European Rubber Journal articles from April 2004

European Rubber Journal archives from April 2004

Trelleborg acquires small French hose maker; Manuli sells French composite hose unit, Dynaflex, to Swedish giant.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Trelleborg's Engineered Systems business has bought the Dynaflex hose business from Italian headquartered rubber hose group Manuli Rubber Industries SpA. Sancheville, France-based Manuli Dynaflex uses composite...

Trelleborg's UK closure contested by workers; UK union representatives dispute reasons for closure of gasket-making plant.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Swedish firm Trelleborg AB is proposing to close two UK gasket-making units, a spokesman for the company confirmed. Trelleborg acquired these plants-at Ross-on-Wye and Milford Haven-with its mid-2003 buy of Smith...

Ansell, Sumitomo form Japanese venture; Companies join forces to attack Japanese industrial glove market.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Mike McNulty ERJ Akron Bureau Ansell Ltd. and Sumitomo Corp. will form a joint venture within the next month to import and market industrial gloves in Japan. The venture's goal is to gain 10 percent of an estimated $380...

EC proposes directive to phase out PAH tyre oils; BLIC requests a one-year delay in the imposition of proposed directive banning low-PAH tyre extender oils. The time needed to develop a test; and is to change formulations with OE customers.(News)(polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon rich extender oils )
April 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh Europe's tyre industry is urgently seeking changes to a European Commission proposal to ban polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon-rich (PAH-rich) extender oils by the end of 2008. There are, however, major...

Virgin planes specify Michelin's NZG tyres; Five-year deal will see 'aramid-reinforced' radials on Airbus fleet.(News)(Airbus A340-600 aircraft)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh Michelin Aircraft Tyre has signed a five-year "exclusive contract" to equip the Virgin Atlantic fleet of aircraft. The deal includes supplying NZG radial tyres for the Virgin's Airbus A340-600 aircraft, the unit of...

Goodyear radials for Australian airline; Budget airline contract signals US tyre group's efforts to increase share of radial market.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh Qantas Airways has agreed a five-year deal to fit Goodyear's Flight Radial aviation tyres on its low-cost carrier Jetstar Airways, Goodyear announced 24 Feb at the Asian Aerospace air show. Melbourne-based...

ERJ newsbrief: Wacker moves in Switzerland.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Munich-based Wacker Group has appointed Dr. Rudolf Streuli AG of Zurich as the new distributor of its silicones and fumed silicas in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The firm replaces Basel-based Schweizerhall Chemie AG, Wacker's previous...

Amtel aims for finance from European Bank; EBRD offers unspecified loan to Russian tyre maker to help boost capacity, efficiency.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Amtel Holdings Holland BV and OOO Amtel Co. have jointly mandated the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to arrange long-term financing. Russian tyre maker Amtel said the funds will be used "to...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
April 1, 2004... Goodyear Dunlop axing 84 UK jobs * Birmingham, UK-Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Ltd is to end production of radial farm tyres at its Wolverhampton plant with the loss of 84 jobs. The closure, to take place within the next three months, will...

Cooper sourcing tyres from Hangzhou Zhongce; US tyre maker extends cooperation with Chinese partner to include low-value car tyres.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will source about 1 million entry-level passenger car radial tyres from China this year as part of its strategy to convert US capacity to higher margin, higher performance tyres. Cooper will source the tyres from...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)(Pirelli & C)
April 1, 2004... Cooper to boost capacity at US plant * Findlay, Ohio-Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will add capacity this year for 500 000 performance tyres annually at its Findlay passenger and light truck tyre plant, investing $1.8 million in new equipment....

Cooper-Standard inks pact with Korean firm; US firm links up with Koreans to share automotive anti-vibration technology.(News)(Daekyung Chemical Corp)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s Cooper-Standard Automotive unit has signed a technical assistance agreement with Daekyung Chemical Corp. of South Korea covering the design and engineering development support for engine mount systems on three future...

Dow launches 'unique' range of elastomers; Dow Chemical adds ethylene propylene elastomers which seem to compete with DuPont-Dow Elastomers' Engage materials.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh Dow Chemical Co. has launched a new range of plastomers and elastomers based on solution-polymerised copolymers of propylene and ethylene. The materials are produced with what Dow claims to be "a revolutionary new...

ExxonMobil starts elastomers plant.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... ExxonMobil Chemical has started up a new 90-kilotonne-per-annum metallocene ethylene/olefin elastomers plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The metallocene plant will produce the firm's new Vistamaxx speciality elastomers, which are based on...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)(Cabot Corp. to increase capacity of its Maua unit)(Cordenka GmbH to increase its capacity)(Diolen Industrial Fibers's investments)
April 1, 2004... Cabot to expand CB unit in Brazil * Sao Paulo, Brazil-Cabot Brasil, part of Cabot Corp., plans to build a third carbon black production unit at its facility in Maua, Sao Paulo, Brazil, for late 2005. The project will raise the Brazilian...

No sign of turnaround at DSM Elastomers; Previously announced closures will cut DSM's EPDM capacity by 40 percent. Company declines to make any comment on implications for market share.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh DSM Elastomers is set to lose its position as the world's largest supplier* of EPDM, with the closure of 40 percent of its capacity in the second half of this year. Nevertheless, the firm "aims to maintain its...

Dow unit to invest $100m in expansion & closures; Dow reorganises North American latex production.(News)(UCAR Emulsion Systems; Dow Chemical Co)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh UCAR Emulsion Systems (UES), part of Dow Chemical Co, plans to invest $100 million to construct of a "next-generation" latex facility at St Charles, Hahnville, Louisiana, and upgrade existing units in Alsip,...

ERJ newsbrief: Rapra adds Steinl unit for EPDM, TPEs.(Briefs)(European Rubber Journal; Rapra Technology;LWB Steinl)(ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer; thermoplastic elastomer)
April 1, 2004... Rapra Technology and LWB Steinl have launched a new technology partnership aimed at supporting the rubber sector. LWB Steinl recently supplied Rapra with one of the company's latest C class machines, a VCE 500/160 T-TPE & EPDM rubber...

German industry shows growth, but not much; German rubber federation, WdK issues annual report, and draws a mixed picture of strengths and weaknesses in the sector.(REPORTS)(Wirtschaftsverband der deutschen Kautschukindustrie)
April 1, 2004... Byline: David Reed Although the turnover of the German rubber industry in 2003 increased just 1.5 percent over the previous year, there was a "somewhat more pleasing" 3.8-percent increase in the industry's export business, according to the...

Car makers start to adopt runflats: Part 1 of 2; Since 2000, the tyre industry has been pushing runflat technology very hard, and it appears that many of the car makers have been listening. BMW is the clear champion of runflat technology among its automotive rivals. However, it appears the industry may have under-estimated the extent of consumer resistance to losing the fifth wheel.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Even the naysayers now realise that runflat tyres will replace some ordinary tyre sales. The question is how much, and by when? Although there is still some doubt about the extent of the switch, most seem to agree that...

Pirelli.(News)(Pirelli Tire North America L.L.C.'s products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... According to Gregorio Borgo, product marketing for car and light truck tyres at Pirelli, one of the fastest growing markets today is high performance tyres for 4x4 and off-road vehicles, especially in the US. Borgo said Pirelli is making 24-,...

Michelin extends onWay to Germany, Switzerland and Austria.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Michelin introduced its OnWay scheme to three more countries, Germany, France and Austria on 1 March 2004. The OnWay scheme acts as a free insurance service to motorists who buy Michelin-brand tyres. Included in the cost of the tyre is an...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)(European Rubber Journal)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... European industrial gloves under threat * London-Europe's [euro]1050-million industrial glove market is under threat from low-cost imports from the Far East, according to a new report from market researchers, Frost & Sullivan. The market,...

Bridgestone.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Bridgestone remains confident about the future of its business in Europe, and is on target to achieve the 20 percent market share it set itself some years ago. "We are now at 19.3 percent, but in passenger car we are closer to 13 percent. We...

Russia: a tale of two tyre factories.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... While Michelin is well under way with commissioning its brownfield tyre factory in Russia, Continental is still at least six months away from making its first tyre in the country. According to a Michelin spokeswoman, Michelin is making...

Goodyear.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Like other manufacturers, Goodyear's capacity is full in Europe. Guy Kind (left) said that in Europe in 2003 sales of H-rated and above tyres exceeded sales of T-rated and below, for the first time. He said these S- and T-rated tyres in 13- and...

Seen at Geneva.(News)
April 1, 2004... Left, Michelin's 'Yipee' concept tyre, fitted to Toyota's MTR car. The Yipee is a 295/750 R 480 A PAX fitment. Right, Bridgestone continues to push the systems business with this dynamic-damper-type in-wheel motor system. The shaftless...

Audi extends PAX option to new A6.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Audi AG will offer Michelin's PAX system on the 2005 version of the A6, extending a fitment option from the current generation A6 line launched last year. The two firms have also jointly developed a sporty new wheel design specially for the...

SilOa plugs silica gap; Rhodia aims to plug the price-performance gap between expensive fumed silica and moisture-absorbent precipitated silica with a new material made possible by advances in process control.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Rhodia Silicones is introducing a brand new grade of silica for reinforcing silicone rubber in critical applications. The material, named SilOa, is a precipitated silica, but offers performance similar to fumed silicas....

Silica business.(News )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... According to Rhodia data, the global market for silica adds to a total of 1 million tonnes per year or so. The biggest market is rubber reinforcement, taking some 600 kt, followed by food, plastics and other applications. Overall, the business...

UK remains good for tyre sales - Conti; While the UK car tyre market remains very price conscious, it is progressing like much of the rest of Europe, moving to higher speed ratings and more variety in dimensions. Within this, there are some very profitable niches, such as high performance 4x4 tyres. In the truck sector, the opposite is true, with more standardisation of tyre dimensions, but Conti notes a slow drift to lower-profile sizes.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw The UK remains a good place to sell tyres, according to Conti UK marketing team. In car tyres, the UK market is diversifying into a series of niches, some of which Conti has identified as good for profit. At the same...

IVG Colbachini opens new Czech hose plant; Italian hose maker adds production in Krnov, Czech Republic as part of East European sales drive.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Italian hose maker IVG Colbachini SpA officially opened its new plant in Krnov, in the Czech Republic, 27 Feb. IVG Colbachini said it invested some [euro]10 million in the first phase of construction at Krnov. ...

Will nano-particle zinc oxide find use in rubber? Despite overcapacity and low prices in the market, Moroccan firm Managem set up a hydrometallurgy plant to make zinc oxide in mid-2002 and aims to sell into the European rubber industry. Meanwhile, concerns about zinc levels in the environment is leading to use of lower zinc oxide levels in rubber formulations.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White At first glance, a mine site in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains may seem an unlikely place for a leading-edge development in nanotechnology. But at the Guemassa mine, 20 km south of Marrakech, Moroccan mining company...

Moving into high-value niches.(News)(Managem)
April 1, 2004... Managem's strategy is "to develop the hydrometallurgy process and projects further," said Rachid Benyakhlef (pictured) chief executive officer of the Casablanca-headquartered firm, during a 24 Jan press conference at the Guemassa site. It aims...

Is activity the vital aspect?(Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre)
April 1, 2004... While zinc oxide is a vital component in most rubber mixes, as an activator, concerns over levels of zinc in Europe's waterways has led to various approaches to reducing use. At the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre in Hertford, UK, Dr Andy...

ZnO production methods.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * In the American process, zinc vapour is oxidised, the resulting gases are cooled and the zinc oxide recovered. * The French process uses metallic zinc vaporised in a distillation column with the vapour burnt in a combustion chamber. ...

Competition rife.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Western ZnO producers have been facing competition from Chinese producers, who are exporting large amounts of material. This has pushed prices down and western ZnO producers have been suffering. So there is overcapacity in the business. ...

CTTM study on Managem's behalf.(Centre de Transfert de Technologie du Mans)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... "Zinc oxide levels can be reduced from 6 to 2 parts phr," using Zinrex 100R, thanks to its high surface area and reactivity, Touirssa claimed, quoting a study by the Centre de Transfert de Technologie du Mans (CTTM) on Managem's behalf. This...

AdNano ZnO-but not for rubber?(News)(Zinc Oxide)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Degussa AG has a project to make nanoparticle materials, which includes zinc oxide, but this is "mainly not for rubber applications," commented Dr Bernhard Schwaiger, director of applied technology in Degussa's advanced fillers division. ...

Selling ZnO in Spain.(News)(Zinrex )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Spanish chemicals distributor IQR is selling Zinrex to its customers, which include many of the major Spanish rubber compounders, such as Jevsa, Vigar SA and Unica SA. IQR supplies a wide range of rubber raw materials including polymers,...

Tests in Turkey.(News)(Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer)(Zinrex)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Mustapha Kemal, R&D manager with Turkish automotive profiles maker Standard Profil, said his firm uses some 9-12 tonnes of zinc oxide a month, and makes nearly 13 kilotonnes of EPDM compound annually. He is currently just starting to...

Icon may buy in US to meet [pounds sterling]50 m target; UK polymer group is in discussions in the US to buy a [pounds sterling]10-12 million turnover operation, and add not only a base, but wider business, for its aerospace and pharmaceutical parts.(News)(Column)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White How is it possible to put together and run a successful and profitable medium-sized rubber group in the UK[euro] Those with any knowledge of the difficulties the UK rubber sector has experienced over the last decade would...

West signs with Swedish pharmaceutical firm; Pharmalink AB and West join forces to develop drug-delivery systems.(News)(West Pharmaceutical Services Inc)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. has a new co-development and commercialisation agreement with Swedish speciality pharmaceutical company Pharmalink AB, the Lionville-based firm announced 23 Feb. Together the companies will develop West's...

High growth in BCDs.(News)(Brake Chamber Diaphragm)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Icon "has its work cut out to keep up with organic growth," in brake-chamber-diaphragms, Gogerty said. Here Icon is "the only company to guarantee 2 million cycles," Gogerty said. Icon moved seven Wickert presses from Germany, adding capacity...

Niche work if you can get it.(News)(Icon)
April 1, 2004... Icon's aerospace parts are principally for military uses and, in recent times, Icon has been knocking on US doors and finding "huge potential interest," he said. One reason for setting up a US plant is that legislation can prevent defence...

Exacting customers.(News)(pharmaceutical and allied industry)
April 1, 2004... As with military uses, regulatory concerns also drive the pharmaceutical business. And, suppliers must be in the US, as well as needing a critical mass, Gogerty said. Gogerty points out that the pharmaceutical sector's routes to qualifying...

Year on year car sales data shows increase.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Information We present here a series of charts and tables which are meant to give a snapshot of how the rubber industry is performing. The price of rubber on the Singapore commodity exchange is possibly the most important price in the...

Runflat tyres approach critical mass.(Column)
April 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Most of the world's car industry meets at Geneva in the first week of March each year. The high-powered executives on the corporate stands are not particularly interested in rubber. They want to focus instead on new...

ERJ newsbrief: Lord expands technology centre.(Briefs)(European Rubber Journal)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Lord Corp. has expanded its facility in the Detroit area to serve the automotive market more effectively. Lord will site its automotive sales office in the new 1770-m[sup.2] unit in Wixom, as well as a 720-m[sup.2] formulation and testing...

Cash-rich British Vita looking for targets; Vita has about [euro]100 million to spend. TPEs as used in an insert in their new horshoes (above) may be a target.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White British Vita plc is looking for opportunities to buy, following the disposal of its last 5.4 million shares in US plastics group Spartech Corp. for [pounds sterling]68 million ([euro]101 million), according to chief...

Freudenberg completes Burgmann purchase; Acquisition of German seals maker does not fit with Freudenberg's existing automotive sealing activities.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Freudenberg & Co. has acquired most of [euro]292-million turnover mechanical seal maker Burgmann Dichtungswerke, headquartered in Wolfratshausen, Germany, following approval by the German Federal Cartel Office. "With...

Freudenberg puts Chem-Trend into new group.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Freudenberg & Co. has put its recent acquisition, release agents maker Chem-Trend of Howell, Michigan, into a new group, Freudenberg Chemical Specialities. This combines the group's lubrication activities-Kluber Lubrication Group and...

Car makers start to adopt runflats: Part 2 of 2; Since 2000, the tyre industry has been pushing runflat technology very hard, and it appears that many of the car makers have been listening. BMW is the clear champion of runflat technology among its automotive rivals. However, it appears the industry may have under-estimated the extent of consumer resistance to losing the fifth wheel.(News)
April 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Different technologies Within the runflat sector, however, there are a number of different solutions. The biggest split is between the PAX system and the self-supporting sidewall (SST). Currently, the SST dominates...