European Rubber Journal articles from December 2003

European Rubber Journal archives from December 2003

Bayer to float off rubber, chemicals, plastics units: spin off of 5600 [euro]-million turnover polymer and chemicals business will allow Bayer to focus on healthcare, crop science and materials science.(Rubber news)
December 1, 2003... Bayer AG is to spin off its rubber business as part of a new entity, provisionally called NewCo, which will also include other parts of Bayer Polymers and the Bayer Chemicals AG subsidiary. Bayer plans to float NewCo on the stock market by...

Trelleborg buys UK profiles company.(Rubber news)(DJ Profiles)
December 1, 2003... Trelleborg AB's building systems business has acquired UK industrial profiles maker DJ Profiles, in a deal which is "a step in strengthening our position in the UK market," said Peter Suter, president of Trelleborg Building Systems. Suter added...

ContiTech building hose plant in Timisoara.(Rubber news)(ContiTech Fluid)
December 1, 2003... Hose systems producer ContiTech Fluid is investing 10 [euro] million ($12 million) in a 4000-[m.sup.2] production plant for air-conditioning hose in the west Romanian town of Timisoara. The company, part of Continental AG, will use the plant...

Lederer extends LSR capacity at Ohringen: specialist maker of silicone rubber parts expands to meet rising demand for fine multifunctional seals.(Rubber news)
December 1, 2003... Liquid silicone-processing company Lederer GmbH has invested 4 million [euro] ($4.7 million) in a 4000-[m.sup.2] extension to its plant, on the Sichert industrial estate at Ohringen, Germany. The firm, part owned by major seals supplier...

Freudenberg aims to buy Burgmann's seals unit.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Weinheim, Germany -- Freudenberg & Co. KG of Weinheim, Germany wants to acquire the mechanical seals, compensators and automotive seals business groups o Burgmann Dichtungswerke GmbH & Co. KG of Wolfratshausen, Germany. Freudenberg will...

TPG to buy Kraton Polymers for $770 million: sustained performance of styrenic TPE business led to competitive purchase process.(Rubber news)(Texas Pacific Group)
December 1, 2003... Styrenic block copolymer supplier Kraton Polymers has been bought by the Texas Pacific Group from the investment firm Ripplewood Holdings llc. The transaction, which values Kraton at $770 million, is expected to be closed by the end of the...

Michelin buys stake in Apollo, sets up Indian tyre JV: expanding typre market resulting from economic growth and improving infrastructure are behind deal.(Rubber news)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Groupe Michelin is to buy a 14.9-percent stake in Indian tyre maker Apollo Tyres Ltd for $28 million, and set up a joint venture with Apollo to serve the Indian truck tyre market. The JV partners plan to invest $70 million over the next four...

DSM to axe EPDM plant in Japan: Dutch supplier will fall from top position following closure of DSM-Idemitsu unit.(Rubber news)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... DSM Elastomers is to close its 40-kilotonnes-per-annum EPDM plant in Chiba, Japan, which it operates as a joint venture with Idemitsu Petrochemical Co. Ltd of Tokyo. The timing of the closure has yet to be decided, according to a DSM...

Comasec buys SSL's industrial glove business.(Rubber news)
December 1, 2003... French industrial glove producer Comasec SAS has bought the Marigold Industrial protective gloves division of SSL International plc for up to 22 million [pounds sterling] ($25.5 million). This ends a lengthy search by the Cheshire,...

Medline to buy Maxxim assets.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Mundelein, Illinois -- US medical products supplier Medline Industries Inc. is to buy Maxxim Medical Inc.'s examination and surgical gloves business, as well as its surgical products unit. Maxxim--a supplier of non-latex and latex...

DaimlerChrysler order for Sigma.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Sigma Vibracoustic India )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * New Delhi: India -- Indian automotive components supplier Sigma Vibracoustic India Pvt. Ltd has gained a $20-million order to supply various antivibration c components to DaimerChrysler. The German car maker has ordered a range of parts...

TI Auto gains car seal deal.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Warren, Michigan -- Fluid systems supplier TI Automotive is to supply brake and fuel-tank lines for an unspecified 'classic' new small car, being built in the UK by a Germany-based automaker. TI Automotive's facility in Telford, UK, will...

FDS supplies seals for Golf.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Freudenberg Dichtungsund Schwingungstechnik)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Weinheim, Germany--Sealing specialists from Freudenberg Dichtungsund Schwingungstechnik worked hand in hand with development engineers from Volkswagen AG to develop optimised, economical solutions for a range of seals for the series launch of...

Fenner cuts in N Am, but expands in Asia + Europe: difficult belting market in North America causes Fenner to idle Ontario plant.(Rubber news)(Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting Worldwide)
December 1, 2003... Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting Worldwide is consolidating its North American operations, but expanding in Australia and China, while steadily boosting its capabilities throughout in Europe. The rubber belting giant recently broke ground on...

GenCorp mulls sale of loss-making GDX: future of GDX automotive weather-strip business in doubt following $14 million loss for Q3.(Rubber news)
December 1, 2003... GenCorp Inc. appears ready to offload its global sealing business, GDX Automotive, after another quarter of losses. If the price were right, the parent company would probably sell it, GenCorp chief executive officer Terry Hall said during a...

Goodyear to end belt production in Canada.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Goodyear Engineered Products )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Akron, Ohio -- Goodyear Engineered Products will close most of the operations at its Bowmanville, Ontario, manufacturing facility by April 2004 because of overcapacity in the market and a drop in conveyor belt demand. The company will...

AlfaGomma, Goodyear in hydraulic hose deal.(Rubber news)
December 1, 2003... Italian hose maker AlfaGomma SpA is to supply hose to Goodyear Engineered Products, in a deal which the US hose and belt producer says will allow it to become "a full-line provider of hydraulic hose, fittings and crimpers in North America in...

IVG expands.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Prague -- IVG Colbachini, the first investor operating in the Cerveny Dvur industrial zone near the Czech town of Krnov, wants to start making rubber hoses here on a trial basis before the end of the year and serial production in the first...

Federal-Mogul has new plan.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Southfield, Michigan -- Federal-Mogul Corp. has reached agreement on its amended plan of reorganisation with creditors, the Asbestos Claimants Committee, and agents for future asbestos claimants among others. Federal-Mogul separated its...

UK industrial tyre sector facing landfill ban crisis.(Tyre news)
December 1, 2003... UK industrial tyre makers and their customers are concerned that the EU Directive phasing out of landfill disposal of tyres by 2006 is undermining the competitiveness of their industries. Over 5000 tonnes of solid rubber tyres are in use in...

Cooper to source truck tyres from Chinese firm: offtake of tyres from Chinese supplier will keep Cooper lean.(Tyre news)
December 1, 2003... Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will in future source 250 000-350 000 radial medium truck tyres (RMTs) a year from Chinese tyre maker Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. Ltd. This off take deal is in keeping with Cooper Tire's stated intention to use Asian...

Conti to cut US tyre ops: 2003 forecast rises: car tyre sales are good in Europe, but Conti still has a way to go to align its US operations with those in Europe.(Tyre news)
December 1, 2003... Continental AG has raised its forecast for earnings in 2003 following a positive third quarter: "We now anticipate an operating result (EBITA) for 2003 of more than 750 [euro] million," said chairman Manfred Wennemer, in the group's results...

Continental takes charge of Malaysian venture.(Tyre news)
December 1, 2003... Aiming to "tap the high-growth Asean region and Australia," for tyres, German tyre maker Continental AG has turned its 30-percent stake in the tyre business of Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby Berhad into a controlling 51-percent interest. ...

Michelin sales down.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Paris -- Groupe Michelin expects its fiscal 2003 operating earnings to fall slightly short of the 2002 performance because of double-digit increases in raw material costs in the past 12 to 15 months. Michelin did not project sales for...

Member countries sign agreement for NR cartel: IRCO set to start operating--despite high NR prices and strong demand.(Rubber news)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The world's top three natural rubber-producing nations have given the final go-ahead to start up an international rubber cartel, nearly two years after first agreeing to do so. The final agreement to begin operating the International Rubber...

NR prices running well ahead of forecast--EIU: undersupply and rising demand will mean sustained NR price rise to 2005, EIU says.(Rubber news)
December 1, 2003... Natural rubber prices are set to rise by over 30 percent in 2003, followed by increases of nearly 10 percent in each of the following two years, according to the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. Prices are running well ahead of...

Cheng Shin-Toyo orders MTS tyre testing system.(ERJ newsbriefs)
December 1, 2003... * Eden Prairie, Minnesota -- Cheng Shin-Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd has ordered an MTS FlatTrac tyre testing system for its Kunshan, China, tyre plant, marking the first order from a Chinese manufacturer for MTS Systems Corp.'s high-speed...

Peroxides plant for China.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Paris -- Atofina is to build a new organic peroxides production plant in China. The products are used as polymerisation initiators, crosslinkers for rubber and polyethylene, and curing agents for unsaturated polyester resins. The plant,...

German group buys BP mineral oil business: additives buy doubles German supplier's sales.(Rubber news)(H&R Wasag AG)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... H&R WASAG AG, a Salzbergen-based chemicals group, is acquiring BP's European speciality refinery business, for an undisclosed amount. The unit manufactures mineral oil-based additives for rubber, printing inks, cosmetics and other products...

Flexsys closing chems plant.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Nitro, West Virginia -- Flexsys America LP is to end rubber chemicals production at its Nitro facility by the end of 2004 The firm said the closure will affect 155 workers at the site, and is subject to final negotiations with the United...

Kuraray grows TPE production.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Tokyo -- Kuraray Co Ltd is investing [yen] 1500 million ($14 million) to expand the capacity of its Kashima thermoplastic elastomers plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, by 21 percent to 23 kilotonnes per annum. The unit produces hydrogenated...

Sumitomo to build TPE plant in US.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Detroit, Michigan -- Sumitomo Chemical America Inc., a subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Co of Osaka, Japan, is investing around $8 million to set up a TPE plant in the US. Conyers, Georgia is the leading candidate, said Dave Risetter, sales...

PolyOne wants out of rubber.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * CleveLand, Ohio -- PolyOne Corp.'s 'for sale' Elastomers and Performance Additives business is closing two US plants and trimming 230 from its staff. The restructure will cut costs and bring capacity in line with demand, the firm said. ...

Solvay targets profiles.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Solvay Engineered Polymers Inc. has added a triplex profile line at its automotive applications centre in Auburn Hills, Michigan, to help its thermoplastic vulcanisates penetrate the weatherseal market. The new Davis Standard equipment...

Early winter pushes tyre sales up 14%.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Hannover, Germany -- Heavy demand for winter tyres--which has occurred much earlier this season than in past years--has "led to supply shortages for several sizes and types in the last few days," according to Continental AG. As a result,...

Yokohama to double capacity at China JV.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Tokyo -- Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd will double annual capacity for radial passenger tyres at its Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co. Ltd joint venture in Hangzhou, China, to 1.4 million units by the end of 2004. Yokohama cited "buoyant" replacement...

Bridgestone gains Airbus certification.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Brussels -- Airbus Industrie has certified Bridgestone tyres for factory installation on all its aircraft models, Bridgestone Corp. announced 5 Nov. The Japanese tyre group is also to develop new tyres for installation on the Airbus A340-500...

Michelin's Moscow plant starts trials.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Paris -- Groupe Michelin's new passenger tyre plant near Moscow has begun trial production. The factory, in Davydovo about 60 miles east of Moscow, is rated at 2 million tyres a year at full production, expected in 2005, Michelin said. ...

PHOENIX AG.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Meinhard Liebing (below right) will take over as chief executive officer of PHOENIX AG, 1 Jan 2004. He succeeds Konrad Ellegast (left) who is to step down from the company's management board 31 Dec. Liebing has been with Phoenix for almost 20...

PAULSTRA CRC Corp.(ERJ People)
December 1, 2003... * Grand Rapids, Michigan-based PAULSTRA CRC Corp. has a new ceo and president: Andre Janin has replaced Yves Huet, who has returned to France as vice president of body sealing systems with Paulstra's parent HUTCHINSON SA. Janin was previously...

Charles Lawrence International Ltd.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * CHARLES LAWRENCE INTERNATIONAL LTD, a manufacturer of rubber granulates and equipment for maintaining and installation of sports surfaces, has appointed Roger Hicks as managing director.

International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Annette Walder is the new director of statistical programmes at the Houston, Texas-based INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER PRODUCERS. She replaces Britt Theismann, who is leaving the group to pursue other interests.

Federal-Mogul Corp.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * FEDERAL-MOGUL CORP. has changed its senior management: Gerhard Boehm becomes senior rice president, Powertrain. John Tobiczyk, vice president, manufacturing support, will add responsibility for advanced development. Michael Lynch, executive...

Continental Tyre Group Ltd.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * CONTINENTAL TYRE GROUP LTD, the West Drayton, UK-based part of CONTINENTAL AG of Hanover, Germany, has appointed Nick Manning business development manager (car dealerships).

Dunlop Aerospace Precision Rubber.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * DUNLOP AEROSPACE PRECISION RUBBER, which supplies elastomeric airframe and aero-engine components, has appointed Neal Hillier as its sales and marketing manager.

Phelps Dodge Corp.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * The board of carbon black supplier PHELPS DODGE CORP. has elected Timothy Snider as president and chief operating officer. He will remain president of PHELPS DODGE MINING CO,. Steven Whisler, current chairman, president and ceo, will remain...

Whitford Plastics Ltd.(ERJ People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * WHITFORD PLASTICS LTD. the fluoropolymer coatings specialist, has made Michael Coates its managing director, succeeding David Speight who is to direct special projects for the Runcorn, UK-based firm.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.(ERJ People)
December 1, 2003... * GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. has named Eduardo Fortunato as president of its Latin American business, succeeding Chris Clark, who has been named senior vice president of global sourcing. Chris Corcoran, currently director of sales and...

TPE meeting sees a glut of TPVs.(TPE developments)(thermoplastic vulcanisates)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Many more types of thermoplastic vulcanisates are now being offered. Routes to market for thermoplastic elastomers are changing, but the rubber sector is still sitting on the fence--and may miss out on opportunities. A wind of change is...

Foam TPVs to take off?(TPE developments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Microcellular TPV foaming, developed by US firm Trexel Inc. of Woburn, Massachusetts, gives materials with a closed-cell structure similar to that of sponge thermoset EPDM. This technology may allow TPV foam to gain commercial use in...

TPVs to go.(TPE developments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... At the Brussels meeting, new TPVs included: * Onflex V TPV, just launched by PolyOne; * Respond polyolefin-based TPV from Solvay Engineered Polymers; * Heat- and oil-resistant acrylate-based Pacrel HT from Finnish developer...

TPSiV for automotive hose covers.(TPE developments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A new silicone-based TPV has found a practical application in automotive hose assemblies for Titeflex Corp, of Springfield, Massachusetts. The hose use was developed following a problem Titeflex had with jacketed steel-wire-braided PTFE...

NR odour problems solved.(TPE developments)(natural rubber-based thermoplastic vulcanizates are being developed at Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Natural rubber-based TPVs--"with excellent recovery properties"--are being developed at the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre in the UK, said Stuart Cook of TARRC. Samples of the NR-TPV have been available for six months and various...

High-flow SEBS.(TPE developments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Styrenic TPEs are compounded with polyolefin resins to form interpenetrating networks, as described by Kraton Polymers' researcher Henk de Groot (pictured right). Kraton has recently introduced two new SEBS grades for better clarity and...

Oil-resistant TPVs on the move.(TPE developments)
December 1, 2003... Zeon Chemicals--a leader in making oil-resistant elastomers, including epichlorohydrin, hydrogenated nitrite and polyacrylates (ACM)--has been looking at these rubbers as base materials for TPVs. For Zeon, TPV "is quite a new class of...

Acrylate TPV with COPE base.(TPE developments)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Finnish company Optatech Corp. is offering a new TPV, based on acrylate polymers, with excellent oil resistance at high temperatures, said Christer Bergstrom, Optatech vice president. The initial grade of Optatech's oil-resistant Pacrel TPV...

China's tyre companies start to show: while Michelin remains in top spot among the world's tyre companies, growth in China is starting to have a larger impact further down our annual ranking of top tyre makers worldwide.(Global Tyre Report)
December 1, 2003... The China factor is having a marked impact on this year's European Rubber Journal global tyre company rankings. The three leading players of the world's typre business--Group Michelin, Bridgestone Corp. and Goodyear Tire & Rubber...

Bridgestone, Hankook post strong results: first half of 2003 points to strong performance by tyre companies.(Global Tyre Report)
December 1, 2003... Of the world's major tyre makers, Bridgestone Corp. and Hankook Tire Co. Ltd reported the strongest first-half 2003 performance, chalking up double-digit--triple-digit in Hankook's case--increases in both operating and net income. At the...

Top 75 global tyre producers 2002-2003.(Global Tyre Report)(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... Top 75 global tyre producers 2002-2003 '02 '01 Company Headquarters 1 1 Groupe Michelin (#1) Clermont-Ferrand, ...

Grandtour Tire expands.
December 1, 2003... The financial backers of China's Grandtour Tire Group have made two moves recently to boost the scope of their tyre industry holdings, creating a group that controls five Chinese tyre plants and could reach $900 million in sales this year. ...

Radici adds dipping capacity.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Pizzighettone, Italy -- RadiciFibres Industrial has added 600 tonnes per year of cord dipping capacity at its Sicrem unit in Cremona. RadiciFibres says it can now handle a complete range of reinforcements for the rubber industry from rayon to...

Runflats at a crossroads: mixed reactions to runflat tyre systems cause car makers to be cautious in pushing the concept.(Technology)
December 1, 2003... Sales figures for BMW models fitted with runflat tyres (SST), either as standard or as an option, indicate that market resistance to switching to this technology can be overcome. However, Renault and Audi--the main users of Michelin's PAX...

Tyre plants open, close: new factories open around the world, while others close. The trend to lower-cost manufacturing sites continues.(Plant changes)
December 1, 2003... The last year has seen a flurry of changes in parts of the global tyre business, as detailed below. Plants opened in the last year Continental Continental AG is the majority partner in a joint venture with Moscow Tire Co. to make...

Technology exchanges continue to flourish.(Tech Exchange)
December 1, 2003... A pattern is emerging among the world's top tyre makers, as they strive to increase manufacturing capacity in developing parts of the world. Initial contacts with local manufacturers often involve technology sharing, and injecting capital...

Investments.
December 1, 2003... The world's major tyre companies have committed nearly $1200 million in the past 12 months to capacity expansion projects, which would add more than 35 million units of new capacity annually starting in 2004. This amount is 25-percent less...

Global tyre plants 2003 data.(Tyre plant data)(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... Global tyre plants 2003 data Company/ Year Employees Plant location opened (Unionised *) Europe Belarus Belshina Bobruisk 1972 ...

Tyre plants by manufacturer: this table should be read in conjunction with the foregoing tables. Where a tyre company has manufacturing facilities in more than two countries, we list the locations of all its plants. Joint ventures are shown in italics where the main company has majority ownership of the factory.(Plant cross-reference)
December 1, 2003... Bridgestone Corp. Africa Brits, South Africa Port Elizabeth, South Africa Asia Shenyang, Liaoning, China Tianjin, China Kheda, Pradesh, India Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia Karawang, West Java, Indonesia Amagi, Fukuoka, Japan...

Filler helps extrusions run faster; a natural mixture of quartz and kaolinite offers good properties as a semi-active filler where EPDM compounds need to extrude quickly, or fill multi-cavity moulds.(Fillers)(Neuburg siliceous earth)
December 1, 2003... Neuburg siliceous earth is unique among semi-reinforcing fillers in the rubber industry. According to the only supplier, the material is slightly more expensive than non-reinforcing fillers like calcium carbonate, but can be used to improve...

Hoffmann mineral.(Fillers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Hoffmann Mineral is one of the biggest employers in the Neuburg region, with 118 employees. It was founded by Franz Hoffmann in 1903, and has remained under the control of his family through four generations. In September, the company hosted a...

Neuburg siliceous earth.(Fillers)
December 1, 2003... Unlike other siliceous earths, which are based on diatomite--the silica-based fossilised skeletons of single-celled organisms--Neuburg siliceous earth is a pure mineral. It is a combination of kaolinite (aluminium silicate) and lamellar quartz....

Carbon black makers face shift to east; as rubber processing companies are drawn by the attractions of low-cost manufacturing, carbon black suppliers face a need to move capacity out of Europe and North America.(Carbon black)(Industry Overview)
December 1, 2003... Surprisingly, perhaps, price is not the biggest issue in the carbon black industry today. According to Kennett Burnes, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cabot Corp., a bigger issue is the long-term need to follow the key...

EC studies carbon black.(Carbon black)
December 1, 2003... In November 2001, the European chemicals manufacturers' federation, CEFIC, made a formal complaint to the commission, backed by Degussa, Columbian and Cabot, that suppliers in Russia and Egypt were dumping carbon black, and that the imports...

Make sure you plan your 2004 European Rubber Journal advertising schedule now.(Publishing Calendar)(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... The 2004 Publishing calendar is: JANUARY Testing Testing is one of the forgotten arts of the rubber industry. Without good test systems, new recipes would be difficult to create and failure analysis would not help us ascertain problems...

Carbon black capacities around the world.(Carbon black)(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... BY COMPANY Cabot 1797 Degussa 1137 Columbian 1135 China SR Corp. 570 Birla 371 Sid Richardson 345 Tokai 282 Others ...

Diary.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... Readers are strongly advised to confirm details with organizers before making any travel arrangements. An updated list of industry events is available on the ERJ website at http://www.crain.co.uk/ DECEMBER * EPM Vietnam 2003. 2-5...

Rubber prices triple in two years, trend still up.(ERJ dataflow)
December 1, 2003... 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...

Who will buy my rubber business?(postscript)
December 1, 2003... First it was Polimeri, then Goodyear. Next it was DSM trying to sell its SBR business. Meanwhile, Ameripol Synpol filed for Chapter 11 protection. Most recently, Bayer has separated many of its businesses, including rubber and rubber chemicals,...