German firm Continental says is increasingly focusing on renewable and recycled materials in its tyre production. While the share of these materials averaged 26% in 2024, the tyre manufacturer expects an increase of two to three percentage points in 2025.…
Hallite Seals to acquire Aston Seals to enhance presence in Europe
French tyre company Michelin’s subsidiary firm Hallite Seals, a provider of hydraulic sealing solutions, has signed an agreement to acquire Italy-based Aston Seals. This agreement is subject to regulatory and non-statutory approval and should be finalised in the coming months.…
Orion to shut down multiple carbon black lines in EMEA/Americas
Specialty chemicals company Orion S.A. announced plans to discontinue production at three to five of its carbon black lines at multiple facilities in the Americas and EMEA by the end of 2025, against the back of cash flow challenges. The company,…
Bridgestone to sell carbon black business in Thailand to Tokai Carbon
Tyre company Bridgestone says it has entered into an agreement to sell its group company engaged in manufacturing and selling carbon black, Bridgestone Carbon Black Thailand, to Tokai Carbon Co. and Thai Tokai Carbon Product Co. Terms were not disclosed.…
Black Donuts opens tyre lab for sustainable materials
Finnish firm Black Donuts has opened InTire?Labs, a fully independent Material Research Centre in Tampere, Finland. Supported by NextGenerationEU funding, InTire Labs is dedicated to advancing the rubber industry through sustainable innovation, serving tyre manufacturers, raw material suppliers, and rubber…
Recycling technology by Korean institute to turn tyre waste into useful chemicals
With around 1.5 billion tyres discarded globally every year, this is identified as one of the major causes of serious environmental pollution. The research team at the Department of Chemistry at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)…
Zeon completes research facility for bio-based butadiene and isoprene
Japanese chemical firm Zeon has established a new research facility to develop plant-based production processes for synthetic rubber raw materials at the Zeon Chemicals Yonezawa site. This facility will accelerate the development of biotechnology to produce butadiene and isoprene directly,…
Sumitomo Rubber develops 3D printable rubber material
Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries says it has developed a rubber material that can be processed with a 3D printer . Until now, it was not possible to create rubber products with a 3D printer. It is said to have high…
Kobe Steel to invest in expansion at Indian tyre/rubber machinery plant
Japan’s Kobe Steel has announced that it has decided to invest in the expansion of a plant at Kobelco Industrial Machinery India (KIMI), a production base of the Kobe Steel Machinery Business division. The expansion is projected to be completed…
Evonik expands production capacity of polybutadiene products in China
German chemical firm Evonik says it has decided to localise the final production step of its Polyvest ST-E 60 polybutadienes in Shanghai, China. This decision highlights the company’s commitment to enhancing supply security and customer proximity in Asia. The expansion…






