THE ASSOCIATION of Planters of Kerala (APK) cautions that the natural rubber (NR) growing sector in the Indian state of Kerala is likely to slip into crisis due to frequent price drops and production cost hikes. Y Raghavan, Chairman of…
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Halcyon Agri to acquire Malaysian NR producer
SINGAPORE-headquartered SIR (Standard Indonesian Rubber) producer Halcyon Agri Corporation said that it will acquire Malaysian NR (natural rubber) producer Chip Lam Seng in an RM63 million (USS$25.67 million) deal. With the buyout, Chip Lam Seng’s current two natural rubber factories…
Wacker unveils modular system for pourable silicone rubbers
MUNICH-based chemical Group, Wacker has developed a modular system for pourable, addition-curing silicone rubber compounds. The Elastosil Vario system possesses both the reactivity of the silicone rubber compound and the hardness of the elastomer and can be adjusted as required.…
Lanxess committed to Asia with BR plant in Singapore
German speciality chemicals firm Lanxess recently inaugurated its EUR400 million 1,000 kilotonnes/year butyl rubber plant on Jurong Island in Singapore, its highest investment to date. The plant will create about 160 highly qualified new jobs that will mainly be filled locally. The…
Hankook to expand Hungarian tyre plant
SOUTH Korean tyre maker Hankook is investing EUR313 million to expand its plant in Hungary, between 2013 and 2015. The annual capacity of the Hankook plant will be raised to 17 million from the current 12 million. The investment creates…
Sumitomo rubber to acquire Apollo Tyres SA
JAPAN-based Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is taking over Apollo Tyres South Africa including the Ladysmith Tyre plant and Dunlop Brand rights in Africa. The US$60 million deal, which is expected to be completed within the year to the next four…
3D printing firm develops rubber-like material
BELGIAN 3D printing company, i.materliaise, has developed a rubber-like material, which is currently being tried out for various designs and product applications. The company pioneers the malleable black substance, likewise inviting makers and printing enthusiasts to try out the material.…
Sinochem to expand rubber plantation in Africa
CHINESE firm Sinochem has announced its scheduled expansion of plantations by 20, 000 hectares in the South Region of Africa. The firm, which is one of the biggest state-owned companies in China and is the 168th largest corporation in the…
First post-harvest rubber facility in the Philippines gets approval
THE REGIONAL office of the Philippine’s Department of Agriculture has approved the country’s first rubber post-facility located in Northern Mindanao for processing an estimated 1,000 hectares of rubber tree plantations in the area. The Mindanao Rural Development Program’s (MRDP) affirmed…
LIST sets up tech centre in Switzerland
SWISS firm LIST has completed a global demonstration centre in Switzerland, located adjacent to its headquarters. The fully automated LIST Demonstration Centre (LDC) is specifically designed for the development and testing of processing solutions for the devolatilisation and finishing of…