Internship: Smart Plasticiser Design for Tire Tread Performance

Optimization of Plasticisers in Tire Tread Compounds for Enhanced Performance  

Who we are 

 Apollo Tires is a tire manufacturer of Indian origin. Apollo is an ambitious and growing company with factories in India and Europe, as well as sales offices around the world. About 160 employees work at Global R&D in Enschede to develop new (car) tires for Apollo and Vredestein.  

The All-season/Winter tread compound development group of the PV Compound Development and Industrialization Team is responsible for the design, development and industrialization of advanced rubber compounds optimized for winter and all-season tread performance. The team’s primary focus is on delivering reliable traction, braking, and durability across a wide range of temperatures and road conditions, including dry, wet, snowy, and icy surfaces. 

Background and Objective  

 Tire tread compounds are complex formulations designed to deliver wear resistance, traction, rolling resistance, and low-temperature flexibility. Plasticisers such process oil, resins facilitate mixing, improve flexibility, reduce compound viscosity, enhance low-temperature properties, etc. The type and level of plasticizers must be optimized as too little results in a stiff compound and difficult processing, while too much leads to soft compounds, reduced wear resistance. Optimizing plasticizer content is essential for balancing performance, durability, and processability of tire tread compounds. 

The primary objective of this internship is to study and optimize plasticizer levels (process oils and resins) in tire tread compounds for improved performance. Specific Goals:

• Prepare tire tread formulations with varying plasticizer type and levels
• Assess processability and evaluate the rubber properties 
• Identify optimal levels for balanced tread performance 

Your tasks  

Conduct a literature review 

Prepare rubber compounds with different plasticizer loadings Characterize, analyse and summarize the project findings 

Your profile 
Bachelors or equivalent degree in Chemistry, chemical engineering, polymer technology or material science.  
Good command of English. Dutch is an advantage. 
Basic computing skills, Microsoft office. MATLAB or Minitab would be beneficial. 
Good communication skills & be able to adapt to the work environment quickly 
Knowledge of rubber compounds and a basic understanding of tyres is an advantage. 

What do we offer 
Exposure to industrial tyre development processes and materials research. 
Practical experience in laboratory compounding, testing, and analysis. 
A dynamic and innovative internship environment with own working space 
Internship allowance ranging from EUR 600 to 850 per month, based on a full-time position. 

Start date: 01.06.2026 (Negotiable) 
Internship nature: Full-time 
For further details contact: hr.rd.eu@apollotyres.com 
Location: Colosseum 2, 7521 PT Enschede