Stanford University researchers have developed tiny new robots, the MicroTugs that can pull nearly 2,000 times their own weight. Through use of a special directional adhesive, the MicroTugs utilise the van der Waals force, the same force used by ants…
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Bridgestone Asia Pacific tech centre moving to larger Thailand facility
Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte Ltd announced that Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Center Co Ltd (APTC), a wholly-owned subsidiary, held a ceremony to celebrate its relocation to its new laboratory building in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand. With this new facility, APTC…
China may buy Thai rubber at price above market value
Thailand hopes to finalise an agreement with China soon for the purchase of 200,000 tonnes of rubber at above-market prices to encourage price rises in the future and improve the incomes of Thai farmers. After leading a mission of Thai…
72 killed in fire at rubber footwear factory in Philippines
A fire that engulfed a footwear factory in a suburb of the Philippine capital has killed 72 people, authorities said Thursday. The blaze swept through the slipper and shoe factory in Valenzuela City on Wednesday, sending huge clouds of thick…
AirBoss, Flexible Products make strides since acquisition
Timing is everything. When AirBoss of America Corp. purchased Flexible Products Co. for US$51 million from the Reid family in late October 2013, it proved to be an extremely astute move. Both companies have made out well thus far. Flexible…
Nokian claims world first with AA-labelled winter SUV tyre
The introduction of the European tyre label in November 2012 resulted in murmurs from some tyre makers – most notably Nokian Tyres – about its unsuitability for appraising their winter ranges, and the Finnish manufacturer even went as far as…
LANXESS’ shares to rise sharply on tyre markets recovery, savings – UBS
German chemicals major LANXESS could see its shares jump sharply within 12 months on the back of a recovery in the tyre markets and the restructuring programme implemented by the company progressing well, investment bank UBS said on Thursday. The bank…
Michelin ready to return as Formula 1 tyre supplier
Michelin has made it clear it is ready to make a return to Formula 1 when the championship’s existing tyre contract comes to an end. The French tyre manufacturer was last involved in 2006, opting to depart at the end…
ANRPC members agree to price stabilization
Member nations of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) have vowed to renew their efforts to stabilize natural rubber (NR) prices during a ministerial-level meeting in Kuala Lumpur. “The ministers agreed that to stabilize NR prices at the…
Tyre recycling collaboration between China and Malaysia
China Automobile Parts Holdings has signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysian company SRI Elastomers to build a facility in China’s Xiamen City for recycling end-of-life tyres and other processed rubber scrap into a rubber compound. The facility will adopt…