore, Malaysia & Suraaj Mahir Consultancy, Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia

Escalation of operating cost in processing and products manufacturing in the NR industry contributed by increased water tariff and the frequently interrupted supply of processing water, are resolved via treated wastewater recycling. In this Keynote Address the successful formula is the utilization of membrane separation process as the tertiary polishing process, which enables recycling of the treated wastewater. Attaining sustainability in water management in the rubber industry is discussed. The highlight is the reduction of 30% in the operating cost shown in a recent case-study done in a latex products manufacturing factory utilizing this technology.

Mr Denis Low Jau Foo, an MBA graduate from the Preston University, USA also holds a Graduate Diploma in Management from the International Professional Managers Association, London. He is currently handling the Corporate Affairs of Supermax Corporation Berhad (a world-class international manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of high-quality medical gloves) and since he has a passion for sales and marketing, he is also actively involved in it and is a Director of the Group. In line with the glove business, Denis Low is also the President of the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA). He is also a Board Member of the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB/LGM) and a trustee of the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC). He is a well-known strategist and is regularly inducted into many think-tank sessions for the Malaysian government and numerous institutions.

Malaysia is the world leading producer and exporter of natural rubber (latex) and synthetic rubber gloves. Mr. Low is expected to talk about the challenges facing the glove industry and opportunities for continued growth, not just of the glove industry but also of the broader Malaysian rubber products manufacturing sector.

Dr. Alan Muhr graduated in mathematics at the University of Cambridge in 1975 and went on to do a PhD and post-doctoral research at the University of Nottingham on polysaccharides.

He was recruited in 1983 by the Malaysian Rubber Producers’ Research Association (now TARRC) to work with Prof Alan Thomas on abrasion of rubber and its relationship to crack-growth characteristics, but involving also stress-strain behaviour, ageing, friction and lubrication, and the effects of rate and temperature on all of these.

Later he worked on the design principles of rubber engineering components, especially load-deflection behaviour and failure.

He became Leader of the Engineering Research & Design Unit at TARRC in 1999. Laminated rubber isolators, marine fenders, automotive mounts and bushings and structural energy dissipation systems have all featured in his research and publications on applications of rubber in engineering.

He co-founded the biennial European Conferences on Constitutive Models for Rubber.

He received the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society in 2015 - the most prestigious award available to a rubber professional.

He has published papers on a wide range of rubber engineering and applications topics

Dr. Alan Muhr will speak on “Rubber-to-metal bonded components: attributes and challenges” - The failure of rubber products in service and methods to prolong the service life of same.

Dr. Truscott is President of Truscott MedSci Associates, an independent consulting and education advancement company. Her doctorate in Comparative Pathology is from the University of California, School of Medicine, emphasizing Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology. Her employment history includes Kimberly-Clark, SafeSkin Corporation, Baxter, and MIDECO, a medical device-testing laboratory. She has authored or co-authored over 90 articles and 6 book chapters including the microbiology section of the AAMI Sterilization Recommended Practices, the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 19930 on systemic toxicity testing, several ASTM 11.40 glove standards, and the Microbiology section of the recently published, IAHCSMM Endoscope Reprocessing Manual. Dr. Truscott is a prominent advocate for infection prevention and safety in healthcare.

``Gloves as Weapons of War in the Fight against Untreatable Infections``

When your daughter has a sore throat and high fever, you take her to the doctor or clinic where antibiotics would be prescribed. You are told she will be rapidly on the road to recovery. When your son trips and falls onto a stone during a neighborhood soccer match, you clean the wound add, antiseptic, and cover it with a bandage. If it starts to show signs of infection, you take him to the doctor or clinic for an antibiotic. When Grandfather acquires pneumonia, his physicians are quick to provide antibiotics in efforts to save his life.

Over the last 8 decades, we have grown to accept antibiotics as “magic bullets” against infection as fundamental components of medical treatment. Unfortunately, that is not going to continue to be the case.
This lecture will focus the current state of antibiotic resistance, our vulnerable aging population, their impact on infection rates and severity, how this affects near-future glove demands and the urgent need for infection prevention solutions.