With declining demand and profitability in North America’s butadiene elastomers, speciality polymers producer Lion Elastomers will cease rubber production at its Orange site in Texas, US, by the end of the year, affecting approximately 100 employees at a plant that has…
Category: Industry News
Malaysian firm to launch ESD chemical gloves enhanced with nanotubes
Malaysian rubber gloves manufacturer Nastah Industries has unveiled an advancement in PPE: ESD chemical gloves enhanced with Tuball graphene nanotubes. Designed to prevent static discharge while resisting chemical and physical hazards, these gloves claim to set a new standard for safety and reliability across…
Companies team up for tyre wear particles study
A research initiative coordinated by Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), alongside Volvo Cars, Karolinska Institute and Scania, including tyre rubber compounds and bitumen-based road materials supplier Nynas, has been set up to better understand the formation, characteristics and environmental impact of…
Toyo Tire to open Serbian R&D centre by 2027
Japan’s Toyo Tire Corporation says that it will build a new R&D facility building on the grounds of its Toyo Tire Serbia plant (Indjija, Serbia) as its new European R&D Centre, which will begin operations in January 2027. The current…
Arlanxeo to close loss-making rubber plant in France
Citing reasons of weak demand, Netherland-based synthetic rubber producer Arlanxeo Holding has announced that it intends to permanently close its plant at Port Jerome, France, where it produces polybutadiene rubber (PBR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). According to Arlanxeo CEO…
Tyre road simulation solution launched by Siemens/rFpro
Siemens Digital Industries Software and rFpro have jointly developed a simulation capability that integrates Siemens’ Simcenter Tire software with rFpro’s TerrainServer, which provides a millimeter-accurate digital model of the road surface. The interface enables the MF-Tyre and MF-Swift models in…
Japanese machine maker expands to Europe with majority stake in LWB
Japan’s Shibaura Machine has entered into an MoU to acquire an 80% stake in LWB Steinl GmbH to expand its market to Europe. LWB Steinl’s facility in Altdorf, Germany, will serve as Shibaura’s European headquarters and production hub following the acquisition. Terms of the…
Continental first to apply Lanxess’s sustainable rubber additive in tyres
German tyre maker Continental is the first tyre manufacturer to use the new Vulkanox HS Scopeblue rubber additive from German speciality chemicals firm Lanxess. This is the more sustainable, ISCC Plus-certified version of the proven additive Vulkanox HS (TMQ). The product is said…
Nexen Tire expands footprint; new hubs in Europe, Latin America and Middle East
South Korea’s Nexen Tire announced the establishment of new branch office/subsidiaries in major markets, including Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. This expansion is a strategic move to strengthen competitiveness in markets with growing tyre demand. With about 85% of…
Ceat to invest US$170 mn in tyre plant in Sri Lanka
Tyre maker Ceat OHT Lanka (Private) Limited has signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) to formalise a US$171 million investment, in a landmark development for Sri Lanka’s manufacturing and export sector. According to the…