THE new Aston Martin model launched the hydrogen-powered hybrid Rapide S, featuring twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12, is capable of running on hydrogen, gasoline, or a combination of the two. Rapide S will enter in the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of…
Zeon delays Singapore SSBR plant by 2 months
According to news reports, Japan’s Zeon Chemicals will delay the start-up of its already completed US$240 million SSBR plant in Singapore from July to September. However, the firm has said it will run the Singapore plant “flat-out” upon its starting…
Vee Rubber to debut new high performance tyres for 2014
OEM tyre maker VEE RUBBER is finally going into producing its own tyre brands, after more than three decades of producing tyres for other brands. By 2014, the Thailand-headquartered company will be launching several new models of tyres. Brand manager,…
Nishikawa Cooper to expand production at Bremen plant
HIROSHIMA-headquartered Nishikawa Cooper (Nisco) will invest US$12.7 million in new equipment to expand production at its Bremen plant. Along with the installation that is expected to be completed by July, it is hiring 34 additional workers by 2015. The expansion,…
Truck sales in China can benefit rubber
CHINA has posted a 7.7% to 320,300 units rise in truck sales in March from a year earlier, according to a data released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). According to Orient Futures Co. analyst Yan Xinbin, the positive…
Thailand and Malaysia to set up rubber industry zones
THAILAND’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Yutthapong Charassathien announced during the ASEAN Rubber Day staged 10 -12 April in Phuker, Thailand and Malaysia will jointly set up rubber industry zones along common border, and create more jobs for their peoples. Under the…
Trelleborg acquires composites firm
Swedish engineered polymer group Trelleborg has acquired a niche UK-based composites company thus strengthening its position in offshore oil & gas. Trelleborg has, through its business area Trelleborg Offshore & Construction, signed an agreement and finalised the acquisition of Ambler…
Aditya sells carbon black unit to group company
Indian firm Aditya Birla Nuvo has decided to sell its carbon black business to a group company, SKI Carbon Black (India), for about US$26 million as part of its plan to exit the business in the near future. An option…
KKR to acquire Indian Alliance Tire
American private equity company KohlbergKravis Roberts (KKR) is set to purchase a 90% stake in specialised tyre maker Alliance Tire Group from rival private equity fund Warburg Pincus and owner Yogesh Kumar Mahansaria for US$650 million, including a debt of…
Kultevat and KeyGene work on dandelion rubber
US-based biotech company Kultevat and KeyGene, a biotech company from the Netherlands, have entered into collaboration for production of rubber based on the Russian dandelion. This plant has demonstrated potential as a domesticated crop for the US and Europe; the…