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Introduction
When I first came into the industry, I was struck by the lack of easy-to-use technical information available to designers with limited experience of rubber. From this, the first edition of Engineering in Rubber was born, and it has proved very popular since the day it was launched.
In my time at Harboro, the company has been involved in the design and production of some 4,000 rubber components. I have personally participated in hundreds of these. If there is one outstanding lesson, it is that the earlier a designer involves the rubber engineer, the greater the benefits in terms of cost, design effectiveness and ease of production. This leads to the supply of high quality, low cost, trouble-free components. Little or no advice frequently leads to unnecessarily higher costs.
Out of these lessons, we have built a company based on partnership with our customers. Harboro's philosophy is that:
"The most successful business outcome between two companies will arise from a thorough knowledge of each other's needs and processes. This, through close technical co-operation, will lead to the design and development of the most cost-effective parts which will be problem-free, allowing zero defects in production and providing the basis for continual cost improvement."
It is Harboro's mission to seek such partners.
I commend this fourth edition of Engineering in Rubber to you in the hope that it will further the knowledge of designers and support co-operative developments in the design of rubber components throughout the world.
JAMES BRIGGS
Managing Director
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