Chinese firms are in talks with Sri Lanka’s Plantation Industries Ministry to collaborate with local firms to channel substantial capital into commodities like rubber, tea and coconut plantations and production value chains to boost production and produce quality value-added products.…
Shutdown of Pirelli’s Venezuelan tyre plant sparks protests
About 100 workers protested outside Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli’s Venezuela plant recently after finding the gates locked. Ten days prior, the country unveiled major economic reforms including a significant increase in the minimum wage – the fifth one of this…
Malaysia’s glove sector to grow to RM18 bn in 2018
Malaysia’s rubber glove industry expects to generate revenue of RM18.8 billion this year, up from RM16.2 billion in 2017, due to robust global demand, says the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma). President Denis Low Jau Foo said global demand…
Kerala floods to affect tyre companies; India’s rubber prices remain firm
Tyre stocks have been making the news in India after the floods in the southern state of Kerala. Shares of industry majors like Apollo Tyres, JK Tyre, MRF and Goodyear are down by 10% so far, according to analyst Moneycontrol…
Liberia gets call to boost rubber sector to pump economy
In a forum held recently, the President of the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) has called for a robust and innovative rubber sector in Liberia. John B. S. Davies, III, also wants a master plan that will guide…
Chandra Asri/Michelin jv synthetic rubber plant completed in Indonesia
Indonesia’s PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical and French tyre maker Michelin have completed construction at the new synthetic-rubber manufacturing site owned by the companies’ joint venture PT Synthetic Rubber Indonesia (SRI). The companies invested US$435 million into SRI. Michelin has a…
Linglong to build US$1 bn tyre plant in Serbia
Chinese company Shandong Linglong said on Monday it plans to invest around US$1 billion in the construction of a tyre factory in Serbia’s Zrenjanin Free Trade Zone. The construction of the factory is planned to officially start in April 2019 and will be carried…
Apollo Tyres grapples with floods in Kerala
Following the devastating floods in the state of Kerala in India, which is the largest area in the country for rubber plantations, one of India’s biggest tyre maker, Apollo Tyres, has seen production operations disrupted in the company’s plants in…
Evonik and Chinese partner to build silicon compounding plant in China
Germany’s Evonik Industries and Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon Technology Development Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Limited (GCL-Poly), have established a joint venture for the production of fumed silica and ultra-pure silicon tetrachloride in China. Evonik will…
India’s rubber output to be affected by floods in Kerala
With the southern Indian state of Kerala affected by worst floods in a century, the rising water levels are likely to impact rubber and other plantations in the region. Torrential rains in Kerala, India’s largest rubber producer and also a…







