Malaysian research firm Affin Hwang Research says the country’s rubber glove manufacturers could benefit from the trade spat between the US and China, since tariffs are being imposed on rubber/plastic gloves from China. The research house notes that the gloves…
Category: Industry News
Lehigh opens first plant outside US in Europe
Lehigh Technologies, a specialty chemicals company that produces sustainable raw materials from end-of-life tyres and post-industrial rubber, says that production has started at its new Murillo el Fruto Micronized Rubber Powder (MRP) plant in Navarra, Spain. The plant is the first…
US/China trade war escalates to tariffs on Chinese tyres/rubber products
In the on-going trade “war” between China and the US, the Office of the US Trade Representative has stated that almost all tyres imported from China, as well as quite a few rubber products, polymers and other raw materials important…
Continental to realign structure: spin off powertrain and possible IPO of rubber unit
German company Continental, which makes automotive parts and tyres, has decided to undertake what it says is one of the largest organisational realignments in the company’s history, to spin off its powertrain unit, by breaking up the company into three…
Birla Carbon to expand capacity in locations globally
India’s Birla Carbon has announced expansions in multiple regions to support customers in the growing carbon black market. It will undertake significant debottlenecking at its factories in Egypt and Italy before the end of Q3 2018; restart a production line in…
Kuraray, PTT, and Sumitomo launch jv company in Thailand
Japanese chemical maker Kuraray Co, Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical Public Company and compatriot Japanese chemical company Sumitomo Corporation recently held an opening ceremony for a joint venture company, Kuraray GC Advanced Materials Co, set up to operate in Thailand. Kuraray…
Kumho to up capacity of butadiene latex in South Korea
South Korea’s Kumho Petrochemical says that it has started the expansion for acrylonitrile butadiene latex (NB latex) at its facility in Ulsan, South Korea, from 400,000 tonnes to 550,000 tonnes/year. With this expansion, Kumho says it will further consolidate its…
Sumitomo/Dunlop Tech open technical centre in Germany
Sumitomo Rubber Europe and Dunlop Tech have officially opened a technical centre, after a year of construction. The 30,000 sq m building in Hanau-Steinheim, Germany, houses facilities for tyre development and testing, production of liquid latex and tyre pressure monitoring system design.…
AB completes expansion of R&D site
US-based speciality silicone maker AB Specialty Silicones says it has completed a significant renovation and expansion of its R&D and QA location tripling the area. Additional laboratory facilities and equipment have increased technical capabilities for product analysis and performance matching…
Michelin buying Camso for US$1.4 bn; to bolster speciality business
French tyre maker Michelin says it is buying Canadian firm Camso for US$1.45 billion to generate US$55 million of cost savings and increased sales by 2021. Camso, which averages net sales of US$1 billion, designs and manufactures off-the-road (OTR) material…