The European Commission, with the intent of boosting the potential of small businesses in the areas of climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials, issued the SME (Small-Medium-Enterprise) Instrument 11 for the years 2016-2017.

Within this context Electronic SYSTEMS, backed by years of both technical and field expertise in the rubber industry, ideated and ultimately presented to the Commission a highly innovative project proposal aimed to reduce the significantly rubber waste of end-of-life tyres (ELT).

Project Introduction.

The project’ builds on a solid technological and business background. Electronic SYSTEMS is the global leader of specialised machines and control systems for tyre and plastic industries: this process is the answer to the needs emerged from the continuous relationships with leading players of the worldwide rubber-industry.

The process is implemented through a dedicated and compact line: it comprehends a sequence of operations, which may be divided mainly into two steps. The first one (Rework) allows the reworking of all scraps and non-compliant components for producing rubber entirely reusable in the main production line, whilst the latter (Recycle) applies to recovering rubber from ELTs to form valuable sheeted rubber for moulded applications.

Business Model.

Flexibility is a focus keyword for this project: the two steps can be dissociated in order to serve independently various purposes.

Added-value. Electronic SYSTEMS designed its project to open new high-value applications for companies willing to extend their commitment in a greener production, both benefiting of a more refined rubber outcome and an increased profit.

For tyre manufacturers, the Rework will improve their eco-efficiency and reduce their production costs.

For ELT’s recyclers, the Recycle will help the production of cleaner and more usable forms of recycled rubber.

In both industries, business models and value chains are consolidated. Nevertheless, the demand for alternative production paradigms is robust, thus creating a very favourable context.

Electronic SYSTEMS truly confide in this project to expand the vertical offer both in markets that we already lead and as an opportunity to join in new market sectors with excellent potential.

Project Management.

The project aims at developing enabling subsystems for the Rework and the Recycle lines, through building a prototype version of the two lines in Momo (at Electronic SYSTEMS headquarter) and subsequently Validation Tests and Industrialisation Design will be carried out.

The project follows the guidelines recommended by the SME Instrument program. In the context of a clear and lean organizational structure, Electronic SYSTEMS designed the work plan with an adequate partition of work-packages and milestones, foreseeing risks and their proper mitigation actions.

Electronic SYSTEMS has solid technical competence and brand reputation, industrial and commercial experience and capacity, high quality material and immaterial assets, certified organizational processes: all these assets ensure the appropriate capacity to manage the project successfully. The team in charge of developing the process involves qualified multidisciplinary resources from the most important functions of the company, including highly specialised engineers and technicians.

EU Grant.

The project’s proposal had been submitted to the SME Instrument – Phase 2 Call in late 2015, obtaining an overall score of 13,26 (all criteria above threshold).

Electronic SYSTEMS proposal received a Seal of Excellence.

The proposal also relates to the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016 – 2017 topics:

o Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies “Industry 2020 in the circular economy”;

o Societal Challenge “Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials” – Greening the economy.

The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), empowered by the European Commission, in mid-2016 definitely awarded the Electronic SYSTEMS project by introducing it into the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 733676.

The grant is awarded for the action entitled: ‘Innovative and compact process for recycling rubber suitable to improve the environmental footprint of the tyre industry over the life-cycle — REWTYRES’ and the duration of the action will be 36 months.