In what is said to be one of the largest deals in the chemical industry, the world’s largest oil/petrochemical firm Saudi Aramco is to acquire a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corp (Sabic) for US$69.1 billion, from its owner,…
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Gloves Sector: Malaysia’s gloves sector holds its place in a volatile market
As a main exporter of gloves globally, Malaysia is handling suitably geopolitical pressures ...
LSR stretches its industrial footprint
Liquid silicone rubber, or LSR, is an advanced elastomer that has gained traction ...
Tyre Sector: Setting in motion the wheels of change
Once liabilities and eye sore on landfills, end-of-life tyres have now become assets ...
Tyres: Space’s the limit for rubber tyres
Innovative rubber tyres are entering the era of space missions: as a catalyst ...
Medical: Flexible artificial muscles from liquid crystal elastomers
In Canada, an international team led by researchers at the University of Waterloo ...
Wacker sets up first LSR 3D printing lab in US
German chemical firm Wacker is launching its first US-based Aceo open print lab. Aceo is said to be the world’s first industrial-scale technology for the additive manufacturing of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) components. The new facility, located at Wacker’s Silicone…
Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia ally to address falling rubber prices
Indonesia is among the biggest producers of rubber next to Thailand, Malaysia and China; however, Indonesian rubber farmers have been hit by low prices since late 2018, prompting the government to find ways to stabilise rubber pricesby forging cooperation with…
GPSNR forms executive committee to boost value of natural rubber
Natural rubber stakeholders convened in Singapore on March 21, 2019 for the inaugural General Assembly of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) – an independent platform that will lead improvements in the socio-economic and environmental performance of the…
New C-Check measuring system for tyre production
A new non-contact C-Check system has been introduced designed for in-line conductivity measurement of chimney strips directly after the extrusion process. Available from Germany machinery firm KraussMaffei Berstorff, it enables in-process detection of material defects and transmits a warning signal…
Kraton to construct TPE latex unit in Brazil
Kraton Corporation, formerly Kraton Performance Polymers, has approved of the construction of a semi works latex unit in Paulinia, Brazil, which is scheduled to complete by early 2020 and ready for commissioning by the second quarter of 2020. Kraton is…
Firestone’s Liberian plant laying off 800 workers
Firestone Natural Rubber Company – the biggest employer in Liberia’s private sector – will be laying off 13% of its workforce or around 800 Liberian employees over the second quarter of 2019. Headcount reductions will include retirements, the discontinuation of…
Goodyear to upgrade plants in Germany; laying off 1,000 jobs
American Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has approved of plans to upgrade and automate two of its tyre manufacturing facilities in Hanau and Fulda, Germany, to increase production of premium tyres 17 inches in diameter and larger. The plan was…
ICEX bargain buying on rubber likely to increase
Futures contracts of rubber settled a touch higher on the Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) due to bargain buying by market participants following a recent fall in prices and expectations of a rise in demand from domestic tyre makers- the most-active…
Trelleborg acquires Italy’s Provana in new market strategy
Swedish group Trelleborg has – through its Trelleborg Wheel Systems subsidiary -signed agreements and finalised the acquisitions of Provana Solutions and Provana Quality Center. Provana Solutions specialises in the distribution and service of tyres and wheels to tractor dealers and…