TYRE makers Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd and Kumho Tire Co Inc, are embarking on a possible technology exchange and cross ownership following a signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoU) in late November, which covered the various aspects of their…
TOP STORY
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 ...
Malaysia’s natural rubber prices surge on demand
ACCORDING to market report, rubber prices closed higher, as data from China indicating that demand for natural rubber was increasing; the top rubber buyer’s rubber import climbed to a record of 270,000 tonnes last month. Accordingly, positive sentiments in the…
Firms to jointly develop rubber from sugar beet, grains
TYRE maker Michelin and Agro-industrial group Tereos are jointly developing a rubber made by biomass derived from sugar beet, wheat or maize, or from crop wastes, which could replace some of the natural and oil-based synthetic rubber used in tyres.…
India’s Rubber Board calls for rubber import ban
IMPORT of rubber must be banned, according to the the Executive Committee of the Rubber Board. Alternatively, it proposed that duty free imports against advance license must be suspended. Moreover, it proposed that the import duty should be increased by…
High power rate stunts Phililippine rubber sector’s readiness for AFTA
THE INCREASING cost of power could reduce the competitiveness of the country’s rubber exporters when the Asean Free Trade Area or AFTA takes full effect by 2015, in lieu of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Council), according to an industry source.…
Energy cost hike in Malaysia to up glove prices, say manufacturers
THE MALAYSIAN Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma) say that there is a likely price increase in gloves to offset production costs due to electricity tariff hike. MARGMA President Lim Kwee Shyan said the production cost for 1,000 gloves will increase…
Arkema launches new acrylic impact modifier
FRENCH specialty chemicals Arkema introduces a new addition, next generation high rubber impact modifier to their Durastrength line. In white powder form, Durastrength 350, a high efficiency acrylic impact modifier provides exceptional toughness to weatherable PVC applications, says Arkema. It…
India’s replacement tyres market posts robust sales
THE SLOW demand for passenger cars in India did not tip off the growth of replacement passenger car tyre market. Based on a recent study by GfK, there are over 5.5 million car tyres sold in India’s replacement market in…
Pirelli, Rosneft and Rostec collaborate for R&D on tyre materials
RUSSIAN firms, Rosneft and Rostec (Russian Technologies), and Italian firm Pirelli signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a joint R&D on materials to be used in the manufacturing of tyres. The signatory companies were represented by Igor Sechin, President…
Gapkindo bids for output reduction by 10%
THE INDONESIAN rubber group (GAPKINDO) proposes to the country’s sector to reduce its output by 10% by next year. Meanwhile, it also urges other Southeast Asian rubber producers to follow suit, to minimise global stocks and support prices, which according…