A new technique to observe and analyse individual materials within tyre rubber offers “enormous potential” for the development of high-performance tyres with unprecedented levels of efficiency and wear resistance, engineers at Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) and Ibaraki University claim.
Recent funding grants given to LeHigh University mean the college’s friction and adhesion research department will continue to develop innovative solutions that could fuel tyre development. According to the University, Anand Jagota, professor and founding chair of Lehigh University’s bioengineering department, has arrived at a milestone in his 15 years of researching friction and adhesion.
Working together with a Japanese university, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) has established a new technique for observing materials contained within tyre rubber. This process differs from existing methods as it enables an evaluation of the actual rubber used in mass-produced tyres rather than relying upon processed test samples. The company behind the Falken tyre brand foresees the technique facilitating the development of tyres with superior performance characteristics.
Large Chinese reclaimed rubber producer, Tianyu (Shandong) Rubber and Plastic Products Co. Ltd, is aiming to take its tyre-derived rubber business to the Indian market. According to reports citing the company’s export manager, India shows great demand for the product, but at the same time, the country has a large domestic reclaimed rubber industry.
Arlanxeo reports that it has successfully ramped-up sales of EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) rubber produced in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and marketed under the Keltan KSA brand name. Marketing and sales of the new EPDM grades are based on an agreement concluded between Arlanxeo and Saudi Aramco in 2018, while collaboration has been further enhanced by the take-over of full ownership of Arlanxeo by Saudi Aramco beginning of 2019.
For three days in London (3 – 5 September), IRC2019 will focus on technical advances in the global rubber market through over 160 talks scheduled across 4 sessions each day. With more than 500 attendees already registered for the event next week, this world-leading event hosted by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground is a fantastic opportunity for global experts to exchange knowledge and ideas in the field as well as network in the heart of the UK.
The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) and the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) designed to detail and define efforts to increase cooperation between the two bodies.
On 1 July Hexpol announced that it has acquired Preferred Compounding from the Audax Group, a US-based Private Equity firm. Preferred Compounding is described as an “advanced rubber compounder in North America”. Key markets include general industry, automotive, power and infrastructure. Hexpol paid approximately US$232 million on a cash and debt free basis. Preferred’s 208 turnover worked out as roughly US$240 million. The firm has around 540 employees in six facilities, five in the US and one in Mexico. The business will be consolidated from 1 July 2019.
Rubber growers in India’s Kerala state are guarding themselves against potential slumps in natural rubber prices by forming a producer company that will manufacture tyres for two- and three-wheel vehicles. The Integrated Rubber Farmer Producer Company Ltd (IRFPC) was registered last November. The Pala-based company is being financed in part by a share float open to rubber farmers, and is also being assisted by German NGO the Andreas Hermes Akademie.
The IRSG has welcomed a new member, the Plastics Institute of Thailand. The Plastics Institute of Thailand is the eighth specialised network institution under the foundation development industry, ministry of industry approved by a cabinet resolution on 16 November 2010. Its goals are: Technology and management development; increasing marketing capabilities; and creating a plastic industry database.
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) has announced that Professor Dr Manfred Klüppel, Head of Department Material Concepts and Modelling at Deutsches Institut für Kautschuktechnologie e. V, Germany, is the first plenary speaker announced for the 3-day global rubber conference that looks at the latest advancements in the rubber industry.
China has begun establishing a rubber Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Sri Lanka. The arrangement will help promote the country’s rubber industry and boost sector earnings. In return, China is asking for long-term access to lands and tax concessions, according to various media reports.
