Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres, Europe’s largest independent retreader, has been acquired by UK-based tyre firm Zenises Group that has not only purchased the entire company and equipment but has also acquired the prime 11 acre site in Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK, where…
Continental starts construction on its new headquarters in Hanover
Technology company Continental is beginning the construction of its new headquarters in Hanover. The first development phase for the building complex is to be completed by the end of 2020 and to provide space for 1,250 employees. According to the…
Yokohama develops hose to facilitate US auto shift to green refrigerant
Yokohama Rubber Co has developed the ACBR series of hoses for use in car air conditioners. The new hoses are compatible for use with HFO-1234yf, which is seeing more widespread application as the next-generation refrigerant for car air conditioners. The…
Yokohama’s joint research with Thai universities for future development of rubber
Tokyo-based Yokohama Rubber Co. says that the results of joint research projects conducted since 2013 with two universities in Thailand, a major producer of natural rubber, were recently presented at The International Polymer Conference of Thailand 2018 (PCT-8). The joint…
ANRPC revises outlook for rubber sector with higher growth
According to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), during first half of 2018 (H1 2018), the global demand of natural rubber (NR) grew 5%, year-on-year, to 6.96 million tonnes. Meanwhile, the global supply of NR rose 4.5%, year-on-year,…
Bridgestone wins tyre patent suit against China’s Fangxing Rubber
Tokyo-headquartered tyre maker Bridgestone Corporation says that it has received a favourable ruling from the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court in its lawsuit regarding the infringement of patent rights against major Chinese tyre manufacturer Fangxing Rubber Co., Ltd. (Fangxing). In September…
Green-friendly E-Cube for mobile tyre servicing
The mobile tyre servicing market will be changed through the launch of a new product, deemed to be environmentally friendly. Until now, a typical mobile tyre service unit had a minimum of five, perhaps even six different pieces of tyre…
Sibur going for an IPO worth up to US$3 bn
Russian petrochemical company Sibur is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) potentially worth between US$2 billion and US$3 billion, said a Reuters report, adding that it may happen by the end of the year. Sibur, the largest petrochemical producer…
Continental to go ahead with changes; Powertrain to be spun off in part-IPO
Having announced one of the largest organisational changes in the company’s history earlier this month, https://rubberjournalasia.com/continental-to-realign-structure-spin-off-powertrain-and-possible-ipo-of-rubber-unit/, the Supervisory Board of automotive parts/tyres maker Continental has given the go ahead. With this approval, a new holding structure of Hanover-headquartered Continental will…
Ford sets up self-drive subsidiary; investment of US$4 bn
US automotive company Ford Motor Company has created Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, a new organisation charged with accelerating its self-driving business. It will include Ford’s self-driving systems integration, autonomous vehicle research and advanced engineering, AV transportation-as-a-service network development, user experience,…






