European Rubber Journal articles from December 2004

European Rubber Journal archives from December 2004

ERJ adopts a new publishing approach.(News)
December 1, 2004... European Rubber Journal is the oldest rubber publication in the world. It first saw the light of day in 1882 when it was launched as the 'India-Rubber and Gutta-Percha and Electrical Trades Journal.' The publication evolved over the years...

Rubber-covered beach house wins architectural award.(News)
December 1, 2004... A beach house covered with rubber, built on Dungeness beach in Kent, UK, has won an architectural award. The prize-the Stephen Lawrence Prize, sponsored by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation-goes annually to the best building costing less than...

Tenneco cuts staff, consolidates in far east; Auto supplier aims to cut 250 managerial posts in bid to counter increased raw material costs.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Tenneco Automotive, based in Lake Forest, Illiniois, aims to save $20 million ([euro]16 million) a year by cutting up to 250 of its middle and senior management (about 6 percent of the total). The move is part of a...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
December 1, 2004... Lanxess: 'force majeur' at EPDM plant * Leverkusen, Germany-Lanxess GmbH has declared force majeur on EPM/EPDM rubber following a breakdown at its plant in Marl, Germany. The problem was caused by a compressor failure at the...

Latex litigation charge cuts Cardinal profits; Increased sales at healthcare firm, but $16-million charge for latex allergy litigation hits earnings.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Earnings at healthcare supplier Cardinal Health Inc. dropped this quarter (Cardinal's first for 2005), despite a 16-percent rise in turnover to $17 800 million ([euro]9030 million), according to a statement from the firm....

Condom supplier to list on UK junior market.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The Sexual Health Group (SHG), which supplies condoms to the UK's National Health Service and the British armed forces, is to float on Ofex-a smaller and less heavily regulated version of the UK's Alternative Investment Market. SHG aims to...

Pirelli chooses Chinese partner for ventures; Pirelli-brand tyres will be manufactured in Henan province in 2005, with more than [euro]150 million investment over three years. As a result, global truck tyre capacity for the Italian-headquartered firm will rise by 33 percent.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Pirelli and Chinese tyre maker Aeolus Tyre Co. Ltd are to set up a joint venture in the first half of 2005 to make tyres in Henan Province. The JV will start by producing radial truck tyres, mainly for Chinese...

Pirelli to divest cables unit, emphasise tyres; Pirelli to focus on tyres as cable operations are gradually sold.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Pirelli & C SpA has revealed a strategy that will see it put its major energy cables and telecoms cables businesses up for sale. The announcement, in Pirelli's third quarter results statement, comes as Pirelli also...

Pirelli lifts tyre price.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Pirelli has announced price rises of between 3 and 5 percent, for all brands of car, motorcycle and heavy truck tyres between now and December. The rises apply in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and NAFTA markets, Pirelli announced 26 Oct. ...

UK firm in solid-tyre deal with Conti; Watts Industrial Tyres will use its Sri Lankan factory to make solid tyres for Continental.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Watts Industrial Tyres plc, a major UK-based maker of industrial tyres, is to make solid tyres for Continental AG's Industrial Tyre business unit. Watts is to make an undisclosed number of tyres to Continental...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
December 1, 2004... Yokohama lifts Philippines tyre plant capacity * Tokyo-Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd plans to more than double production capacity at its Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc. subsidiary to meet growing demand from Europe, the Middle East and Southeast...

Continental in a hurry to incorporate Phoenix; No comment on possible factory consolidation, but a desire to integrate two businesses quickly.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Continental AG wants to consolidate its ContiTech subsidiary with the Phoenix AG rubber business "without delay," following the European Commission's approval of the takeover. Continental made its original bid for...

Wacker re-jigs to focus on growth businesses; German speciality chemicals group realigned: silicones unit aims to increase sales of fumed silica, organosilanes.(News)
December 1, 2004... Wacker Chemie GmbH is realigning its operations into five business divisions from 1 Jan 2005. The move is designed to allow silicone elastomer supplier Wacker to develop promising new growth sectors, as well as make better utilisation of...

CMAI predicts changes in butadiene market.(Briefs)(Chemical Market Associates Inc )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Industry analysts, Chemical Market Associates Inc (CMAI) is predicting big changes in the global butadiene market. According to CMAI, "The rapid growth of tyre and rubber good production in Northeast Asia, particularly China, both for...

Lanxess will base rubber strategy on technology.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw, Liz White Lanxess believes it is not too early-nor too late-to begin a new strategy of adding value to the products it sells to its customers. Although the company is in a period of purdah in the weeks leading up to its...

ERJ upgrades website.(News)
December 1, 2004... European Rubber Journal is upgrading the news service on its website. In addition to providing more news stories, the editorial team scours the world's publications each morning to find news stories from around the world, that might help you...

Dow Corning aims to be top silane supplier; Silicone rubber company aims to dominate organosilane business, say Thierry Materne (below) and Martin Harvey (above).(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Dow Corning, best known for its silicone products, is now aiming to become a leading supplier of silane and organosilane products to the world's tyre and rubber industries. According to Thierry Materne, global...

ArGomm evaluating options in China.(News)
December 1, 2004... Italian automotive supplier ArGomm SpA is assessing setting up a facility in China, possibly via a joint venture with a local company, according to Andrea Gualini, key account manager with the Villongo, Bergamo-based operation. Speaking in...

Kachele investing and optimistic about growth; Business growth is strong in the specialised sector of rubber-covered rotors and stators.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White German rubber processor Wilhelm Kachele GmbH is investing up to [euro]1 million this year and a further [euro]1 million next year to add equipment at its Weilheim/Teck headquarters operation near Stuttgart, according to...

Kremer using 2000kg mould for Porsche air intake manifold.(Briefs)(Kremer Kautschuk Kunstoffe GmbH und Co. KG)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Kremer Kautschuk Kunstoffe GmbH und Co. KG is making a new and highly complex one-piece EPDM air-intake manifold for the new Porsche Boxster. The small German rubber and plastics moulding company has used its expertise to design and...

DuPont Dow links APA to standard Viton grades; Fluoroelastomer market becomes more specialised as vehicle emision regulations tighten.(News)(Advanced Polymer Architecture )
December 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh DuPont Dow Elastomers (DDE) is to apply "know-how" from the development of its so-called Advanced Polymer Architecture (APA) speciality fluoroelastomers to standard grades of the Viton-branded materials, Patrick...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
December 1, 2004... HSE to offer elastomer guidelines for oil sector * Hertford, UK-The UK Health and Safety Executive is to publish advice next year on its website on requirements for elastomers in upstream oil and gas operations. These have been developed...

Parker expands sealing with Acadia acquisition; More consolidation in US seals business.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Parker Hannifin Corp. has added to its seals group with the purchase of Acadia Elastomers Corp., a leading producer of sealing solutions, for an undisclosed amount. Acadia, which has annual turnover of about $145...

Top tyre makers led by Michelin; A falling dollar saw the the world tyre industry increase in value by over 10 percent last year. Michelin remains the world's biggest, followed by Bridgestone and Goodyear.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Davis ERJ Akron Bureau A weak dollar-and growth by new companies in China-sparked a 12-percent increase in the apparent size of the global tyre market in 2003, to about $80 000 million ([euro]66400 million). Most of the...

Belisce is jewel in TKE crown; Curing presses are changing. The old frame-type presses are being replaced by column-type units.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Curing presses are changing. The old frame-type presses are being replaced by column-type units. These presses are also evolving, with lower-technology systems destined for tyre plants making low-tech tyres, and...

Tyre companies share technology.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... About this listing This list aims to show how many links there are among the top players in the world.in terms of tyre manufacturing technology Many of the large companies do not buy smaller companies in developing parts of the world,...

Investments top $2 billion; Capital investment in the tyre industry increased in 2003/04, almost doubling the previous year and returning to the same level as 2001.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Davis ERJ Akron bureau After a cautious year of investment strategy in 2002-03, the world's major tyre makers devoted more of their resources to capital expenditures in the past 12 months than in the previous year. The...

Plants open, plans close... This page lists plants that have opened and closed in the last year. It is mainly focussed around tyre factories, but some factories which supply the tyre industry have been added to the list where appropriate.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Davis ERJ Akron bureau Plants closed since August 2003 Carlisle Tire & Wheel Co. * Point Fortin, Trinidad; 7000 units/day; cross-ply trailer, implement and industrial tyres; 100 employees. Continental AG *...

Shanghai Tyre breaks ground on truck plant; Rugao is a developing industrial area about two hours' drive from Shanghai. STRC's plant represents an investment of $120 million.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Davis ERJ Akron bureau Shanghai Tyre & Rubber Co. Ltd has broken ground on a truck and OTR tyre plant in Jingsu province that will turn out 2.5 million radial truck tyres a year by 2007. The new plant, in Rugao,...

Better profits reflect higher selling prices; Half-year figures for the major tyre makers show improving income, despite higher raw materials prices. Tightness in capacity for truck tyres and for high performance tyres have enabled the tyre makers to increase selling prices beyond the increase in raw materials costs.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Davis, ERJ Akron bureau The financial health of the tyre industry took a marked turn upward in the first half of 2004, with all of the major multinational tyre firms reporting improved earnings, including Goodyear, which...

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.(Special Report)(Directory)
December 1, 2004... Bridgestone Corp. Africa Nairobi, Kenya (Firestone E Africa) Brits, South Africa Port Elizabeth, South Africa Asia Shenyang, Liaoning, China Tianjin, China Wuxi, Jiangsu, China Indore, Madhya Pradesh,...

Amtel planning to buy Vredestein Banden; Russian tyre maker in detailed discussions with VICO. Both sides expect to conclude a deal in ealry 2005, for Amtel to buy Vredestein's tyre operations.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Vredestein NV, based in Enschede, Netherlands, has confirmed that it is in detailed discussions about selling its tyre unit to Russian tyre maker, Amtel. Rob Oudshoorn chief executive of the Dutch company confirmed to...

What's going on in Russia? Opinion piece about the future of the tyre industry in Russia.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw There are three stories coming out of Russia at the moment. The first is a success story: Michelin's plant at Davydovo. It is a greenfield plant, set up in a low-employment area, and the Michelin people have deliberately...

Freudenberg-NOK buys Jenline.(Briefs)
December 1, 2004... Freudenberg-NOK GP in the US has bought Jenline Industries Ltd of Gloucester, Massachusetts to expand its range of moulded liquid silicone rubber (LSR) parts for healthcare component makers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ...

Farrel chief commits to rubber customers; American mixer maker confirms commitment to rubber industry, as new chief executive takes the helm.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Farrel Corp. is back in the rubber business. Not that they ever officially went away, but the company seemed to lose direction in recent years. That was compounded by a 60-percent fall in North American sales after the...

Crazy prices and Chinese puzzle for hose/belting; All makers of hose, transmission belting and conveyor belts are dogged by high rubber, steel, filler and chemicals prices. And those that haven't already set up production in China are debating whether to take the plunge before it's too late.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Ask anyone in the rubber sector for their preoccupations currently and the same factors come up again and again: raw materials prices, ensuring adequate materials supply, the China syndrome. The latter takes various forms...

Avon hose business develops well.(News)
December 1, 2004... The Avon Rubber plc hose business is performing "in a positive way," with a good half year to September and the forecasts are good, according to Willy Praet, sales director for Avon's European automotive business. Turnover was better than...

Laizhou investing $1 million in belt capacity in China.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Laizhou Rubber and Plastic factory will open its new plant in April 2005. It will be running at full capacity in two to three years, said Yu Xianhong, export sales manager. The parent Yuelong Rubber and Plastic Group is investing about $1...

Fenner buoyant following rising demand.(News)(conveyor belting)
December 1, 2004... Following a period of slow growth in many industrialised markets, conveyor belting is currently experiencing a recovery, especially in North America, according to Fenner. The group, which is among the biggest conveyor belting suppliers...

It's too darn hot-and sometimes cold-under a car's bonnet; Automotive OEMs want hose and belting with good low-temperature performance. Upper temperature limits are creeping up-although some OEMs are designing to keep conditions cooler. Rapid spread of diesel engine use is also making life harder for elastomers.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White It's a tough life under the bonnet of today's cars, with car maker asking for components able to perform well at temperatures down to -40[degrees]C for certain engines, according to Hans-Rafael Winkelbach, director of...

EVA in fuel hose.(News)
December 1, 2004... Hose operating conditions are becoming tougher, providing opportunities for elastomers such as ethylene vinylacetate copolymer (EVM), according to Lanxess GmbH. An example is the fuel hose in new turbocharged Audi models, "where continuous...

Longer-lasting timing belts.(News)
December 1, 2004... Timing belt failure has dropped by up to 8 percent in the last three years, according to ContiTech. The trend is towards " engines that are completely maintenance-free," said Hermann Schulte, who is responsible for timing belt development at...

Gates helps Peugeot in first European EMD system.(Gates Corp. and PSA Peugeot Citroen of Brazil S.A. deal for electro mechanical drive)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... PSA Peugeot's Citroen C model uses a new starter-generator system, developed with help from power transmission experts at Gates Corp. Rapid engine start-up with Electro-Mechanical-Drive (EMD) offers advantages over flywheel-integrated...

'By-wire' offers design flexibility.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Tim Moran Automotive News Some Mercedes-Benz models, such as the SL55 and E class, have partial brake-by-wire technology. In this approach, the links between a vehicle and its driver, including steering, brakes and engine control,...

Trelleborg buys US marine products firm; Swedish company adds US supplier to further integrate dock/marine business.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Trelleborg Group has added US-based Ecoboard-a developer and manufacturer of marine piling and deck constructions-to its marine supply business. Trelleborg's marine offerings cover a wide range of fenders and bouys for...

Rep signs deal with Tung Yu; Taiwanese injection moulding macinery makers are selling equipment into the west, and one is now to make machines for Rep, possibly in China.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw When a western buyer approaches a Taiwanese injection moulding machine maker, both sides expect to negotiate favourable prices. Taiwanese machines sell for about half the price of a typical European injection moulding...

Company profiles.(News)(Jing Day, Tung Yu)(Company Profile)
December 1, 2004... Jing Day Jing Day was set up in 1984 and now employs some 240 people, including 200 in China. The company makes injection moulding machines for rubber together with a few compression presses and some rubber products, including tyre...

New press from Rep.(product introduction of injection presses )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... At K2004, Rep introduced its latest injection moulding press, the G9, having introduced its G8 at K 1998. According to Rep's marketing director Gilbert Greco, the time is right to introduce a new generation of injection moulding machine. ...

Dow says Pernis plant closure is final.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Dow Chemical Co. has no plans to reopen its Pernis, the Netherlands SBR/BR production unit, nor to expand the business from its current two plants in Europe, according to Bill Ray, global marketing chief for Dow Chemical...

Diolen chief details fibres recovery strategy; Competition from Asia can be countered, claims new chief executive of Acordis unit Diolen, but cost cutting will see more than 250 jobs disappear.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh Diolen Industrial Fibers has embarked on a recovery strategy for its [euro]300-million-turnover, high-tenacity polyester fibres business, which is mainly based in Europe. The architect of the plan is Jan Michiels-a...

Brazil expansion.(News)(Cia Bahiana de Fibras SA)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... COBAFI (Cia Bahiana de Fibras SA), Diolen's Brazilian subsidiary, is to increase the yarn-production capacity of its Camacari plant to 19 ktpa from 14 ktpa by 2005, said Leo Janse, Diolen's director overseas activities at the 5 Nov press...

Looking ahead * January/February 2005 issue.(News)
December 1, 2004... * Tire Technology Expo preview An in-depth report on the companies exhibiting and also on the papers that will be presented in the parallel conference. The Expo takes place February 22-24 in Koln, Germany. * Call now for a free copy of...

Oil prices fall away from $50/barrel peaks.(News)(Brief Article)
December 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...

Machinery firms do deals with Chinese partners.(Column)(Column)
December 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw The machinery industry has an ambivalent relationship with China. On the one hand sales to China have kept many of them afloat during the last three or four years. On the other, by selling a machine into the country, you...

Trelleborg technical centre for Shanghai.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Trelleborg is establishing a technical centre in Shanghai, China, to improve its service to automotive customers in the rapidly-expanding Chinese market. Automotive manufacturers are investing to develop the Asian market, which is the...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
December 1, 2004... Cooper-Std begins NVH ops in China * Novi, Michigan-Cooper-Standard Automotive has begun making noise, vibration and harshness control systems at a temporary factory in China and soon will break ground on a permanent facility. The firm...

United Polymers in administration; Future of United Polymers' UK units in question as under utilisation sees the business up for sale.(News)
December 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Rubber and plastics group United Polymers Ltd is about to be up for sale. The group's factories in Maerdy, Wales and Corsham, England are under administration by Adrian Wolstenholme and Alastair Beveridge, partners in...

ACS names 5 award winners, but no Goodyear Medallist.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The ACS Rubber Division has named five winners of its science and technology awards, but for the second consecutive year selected no recipient for its highest honour, the Charles Goodyear Medal. The five award winners will be honored at the...

Global tyre plants 2004 data.(Special Report)
December 1, 2004... The following table lists tyre-making facilities throughout the world. Plant information shows: the year a factory opened; whether some of the workers are represented in a union*; the number of employees at the factory; the types of tyre made...