UK/US-headquartered Global Witness, an environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) campaigning against natural resources exploitation and poverty , alleges that at least two Vietnamese rubber firms have illegally seized parcels of land in Cambodia and Laos, in collusion with Government authorities. Naming…
Venture capitalist buys Industrial Latex Compounds
Amin Amiri of a2e Venture Catalysts has acquired a majority controlling stake in UK-based Industrial Latex Compounds (ILC) that has a turnover of circa £16 million. ILC, originally part of Dow Chemical, is a “veteran” of the latex industry, boasting…
Yulex funds university’s 5-year rubber research on Guayule
THE UNIVERSITY of Arizona (UA) receives a US$3 million grant from Yulex Corp for research on breeding the guayule plant to produce biorubber for medical and other applications. The 5-year grant will be used to apply classical breeding along with…
Thailand district rubber plantation encroaches forest reserve
A FOREST reserve in the Wang Thong district is reportedly on the brink of being spoiled, as an approximately 2,000 rai of land in the vicinity of the district’s river basin forest is being developed into a rubber plantation. Allegedly,…
Liberty denies Kumho’s claims on recalled tyres
LIBERTY Tire Recycling L.L.C. refutes claims by Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. that it sold thousands of recalled tyres as used tires, instead of recycling them. It furthered that Kumho did not notify the company that the tyres had been recalled…
Kenda produces prototype tyre from new plant in China
KENDA Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd. has produced its first prototype tyre from its new factory in Tainjin, China. The company’s second automotive factory within the last five years, will be producing tyres for the European, African and Asian markets. Kenda’s…
Bridgestone posts 9% increase in sales for Q1 2013
Bridgestone Corporation has reported net sales of 794.5 billion yen in the first fiscal quarter of 2013, an increase of 9% from the first fiscal quarter of 2012 . Operating income also increased 18% from 74.4 billion yen, Ordinary income…
Indian state to promote rubber farming in tribal districts
THE GOVERNMENT of Odisha, an Indian state in southeast coast, has set up programmes to promote the cultivation of rubber and coffee as an income generating activity amongst tribes. The programme, which will encompass 85,000 acres of land in the…
Toyo Tires completes US$260 million plant in Malaysia
TOYO Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has completed its US$260 million passenger and light truck tyre plant in Malaysia, with production expected to hit or exceed 200,000 tyres a month before the end of the year. A ceremony hosted by…
Apollo Tyres opens operations hub in Thailand
APOLLO Tyres has set up its second exports hub in Thailand to cater to the ASEAN region, which contributes 40% to the company’s overseas income, doubling in the last three years, according to the firm. Recently, the Indian tyre maker…