American giant Dow Inc. (Dow), following an MoU signed with China’s Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone (FTZ), will invest at least US$300 million throughout the next five years to expand capacity for differentiated silicones products manufactured in the region. Dow will…
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Synthomer to sell latex business to Trinseo; sees strong growth
UK company Synthomer is to sell its Pyratex VP Latex business in Germany to materials firm Trinseo, ahead of its purchase of Omnova, a US-based specialty chemical company which manufactures emulsion polymers, speciality chemicals and decorative products. Completion of the…
Rubber demand globally on a downward trend in 2020
According to the Malaysia-headquartered Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC)’s March report, the world consumption of natural rubber (NR) fell 19.6%, year-on-year, during the first quarter of 2020, as per the preliminary estimates and forecasts of individual countries. The…
Yokohama India opens new Club Network store in commercial centre Mangalore
Japanese Yokohama Rubber’s fully-owned subsidiary, Yokohama India, has just opened the doors of its first retail store in Mangalore, Karnataka, under the region’s leading tyre dealer Good Wheel. The Yokohama Club Network (YCN) store in Mangalore is the latest in…
Malaysian glove makers push for 100% capacity production due to COVID-19
As the World Health Organization has asked glove manufacturers to produce more medical gloves in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) is urging the government to allow their factories to continue production at full…
Sumitomo develops new type of rubber material with significantly reduced odour
Japan-based tyre and rubber company Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) has successfully developed a new type of natural rubber (NR) that emits significantly less odour. SRI’s “Reduced Odor Natural Rubber” is achieved by suppressing the breakdown of odour-causing non-rubber components, including…
Hartalega buys more land in Malaysia for factory expansion
Malaysian glove manufacturer Hartalega Holdings’ (Hartalega) business unit based in Sepang, Hartalega NGC, will purchase 38.49 hectares of land in Selangor, Malaysia, for RM263.1 million – from property investor Bonus Essential – to meet the increasing global demand for gloves…
Top Glove doubles sales orders; expects solid H2
Not all companies are suffering as a result of the downturn caused by the spread of Covid-19, not least companies involved in the medical/healthcare sector. The world’s largest producer of gloves, Malaysian company Top Glove, says its sales have doubled…
NUS scientists develop high-value aerogels from recycled tyre rubber
Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have recently come up with a new, weightless aerogel material from waste tyres. The new aerogels, being highly absorbent, durable, and efficient at trapping heat and sound, could promote more extensive use…
COVID-19: Apollo to suspend European, Indian tyre manufacturing operations – Updated
Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian tyre manufacturer Apollo Tyres (Apollo) said it will stop production of passenger car tyres at its plant in Enschede, the Netherlands, to focus instead on production of specific high-performance passenger and agriculture…