Tyres can’t function without this critical raw material. Whether its natural or synthetic rubber you are interested in, articles bearing this tag feature this indispensable polymer.
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.
Lehigh Technologies has won the Young Global Leaders Award for Circular Economy SME (small to medium-sized enterprise) for The Circulars 2019, the 5th iteration of the award, in Davos at the World Economic Forum on 21 January 2019.
Global demand for rubber is expected to rise about 2.5 per cent in 2019 to more than 30 million metric tonnes, according to the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG).
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.
An important event in the diaries of both politicians and business leaders, the September release of The Parliamentary Review sees the documents highlight the best practice of organisations across the private and public sectors. The document shares some of the most forward-thinking work that has occurred in the country over the last year and is edited by former minister The Rt Hon David Curry. The 2018 edition features UK-based tyre compound supplier Berwin Industrial Polymers.
Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC)’s Dr Alan Muhr, who is Head of the Engineering Design Unit, has been awarded the Hancock Medal 2018 for his outstanding service to the rubber industry by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in London (IOM3) in London.
In parallel with the International Rubber Study Group’s (IRSG) 75th Anniversary, the association has organised a photo competition to pay tribute to women’s contribution in the rubber industry. The contest is supported by Singapore Committee for UN Women and prizes are sponsored by Namazie International.
Russia and Saudi Arabia will finalize several joint projects by the end of 2018, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak recently told journalists. The projects referred to see Saudi Aramco partner with Russain firms Sibur and Novatek. The Sibur plant plans centre on a particularly significantly sized rubber factory.
On 1 October Hexpol completed the acquisition of 80 per cent of the shares of Italian compounder Mesgo Group from previous owner Francesco Caldara and co-owners. Hexpol describes Mesgo as “an industry leader in high performance elastomers as fluorocarbons and silicone”. In addition, Mesgo also specializes in conventional rubber compounds and thermoplastics. The major customer segments Mesgo focuses on are industry, consumer products, transportation and automotive. Mesgo Group reports annual turnover of around 100 million euros, with around 180 employees in six facilities.
Vietnamese tyre exports were worth US$920 million in 2017, up 44.2 per cent from 2016. Meanwhile, local tyre production enjoyed a trade surplus of $564 million in 2017, doubling the amount gained in the previous year.
On 21 June 2018 ExxonMobil announced it had started production of hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin and halobutyl rubber at its integrated manufacturing complex in Singapore, the company’s largest integrated refining and petrochemical complex in the world. ExxonMobil’s new Escorez hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins plant will be the world’s largest with a capacity of 90,000 tonnes per year, and will meet long-term demand growth for hot-melt adhesives used in packaging or baby diapers. The new 140,000-tonnes-per-year butyl plant will produce premium halobutyl rubber used by manufacturers for tyres to better maintain inflation to improve fuel economy.
Instead of just finding dandelions growing in fields, we may soon also find them in the tyres of tractors and other agricultural vehicles that traverse these fields. Balkrishna Industries Limited (BKT) sees a future for these plants as a material within the tyres it makes; it recently entered into a joint research agreement with US biotechnology company Kultevat, Inc. to develop new compounding methods based on TKS/Russian dandelion rubber, with the aim of integrating these into its tyre manufacturing process.
Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG), a state-owned business and country’s largest rubber producer/exporter, is scheduled to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on 2 February 2018 with shares being listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange in June or July.
The Sri Lanka Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP) celebrated its 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Cinnamon Grand Colombo on the 16 January 2018. The association was inaugurated in 1985 in order to offer “comprehensive representation, advocacy and to champion to all manufacturers and exporters of rubber products in Sri Lanka”.
