ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY/AUGUST 2025 29 the testing of electric vehicles and their battery systems. Another notable expansion came when the Printing Industries Research Association (PIRA) joined the Smithers family. One of PIRA’s assets was the Lansmont Testing Services Group, which had a facility in Lansing, Michigan. This expansion allowed for the addition of the package and distribution testing business, which validates various packaging systems to withstand the supply chain. Today, the legacy of PIRA lives on as part of the packaging, distribution and materials testing, and information services provided by both the Smithers Materials Science and Engineering Division and the Smithers Information Division. LIFE SCIENCE TESTING Smithers entered life sciences in 2002 when it acquired Springborn Laboratories, which had environmental toxicology labs in Wareham, Massachusetts; Snow Camp, North Carolina; and Horn, Switzerland. This acquisition was the first entry into the segment provided a good balance for Dunlap’s mechanical engineering degree. Making use of both of their backgrounds, the company offered consultative and marketing expertise together with the technical expertise that continued to develop at Smithers Laboratories. Smithers Scientific Services also entered several new fields including microscopy, plastic testing and analysis, and product development. The diversification Vernon Smithers had begun in the late 1920s and 1930s was taking off in ways he could not have imagined at the start. RADIAL TIRES By 1975, American tire manufacturers were keenly aware of how radial tires had taken over the European market. At that time there were three main categories of tires consumers could purchase in the U.S. Bias ply was the “old reliable.” In this type of tire, rubber and fabric are wrapped at about 35° to the point of travel. Radial tires used rubber and fabric, but the wrapping was executed at a perpendicular angle, and steel bands were used to secure the tire together. The third type of tire was called bias belted. It was created by Goodyear in 1967 as an attempt to combine the best of the bias ply and radial tires. Radial tires ended up winning the race in the U.S. just as it had in Europe. This created stress for American manufacturers, to try to catch up. Additionally, radial tires lasted longer than bias ply tires. This was good news for consumers but bad news for the automotive industry, which had grown accustomed to regular tire retreading and tire replacement. Yet Smithers continued as a leader in tire testing. EVOLVING AND GROWING In the 1970s, Smithers Scientific was expanding beyond tires. The company was asked to test many materials for flammability resistance. It expanded its microscopy capabilities and began testing and conducting chemical analysis of polymer-based products, including thermoplastic and thermosetting resins. These additional services laid the foundation for Smithers to enter new industries such as medical device testing in the years to come. The most notable changes occurred with the first acquisition in Smithers history. On December 26, 1975, Smithers Scientific Services acquired Compliance Testing Inc. (CTI). The Ravenna, Ohio company had a testing ground in San Angelo, Texas, and one in Raco, Michigan, both of which were included in the acquisition. While CTI tested tires like Smithers did, they also tested other products including juvenile furniture, toys, household appliances, and electrical controls. Today the tire and wheel testing lab in Ravenna remains a key component of Smithers Materials Science and Engineering Division. Through the CTI deal, Smithers now had access to the winter testing grounds near Sault Saint Marie, Michigan, which has continued to expand to this day. The harsh Upper Peninsula winters allowed for the testing of vehicles, tires, and vehicle components for durability and effectiveness in cold-weather conditions. The primary emphasis is on full vehicle evaluations of safety and braking systems, and more recently, A cross-section of a radial tire is inspected at a Smithers laboratory, circa 1980. Package testing at the Lansing location. Mike Kelly, manager of the Medical Device Testing Division Laboratory, performing an analysis on a syringe.
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