Japanese tyre maker Bridgestone is broadening its footprint to become one of the largest networks specialising in hose sales and service in the US with its acquisition of Industrial Rubber Co., a hydraulic and industrial hose sales and service company…
Category: Industry News
Sun Tyre & Wheel buys Starco’s Sri Lankan tyre factory
Sun Tyre & Wheel Systems (SUN-TWS), a division of Sundaram Industries Ltd that in turn is part of the US$8 billion TVS Group of India, has acquired Starco Group’s tyre plant in Sri Lanka. It is SUN-TWS’s fifth manufacturing plant…
Liberia opens its first rubber processing plant
Liberia’s first 100% locally-owned rubber plant, located in Blagai, Bomi Highway, was recently inaugurated in the country. The Cooper Rubber Processing Plant (CRPP) will manufacture retreaded tyres, roofing materials, electrical insulators, fixtures PVC pipes, fittings, and rubber gloves. The plant is…
Hartalega launches world’s first antimicrobial glove
Malaysian glove company Hartalega Holdings Bhd has launched what it says is the world’s first non-leaching antimicrobial glove. The nitrile glove maker says it has invested over US$10 million, over a period of six years, to develop its antimicrobial glove,…
Continental bans social media use over data protection fears
Citing data privacy concerns, German technology company Continental has banned its employees from using WhatsApp and Snapchat on company-issued mobile devices over concerns that the apps may leak confidential information to third parties. The company said the apps “have deficiencies…
Swedish project to study production of fuel from waste tyres
The possibility of producing pyrolysis oil from worn out tyres is being investigated in a research project run by the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE), along with Scandinavian tyre recycler Enviro Systems and waste management group Ragn-Sells, with support from…
Hankook and Arlanxeo in partnership for new SR grades
South Korean tyre maker Hankook Tire has signed a second memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Netherlands-headquartered synthetic rubber producer Arlanxeo to co-develop synthetic rubber technologies for high-performance tyres. Under this agreement, the two companies will jointly study the development of…
Hyundai to set up new plant in the US and update existing one
South Korean automotive maker Hyundai plans to invest US$388 million to build a plant in Alabama, US. The 24,000-sq-m plant will include an engine head manufacturing plant, and it will also utilise this investment to enhance its assembly plant in…
GM’s self-driving vehicle unit gets a push with investment of US$2 bn
Japan’s SoftBank Group is investing US$2.25 billion into General Motors (GM)’s autonomous-vehicle unit. The world’s biggest technology fund, SoftBank’s US$100 million Vision Fund, will invest in GM’s newly created unit, GM Cruise Holdings, in two phases: with the first phase…
TOCOM slides after early rise amidst trade tension
“Tokyo Rubber futures took a tumble following an upswing in early trade amidst lingering trade tension between China and the US. Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) futures, which set the tone for rubber prices in Southeast Asia, followed losses in Shanghai…