French tyremaker Michelin has recently opened a new automated mask manufacturing workshop at the Combaude plant near Clermont-Ferrand. Some of the machines used in the EUR3.5 million investment- facility are from the Villars-based company CERA. and will be producing 3…
Sumitomo Rubber to boost US plant capacity with US$122 mn investment
In response to the increased demand driven by strong sales of SUV and light truck high-performance tyres in the North American market, Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is investing US$96 million to nearly double its capacity in its US factory’s daily…
Bridgestone divests Firestone Building Products to Holcim
Bridgestone Americas, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, has completed the sale of Firestone Building Products to Holcim Participations (US) Inc, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim. The transaction, valued at US$3.4 billion, will enable Bridgestone to focus on its core tyre business and…
Carlyle Group to sell Liberty Tyre Recycling to ECP
Global investment firm Carlyle Group is selling Liberty Tire Recycling to ECP, investor across energy transition and decarbonisation infrastructure assets, including power generation, renewables and storage solutions, sustainability-linked infrastructure, and customer solutions facilitating the energy transition. Liberty has a network…
Traton ramps up e-mobility with EUR 1.6 bn investment in R&D by 2025
German commercial vehicle manufacturer and Volkswagen subsidiary, Traton, is investing a total of EUR1.6 billion in research and development for e-mobility by 2025. At the same time, Traton says it is scaling back investments in conventional drives of these to…
BASF and VAUDE team up for sustainable pants made with materials from recycled old tyres
A German producer of outdoor goods, Vaude, launched a new recycled pants based on chemically recycled old tyres. The outdoor pants, due to be available in the market from March 2022, will be utilising BASF’s Ultramid Ccycled, an innovative polyamide 6…
Graphene from tyre waste can reinforce concrete
Scientists from the Texas-based Rice University have optimised a process to convert waste rubber tyres into graphene that can be used to strengthen concrete. Using a green technology called the “flash” process introduced by the Rice University lab of chemist…
Versalis, Bridgestone co-develop innovative elastomers for high-performance tyres
Versalis, Eni’s chemical company,and Bridgestone EMIA have signed a joint development agreement for the research, production, and supply of synthetic rubber with advanced properties. Versalis’s Research Centre at Ravenna and Ferrara, and Bridgestone’s European research centre will collaborate, using an…
US CBP iterates forced labour claim vs Top Glove
According to reports, the US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) claims that certain products by Malaysian glovemaker Top Glove Corp Bhd had been manufactured with the use of “forced or indentured labour”, adding that these disposable gloves are being,…
ZC rubber eyes digitalisation, new overseas plant
Chinese tyre maker ZC Rubber envisions expanding global presence and technological innovation as the company garners robust sales in 2020. Speaking during its first Global Online Dealer Conference held in mid-March, Shen Jinrong, Chair of ZC Rubber Group, said the…






