European Rubber Journal articles from February 2003

European Rubber Journal archives from February 2003

Nordic Capital acquires Maersk Medical: Danish-based catheter, medical business under new ownership. (Rubber news).
February 1, 2003... AP Moller signed an agreement to divest its Maersk Medical A/S unit to investment group Nordic Capital on 13 Dec. The transaction is subject to government approval, which is expected within the next two months, said a statement from AP Moller....

Nokian to build Russian tyre plant with Amtel: finnish, Russian firms to make tyres together in Russia. Nokian claims its Hakkapelitta brand is the best known winter tyre in Scandinavia and Russia. (Rubber news).
February 1, 2003... Nokian Tyres plc and Amtel Holdings BV have finalised the terms of their joint venture agreement which will cover the development, production and sale of passenger car and light truck tyres in Russia and the former Soviet states. The...

Matador to make tyres for Nokian. (Rubber news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... In a separate deal, Nokian Tyres plc has signed a contract with Matador AS under which the Slovakian tyre maker will make Nokian-brand high-speed-rated tyres for the Finnish tyre producer. The tyres, to be made at Matador's Puchov, Slovakia...

Camoplast buys Caterpillar track unit: rubber track business no longer fits at Caterpillar. (Rubber news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Canadian group Camoplast Inc. has purchased Caterpillar Inc.'s rubber-belted track component business, and will supply these parts for both Caterpillar machinery and for other original equipment manufacturers. Caterpillar sold its...

Phoenix gains boost from new partners in China: renewed interest from Chinese shareholders revitalises JV belt business. (Rubber news).
February 1, 2003... New Chinese participants in Phoenix's China-based joint venture Shanxi Phoenix Conveyor Belt Ltd have stimulated new growth in the core conveyor belting business of the German rubber group. This new cooperation with the Shanxi shareholders,...

Adidas-Salomon buys golf ball business.(Dunlop Slazenger Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Herzogenaurach, Germany -- TaylorMade-Adidas Golf, a division of the Adidas-Salomon Group, has bought the Maxfli-brand of golf balls and accessories from Dunlop Slazenger Group Ltd. The acquisition helps strengthen TaylorMade-Adidas Golf's...

Pirelli closing UK plants.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Milan, Italy -- Pirelli SpA has confirmed that its Cables and Systems business is closing two UK plants. The move follows Pirelli's November announcement that it was closing six cables plants worldwide. In Erith, Kent, the group's...

Dana supplying MLS gaskets to Nissan.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Toledo, Ohio--Dana Corp. will supply its "Wave-stopper" multi-layered steel cylinder head gaskets for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd's new 5.61 V-8 engine The new module will power Nissans 2004 full-size Titan pickup and an upcoming, full-size sport...

Carlisle buys waterproof products firm: merger of business will create strong force in construction products business. (Rubber news).(MiraDri)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Carlisle Cos Inc. has acquired waterproofing products manufacturer MiraDri and merged it into its Carlisle SynTec Inc. construction materials operation. The acquisition of Elberton, Georgia-based MiraDri from Ten Cate Nicolon USA bolsters...

Manuli reorganises refrigeration hose unit: Manuli Auto Italia moves to MRI's hydraulics business group and becomes Manuli refrigeration connectors. (Rubber news).(Manuli Rubber Industries SpA)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Manuli Rubber Industries SpA has renamed its Manuli Auto Italia SpA unit Manuli Refrigeration Connectors SpA, and placed it in MRI's Hydraulic Business Group. The changes took effect 1 Dec 2002. The Manuli Refrigeration Connectors unit,...

Dunlop Aerospace gains contract with Fokker.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Shepshed, UK-- Dunlop Aerospace Precision Rubber is to supply a range of elastomeric seals to Fokker Services for the worldwide fleet of Fokker aircraft. The three-year contract covers 50 different parts, including door seals and...

GDX gains new vehicle sealing contracts.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Farmington Hills, Michigan--GDX Automotive has gained new business worth nearly $450 million on two major North American vehicle platforms. General Motors has given GDX Automotive the design and production of the glass-run system on "a...

German firm aims for a billion condoms a year; condom maker will focus on its core business, having expanded production units in eastern Germany and Poland. (Rubber news).
February 1, 2003... During 2002, condom manufacturer Condomi Group hiked capacity at its Erfurt, east Germany plant from 220 to 720 million condoms. And in the longer term the Cologne-headquartered company said it aims to raise production to the 1000 million...

Delphi manager expects recession to continue; automotive supplier predicts difficult 2003 for US manufacturers. (Rubber news).
February 1, 2003... The world's largest automotive supplier, Delphi Corp., is projecting 2003 will be at least as rough as 2002 for manufacturers, with rising health care costs, pension expenses and continued price pressures. "The country is still shaking off...

Conti's rubber wall for buses wins design award; buses are lighter and brighter with translucent rubber. (Rubber news).(A translucent concertina elastomer wall for joining vehicle sections together, which lets in far more light)
February 1, 2003... A translucent concertina elastomer wall for joining vehicle sections together, which lets in far more light than the previous material, gained a design award recently for its developer, ContiTech Elastomer Beschichtungen GmbH. The new...

Australian group Austrim regroups rubber units: Australian automotive supplier creates continent's largest non-tyre rubber grouping. (Rubber news).(Austrim Automotive)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Austrim Automotive, a division of Austrim Nylex Ltd, has started to consolidate its three rubber businesses at a redeveloped site in Bendigo, Victoria. Together, the Victoria-based units--Empire Rubber of Bendigo, Mills Elastomers in Dandenong...

Continental Ag. (ERJ people).(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... CONTINENTAL AG has appointed Martien de Louw (below), previously with DAF TRUCKS in Europe, to the company's executive board, where he will be responsible for the passenger tyre division, with effect from 1 Feb 2008

Chemical Division of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (ERJ people).(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Joseph Copeland has been named president of the CHEMICAL DIVISION Of THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER Co. Jonathan Rich has been named president of GOODYEAR'S NORTH AMERICAN TIRE unit. Rich who was head of the GOODYEAR CHEMICAL division, takes over...

Lord Corp. (ERJ people).(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... LORD CORP. has lured chemicals industry veteran Richard McNeel (below) out of retirement to be its president and ceo. McNeel, a group vice president for BP CHEMICALS In Lndon until retiring 1 Jan, fills a presidency that has been vacant...

Avon Rubber Plc. (ERJ people).(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... AVON RUBBER PLC has appointed Neil Carpenter marketing and business development director for its worldwide Technical Products operations.

Wellington Holdings Plc. (ERJ people).(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Chris Wilkins (right) has been appointed ceo and managing director of WELLINGTON HOLDINGS PLC with effect from 2 December 2002. Wilkins replaces Peter Bennett, who will retire in the New Year due to health problems. Wilkins is a former European...

Zeon Chemicals LP. (ERJ people).(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Gary Grindrod has been promoted to president and COO of ZEON CHEMICALS LP in the US.

Advanced Elastomer Systems LP. (ERJ people).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... ADVANCED ELASTOMER SYSTEMS LP has made Jeff Davis (below) its new general manager, following EXXONMOBIL CHEMICAL CO.'S acquisition of SOLUTIA INC.'S 50 percent stake in AES.

Engineered Polymer Products. (ERJ people).(appointment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Ed Hart has been appointed president of the ENGINEERED POLYMER PRODUCTS business unit of GOODRICH CORP.

ERJ Americas tyre map published.(European Rubber Journal)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] London -- European Rubber Journal has published the latest version of its map of tyre plants in the Americas. The revised and updated map lists every tyre plant--almost 100--from Canada down to Argentina. For each plant, it shows...

Sumitomo to swallow Ohtsu in reorganisation: efficiency to improve as Sumitomo subsidiary is incorporated. Sports, industrial units will be separated out. (Tyre news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd is to consolidate Ohtsu Tire and Rubber Co. Ltd, a 51-percent-owned subsidiary, into the group. The reorganisation is part of an efficiency plan, which will also see Sumitomo's sports goods and industrial products...

Goodyear continues jobs-for-profits strategy: more jobs to go in US as tyre maker strives for profitability. (Tyre news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has announced 700 job losses at its corporate headquarters and tyre operations in North America. The cuts are the latest in a series of restructuring measures at Goodyear, which has struggled to stem a decline in...

BMW fits PAX tyres to new Rolls Royce.(BMW AG will equip its 2004 Rolls Royce Phantom with Groupe Michelin's PAX runflat tyre-wheel system)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Detroit, Michigan -- BMW AG will equip its 2004 Rolls Royce Phantom with Groupe Michelin's PAX runflat tyre-wheel system as standard equipment when the car reaches dealer showrooms in April. The Phantom is the first Rolls Royce designed...

Michelin to buy German tyre distributor.(Group Viborg)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Clermond-Ferrand, France -- Groupe Michelin subsidiary Euromaster is to acquire Group Viborg's European tyre distribution business for around 300 million [euro] The companies signed an agreement on the deal 18 Dec, said Michelin, noting that...

Apollo Tyres gains IFC loan for expansion: radial truck tyre expansion project in India gets $35-million loan. (Tyre news).(International Finance Corp.)
February 1, 2003... Indian tyre maker Apollo Tyres Ltd has secured backing from International Finance Corp., a World Bank unit, for a $51-million project to establish a plant for radial truck tyres at Vadodara, Gujarat. The grant will also help Apollo to upgrade...

Bridgestone backs Firestone brand: rumors of the demise of the Firestone brand dismissed. (Tyre news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Bridgestone officials have categorically dismissed as "untrue" two separate Japanese newswire reports that the group was to kill off the Firestone brand in the OE tyre market following the massive US recalls of 2000/1. "Bridgestone will...

Bridgestone to automate tyre manufacture.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Tokyo -- Bridgestone Corp. has revealed a new, automated tyre production system. The system automates the entire sequence of processes in tyre making, from initial processing at materials to inspection of finished tyres. Bridgestone...

UK to use scrap tyre process.(Environmental Waste International Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Ajax, Ontario -- Canadian machinery maker Environmental Waste International Inc. (EWI) has closed the first ever sale of its `Reverse Polymerisation Tire Processing Plant' to a private UK company. The unnamed buyer plans to locate and...

Fire at Goodyear Wolverhampton.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Birmingham, UK -- Production at Goodyear UK's tyro Wolverhampton factory was halted for several hours by a major fire on 4 Jan. The company has started an investigation into the incident, which started at a compounding line, according...

Bekaert buys two Slovak wire makers: steel cord major's buy will raise its market share in growing east European market. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... NV Bekaert SA has signed an agreement to buy Drotovna Kordy AS, which makes tyre cord and bead wire, as well as its sister company steel wire maker Drotovna Droty AS. No financial details of the deal were released. Both firms are based at...

PolyOne to cut 400 jobs to lower costs: most cuts in North America, in bid to slash administration costs. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... PolyOne Corp. has announced 400 job cuts, to improve its profitability by reducing sales and administrative costs. The move will save $30 million and $35 million pre tax annually, from the second quarter of 2003. The firm said it will implement...

Ameripol Synpol files for bankruptcy protection: suitor ISP is ready to turn ailing SBR business around. (Supplier news).
February 1, 2003... Synthetic rubber producer Ameripol Synpol Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 16 Dec, but International Specialty Products Inc. is ready to make an offer to take over the firm's assets. Wayne, New Jersey-based ISP, a maker...

Butadiene gets reclassified.(from "probable carcinogen" to "carcinogen")(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Washington -- The Environmental Protection Agency has reclassified 1,3-butadiene, a major component in synthetic rubber, from "probable carcinogen" to "carcinogen." The agency issued a document on the reclassification, basing its...

ERCA sets chemical labelling guidelines.(European Rubber Chemicals Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Richmond, UK -- The European Rubber Chemicals Association has produced guidelines for packaging and labelling of rubber chemicals. Such standardised labelling should aid identification and make handling of rubber chemicals safer, ERCA said....

PolyOne, Nanocor to make nanocomposites: venture will assess benefits of reinforcing elastomers with nanoclays. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... PolyOne Corp and Nanocor Inc., a major supplier of nanoclays, have formed an alliance to make and market new nanocomposite materials. As well as using plastics such as polyolefins and polyvinyl chloride, the JV will investigate rubbers,...

Pelmar Engineering buys Dunlop tennis ball plant: following Dunlop Sport's decision to shut German tennis ball plant, Israeli refurbisher takes on the equipment. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Pelmar Engineering of Ramat Hasharon in Israel has acquired the production line from Dunlop Sport/Slazenger UK's tennis ball factory in Hanau, Germany and removed it from the plant. Dunlop Sport/Slazenger had closed the Hanau facility to...

Smithers reorganises.(Smithers Scientific Services Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Akron Ohio -- Smithers Scientific Services Inc. has reorganised to reflect its March 2002 purchase of a company specialising in environmental toxicology and analytical studies. The new structure consists of three independent firms...

Kolon to make PET fibre in China.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Seoul, South Korea -- Kolon is to invest South Korean Won 50 000 million ($43 million) to set up a polyester tyre cord production plant in Nanjing, China, a company executive confirmed. The facility will come on-stream in 2004 with an...

Berstorff opens in Moscow.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] Hanover, Germany -- Rubber and plastics machinery firm Berstorff GmbH has opened a sales office in Moscow. The Hanover-based extruder maker sees "enormous potential" as Russia emerges from political and economic uncertainly. The Russian...

Date for Maastricht IRC announced.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... [] London -- IRC 2005 will take place from 7 to 9 June 2005, at the MECC in Maastricht, The Netherlands. The event is a joint project between the UK's Institute of Materials, Metals and Mining (Io[M.sup.3]), the BPRI of Belgium and the VKRT,...

NR price surge to slow following lower demand: slowing growth in China's NR use in 2003/4 is major factor in latest NR price forecast. (Supplier news).(natural rubber)
February 1, 2003... Prospects for a sustained rise in natural rubber prices over the next two years have receded, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's latest quarterly report on industrial raw materials (IRM). The London-based group's view is based...

Indonesia to boost NR output. (Supplier news).(natural rubber)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Indonesia's natural rubber output will rise between three and live percent in 2003, despite the country's pledge to cut production under a now rubber agreement, according to Suharto Honggokusumo, secretary-general of Gapkindo, its rubber...

JSR to source S-SBR from Dow, grow capacity: JSR extending S-SBR supply capability, both in Europe and Japan. (Supplier news).(JSR Corp. of Japan)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Japanese SR maker JSR Corp. has entered a contract manufacturing agreement with Dow Europe GmbH, under which Dow is to supply Tokyo-based JSR with S-SBR (solution styrene butadiene rubber) from its plant in Schkopau, Germany. JSR also...

EPDM faces competition, overcapacity: the EPDM business is facing competition from other ethylene-based materials, meanwhile new plants and a drop in demand in 2001 have eased the tight capacity situation. (Ethylene elastomers).(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2003... There has been so much change in the ethylene elastomers scenery over the last five years that the sector is all but unrecognisable. And yet, the much smaller EPDM sector continues to face many of the same concerns as five years ago. Even...

Crompton aims for growth in Asia. (Ethylene elastomers).(Crompton Corp.)
February 1, 2003... According to Joe Gatto, head of Crompton's EPDM business, "The playing field has widened." He added that ethylene-based "TPE materials are more of a growth area than conventional EPDM." Gatto said Crompton has been looking hard at the TPV...

Geismar plant wins OSHA award. (Ethylene elastomers).(Crompton Corp. plant)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Crompton Corp.'s Uniroyal EPDM plant at Geismar, Louisiana has been awarded the coveted Star award from the US Government's Occupational Safety & Health Administration. This award, given to only around one manufacturing site in 10 000, said...

DDE metallocene grades are growing. (Ethylene elastomers).(DuPont Dow Elastomers)
February 1, 2003... According to Torkel Rhenman, head of DuPont Dow Elastomers' EPDM business, the markets for EPDM itself have not changed significantly over the last few years, "The markets looking at EPDM are very much the traditional thermoset market except...

Ethylene-octene grows at 30 percent. (Ethylene elastomers).
February 1, 2003... According to Jane Austin, business director of Engage polymers at DuPont Dow Elastomers, ethylene-octene polymer sales are growing fast. "We just sold the 1000 millionth pound of Engage polymer," (around 450 000 tonnes), said Austin. She...

CMR summarises TPO industry. (Ethylene elastomers).(thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers; report from Chemical Market Resources Inc.)
February 1, 2003... The thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers industry has largely evolved during the last ten to 15 years. The industry has enjoyed very high growth rates in all segments of tire cud-use markets, Automotive applications have accounted for the...

SNCP investigates Thai rubber industry. (Thai rubber industry).(Syndicat National du Caoutchouc et des Polymeres)
February 1, 2003... Although Japanese automotive companies and their suppliers have well-established partnerships in Thailand, the country also offers good prospects for European rubber processors looking for partners in the region, according to a recent report....

Compound quality in the mixing room: This paper from Krupp shows how raw material variations can affect final mix quality and throws more light on the differences between intermeshing mixers and tangential types, notably in the mixing of EPDM-based compounds. (EPDM mixing).
February 1, 2003... Most rubber processors know that the compound is a critical part of component design. Choose the right compound, and it can save money, improve quality, enhance repeatability and reduce overall production time. Incorrect compound choice,...

Shining new light on a dark area: carbon science has seen some major breakthroughs over recent years, which have significant implications for the carbon black sector. But is the science of this industrial material being neglected by manufacturers? Developments are also afoot in production technology with a plasma process arousing interest. (Carbon Black 2002).
February 1, 2003... The last 20 years have seen dramatic developments in the science of carbon, and consequent revelations about the nature of its industrial cousin carbon black--some of the latter arising from research by Professor Jean-Baptiste Donnet of the...

Plasma process for the future. (Rubber news).(new process for making carbon black)
February 1, 2003... In 2002, seven million tonnes of carbon black was produced, 99 percent of 11 by the "very well known process," of incomplete combustion developed 60 years ago and "still much the same now," said Laurent Fulcheri of the Ecole des Mines de Paris...

New Michelin materials unit. (Rubber news).(for developing raw materials)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Michelin reorganised its raw materials research in Sept 2002 and set up a new unit. This will focus completely on raw materials development, especially elastomers and fillers, said Pierre Robert, who will head the unit. Speaking at Carbon...

Ringing the changes. (Rubber news).(new ring extruder from Buhler)
February 1, 2003... Buhler's new ring extruder, designed for continuous mixing of rubber, is "a unique machine," with 12 co-rotating intermeshing rotors, said Bernhardt Fritsche, head of Buhler's R&D section. The device gives high shear at the screw contact...

European car sales down three percent in 2002. (ERJ dataflow).(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... [GRAPHICS OMITTED] 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...

Diary.(calendar of upcoming events)(Calendar)
February 1, 2003... Readers are strongly advised to confirm details with organisers before making any travel arrangements. An updated list of industry events is available on the ERJ website at http://www.crain.co.uk/ JANUARY * Functional additives for...

Rubber, plastic and TPEs now offer a full spectrum. (postscript).(thermoplastic elastomers)(Column)
February 1, 2003... Ever since I started looking at the rubber industry, I have thought it wrong that people should define the industry by the materials it uses. The process of looking backwards to materials and processes limits the options that a company can...