European Rubber Journal articles from January 2004

European Rubber Journal archives from January 2004

Trelleborg to acquire Metzeler auto hose unit; automotive hose unit at Trelleborg to nearly double in turnover.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... Trelleborg AB is buying Metzeler Automotive Hose Systems, part of Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems SA, for SKr 275 million ($37.5 million). The $78.5-million turnover hose operation has about 850 employees. Metzeler Automotive Hose...

MAPS majors in profiles.(Rubber news)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems opened a European technical centre at Lindau, Germany, in October 2003. This unit gives Metzeler a facility for "future-oriented, technical, highly qualified research and development work," said a company...

Yokohama expanding tyre manufacture in Asia: Thai plant to have capacity for 600 000 heavy tyres a year by 2007. China plant's capacity to be 1.4 million car tyres a year by end of next year.(Rubber news)(Yokohama Rubber Co.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Yokohama Rubber Co. is to invest [yen] 5500 million ($51 million) to establish a truck and us tyre manufacturing operation in Rayong province, south of Bangkok. The group--Japan's No 3 tyre maker after Bridgestone Corp. and Sumitomo Rubber...

Koch targets DuPont's tyre cord JVs: acquisition following DuPont's sale of fibres unit may change the shape of the tyre cord sector.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... DuPont's agreement to sell its Invista fibres and intermediates unit to Koch Industries Inc. for $4400 million also includes letters of intent on the sale of Invista's holdings in tyre-cord reinforcement makers DuSa International and Branta...

Avon Rubber sells French unit for 4.67 million [pounds sterling]: crawler track not core business for Avon--but it is for buyer.(Rubber News)(Avon Spencer Moulton SA )(Nova Participations SAS )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Avon Rubber plc has sold its Avon Spencer Moulton SA unit to Nova Participations SAS for 4.67 million [pounds sterling] ($5.56 million). The 12.1-million [pounds sterling] turnover Avon Spencer Moulton unit, based in Malesherbes near Paris, was...

PPE develops FKM/PEEK bond.(ERJ newsbrief)
January 1, 2004... [] Blackburn, UK -- A new method for bonding fluoroelastomers to engineering plastic polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is claimed to be simpler and to produce a much stronger bond than conventional methods. FKM/PEEK combinations are comon in...

GDX to close French automotive sealing plant: closure of French plant follows poor third quarter results for automotive profiles maker.(Rubber news)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... GDX Automotive aims to close its profiles unit Snappon SA, based in Chartres, France, in the first half of 2004. Snappon is one of three GDX Automotive facilities located in France: the others are in St Nicolas and Corvas. The planned...

Polimeri Europa plant sold to Taiwanese firm: break-up of ENI's major rubber business starts with Texas TPE plant going to Taiwan-based company.(Rubber news)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Polimeri Europa SpA has sold its 50-kilotonnes-per-annum styrenic block copolymer plant in Baytown, Texas, to Lee Chang Yung Chemical Industry Corp. of Taiwan, for $41 million. The sale is the first under a plan by ENI SpA--Polimeri's...

Armani chooses Marangoni.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Verona, Italy -- Green Marangoni Zeta Linea tyres are being used on the Mercedes Benz CCLK cabriolet designed by Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani (left). The military green tyres accompany leather interior trim and matt...

Michelin to invest in Chinese market.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Beijing -- Groupe Michelin plans to invest in a major way in China, according to Jean-Marc Francois, Michelin's Asia-Pacific president. "In the next five to 10 years, we will invest several hundred million dollars in China," Francois...

United Polymers extends sponge facilities: new uses being sought for soft EPDM sponge.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... UK-based automotive moulder United Polymers has added extensive capability for moulding sponge EPDM to its existing rubber-to-metal bonding and rubber moulding operations. The sponge moulding process was initially developed in coordination...

Pan-Atlantic agreement.(Rubber news)(United Polymers)(American Rubber Products Corp.)
January 1, 2004... United Polymers signed a deal with American Rubber Products Corp. in mid-2003 under which each will make and market the other's products in Europe and North America. ARP needed to satisfy its major customer Visteon Corp.'s demands for a...

Conti's Czech profiles plant refused local help: ContiTech waiting to go with new plant.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... Continental plans to build a SlKr300-million ($9-million) factory in Dolne Vestenice, Slovak Republic, to make automotive sealing systems. ContiTech Profile Slovakia, which is in charge of the project, has already bought the necessary land and...

Simrit opens Mexican plant.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Freudenberg-NOK GP's Simrit industrial sealing division opened O-ring plant)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Plymouth, Michigan -- Freudenberg-NOK GP's Simrit industrial sealing division has opened a new O-ring plant in Mexico to serve the North American market. The 5000-[m.sup.2] facility, in Queretaro, produces O-rings and custom moulded...

Tenneco restates Q3 result.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Tenneco Automotive Inc)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Lake Forest, Illinois -- Tenneco Automotive Inc. restated its third-quarter sales and earnings to reflect an oversight in its German operations and lower interest expense of $2 million in connection with the refinancing of some of its debt...

EU challenges Indian anti-dumping policy: Indian imposition of tariffs on imports unjust, says EU.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... The European Union has formally complained to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about India's increasing use of antidumping tariffs to protect its industries. The products affected include nitrile and styrenic rubber as well as flexible...

China targets rubber imports.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... The People's Republic of China has launched an anti-dumping probe into imports of polychloroprene rubber from Japan, the US and the European Union. The investigation, which covers a 12-month period to 30 June, is in response to complaints...

Dana to focus on OE.(ERJ newsbrief)(original equipment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Toledo, Ohio -- Dana Corp. plans to divest its Automotive Aftermarket Group in 2004 and focus on the original equipment marketplace. "The move will enable us to leverage our historic strengths in product and process technology to the...

Novesta gains boot contract.(ERJ newsbrief)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Prague -- Czech company Novesta won a tender to equip firemen in the Baltic state of Latvia with over 4000 pairs of its rubber shoes before end of the year. Managing director Robert Bordas did not tell ERJ how much Novesta will receive...

Canada builds first steel-elastomer bridge.(ERJ newsbrief)
January 1, 2004... [] A lightweight construction system based on steel-elastomer sandwich technology has been used in Canada for quick replacement of a bridge swept away by spring floodwater. Canam Systems, a division of The Canam Manac Group, used the new...

Matador enters JV with Addis in Ethiopia: Slovak tyre group invests in Africa.(Rubber news)(Addis Tyre, of Addis Ababa)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Market-leading Slovak tyre maker Matador AS is to team up with state-owned Ethiopian tyre company Addis Tyre, of Addis Ababa. The former will have a 65 percent stake in the new joint venture and the latter the remaining 35 percent. The JV,...

Tochigi at full capacity Oct '04.(ERJ newsbrief)(Bridgestone Corp. expects its Tochigi, Japan, plant to be running at full capacity by this time)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Las Vegas, Nevada -- Bridgestone Corp. expects its Tochigi, Japan, plant to be running at full capacity by October 2004 after a massive fire damaged the factory in September, the tyre maker's top executive said recently. Shigeo...

Goodyear/Dunlop upgrade.(ERJ newsbrief)
January 1, 2004... [] Nottingham, UK--The Goodyear Dunlop tyres plant at Washington, Tyne and Wear, UK, has installed a new mixer controller and other equipment as part of an upgrade to its rubber compounding operation. In a retrofit to one of the mixing...

Goodyear's net loss grows.(ERJ newsbrief)( Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Akron, Ohio -- The discovery of "possible improper accounting issues" in Europe has forced Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to delay filing an amended financial accounts statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC filing...

Belgian group buys Huber+Suhner roller unit: Hannecard-Kalker grows in high-end roller segments with Swiss acquisition.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... Roller-covering group Hannecard-Kalker NV is expanding its operations by buying the industrial rollers and polyurethane moulding unit of Huber+Suhner AG, of Pfaffikon, Switzerland. "This is a strategic acquisition for us" said Gunthram...

Shrinking the business.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... Huber+Suhner is keeping a unit making specialised products for the spinning industry. These include rubber-covered spin cylinders, as well as maintenance equipment, sold under the Berkol trade name. The Swiss group says it has more than 50...

Regent snares glove contract.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Norcross, Georgia -- Regent Medical Americas has signed a three-year pact to produce powder-free rubber latex and non-latex surgical gloves with Novation. The US group is the medical supply company for two US hospital agencies, VHA Inc. and...

Chevron AVS for Serbian locos.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Trelleborg Industrial AVS)
January 1, 2004... [] Leicester, UK -- Electric locomotives for trains delivering coal to Serbia's main power station are being fitted with chevron springs from Trelleborg Industrial AVS, based in Leicester. The primary suspension of these trains will use the...

ThyssenKrupp advances Asian production plans: plant in China gets go-ahead as German machinery maker licenses Indian firm to make tyre presses.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... ThyssenKrupp Elastomertechnik GmbH expects to choose a location for its first plant in China early next year, according to Frank Horch, the company's chairman. The Hamburg-based firm is also extending a licensing deal with Alfred Herbert...

Owner sells Safic-Alcan.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Daniel Lebard Management Development)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Frankfurt, Germany -- MG Technologies has sold its Safic Alcan unit to Daniel Lebard Management Development, (DLMD), which has financial support from French leveraged buy-out specialists, Alpha Associes. The price of the deal, backdated to 1...

Semiconductor plants sealed better.(ERJ newsbriefs)
January 1, 2004... [] Cleveland, Ohio -- Parker Hannifin Corp. says its new centering ring seal assemblies (pictured) have better sealing on the vacuum pump systems used for today's semiconductor KF and ISO manufacturing plants. Use of nitrile, fluorocarbon...

Oil States Industries widens elastomer assets: expansion of rubber interests by US offshore supplier adds to last year's buy of rubber moulder.(Rubber news)(CDI Regal International)
January 1, 2004... Oil States Industries Inc., an Arlington, Texas-headquartered supplier of equipment to the oil sector, has acquired some elastomer assets--the Regal International product line--from competitor CDI Regal International. The Regal business...

Avon back in the black, as mask business grows: lower demand, pricing pressure in automotive were balanced by higher sales of respirators and diary liners, says Avon boss Steve Willcox.(Rubber news)(Avon Rubber PLC)
January 1, 2004... Strong performance in two markets where Avon Rubber plc has valuable niches--milking liners and military respirators--aided the Bradford-on-Avon, UK-headquartered group's return to the black in 2003. Steve Willcox, Avon's chief executive,...

AlphaGary adds lines at UK, US plants: plants expand to meet rising demand for TPEs and EVAs, such as the Evoprene used in Dragerwerk AG's safety mask.(Rubber news)(thermoplastic elastomers, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer )
January 1, 2004... AlphaGary Corp. is to add capacity next year at compounding plants in Melton Mowbray, UK, and Pineville, North Carolina. The UK plant will gain two extrusion lines while Pineville will receive a new extrusion line. The moves will create 20...

CR plant closure delayed.(ERJ newsbriefs)(DuPont Dow Elastomers LLC to continue to operate its Louisville Neoprene site will through 2006)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Louisville, Kentucky -- DuPont Dow Elastomers LLC will continue to operate its Louisville Neoprene site will through 2006. DuPont Dow is relocating all US Neoprene production to its LaPlace, Lousiana, facility, making it DDE's only CR...

UCB sells chemicals unit.(ERJ newsbriefs)(sold its Taminco methylamines and derivatives business to NIB Capital Private Equity)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Brussels -- Belgian pharmaceutical and chemicals group UCB has sold its Taminco methylamines and derivatives business to NIB Capital Private Equity, for 115 million [pounds sterling]. Ghent, Belgium-headquartered Taminco supplies the...

Ford orders price cuts.(ERJ newsbriefs)
January 1, 2004... [] Ford Motor Co. has ordered its suppliers to cut prices 3.5 percent by 1 Jan and has warned them to expect broader price cuts in 2004. The proposed reduction "is designed to ensure that we maintain momentum in our drive to achieve...

Herbert moves into US mould manufacturing: direct milled tyre moulds will be made in US as well as Germany.(Rubber news)
January 1, 2004... German tyre machinery and mould maker Herbert Maschinenbau GmbH and US mould maker Barron Benson Inc. have created a joint venture that will operate Herbert's first North American manufacturing site. The partnership, Herbert-Barron Benson,...

Zeon halts SR production over safety lapses: breach of safety forces temporary halt of production of SBR and other rubbers.(Rubber news)(synthetic rubber )(styrene-butadiene rubber)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Zeon Corp. has resumed operations at its Tokuyama and Mizushima plants in Japan, the company announced 5 Dec. The group shut down the facilities in November, after discovering that plant safety checks had not been carried out to standards...

Rotor mixes better, faster.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Farrel Corp.)
January 1, 2004... [] Cleveland, Ohio -- Farrel Corp. claims to have blended the best characteristics of the intermeshing and tangential mixers into a new wing rotor design dubbed NST. The hybrid design provides better mixing quality and improved...

ATV uses novel TPV/PP air duct.(ERJ newsbriefs)(all-terrain vehicle)
January 1, 2004... [] Brussels -- Flexibility in the ends of a novel air duct for the Predator ATV (all-terrain vehicle) comes from use of Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanisate from Advanced Elastomer Systems. The air duct for Polaris Industries Inc.'s ATV...

IISRP awards announced.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers has awarded honours to Albert Moore, retired from DuPont Dow Elastomers IIc, and Prof Eckhard Loser, formerly of Bayer AG. The IISRP Technical Award goes to Moore for his...

Honour for Gunter Beyer.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Jack Spergel Memorial Award )(Eupen AG )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Dr Gunter Beyer, of cable producer Eupen AG in Eupen, Belgium, received the Jack Spergel Memorial Award in November in the US, during the International Wire and Cable symposium (IWCS) 2003 for his work on nanocomposites as flame retardants...

Hirrt gets ASTM award.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Hitec Luxembourg SA )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Pierre Hirrt of Hitec Luxembourg SA has been given a distinguished service award by the ASTM for his work on ASTM Technical Committee D24, which handles standardisation in the carbon black industry.

Carlisle CFO resigns.(ERJ newsbriefs)(Kirk Vincent has resigned as vice president and chief financial officer of Carlisle Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Charlotte, North Carolina--Kirk Vincent has resigned as vice president and chief financial officer of Carlisle Cos. Inc. to purse other business opportunities. Richmond McKinnish, Carlisle president and ceo, said Vincent's decision does not...

IRSG seeks new chief.(ERJ newsbriefs)(International Rubber Study Group)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] London -- The International Rubber Study Group is looking for a new secretary-general, a post currently held by Dr A F S Budiman.

Harry Boon will retire as managing director and chief executive officer of Ansell Ltd. at the end of June, 2004.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... [] Harry Boon will retire as managing director and chief executive officer of ANSELL LTD. at the end of June, 2004. Boon has been with Ansell for 27 years and was named ceo two years ago. He spent 13 years as managing director when it was a...

Thailand has proposed Sang Udomjarumani as the first chief executive of the International Rubber Consortium Ltd, (IRCO), the group formed to support NR prices.
January 1, 2004... Thailand has proposed Sang Udomjarumani as the first chief executive of the INTERNATIONAL RUBBER CONSORTIUM LTD, (IRCO), the group formed to support NR prices. Sang is a director at THAI RUBBER LATEX CORP. (THAILAND) PCL.

Eliokem.(appointed Richard Levy chief operating officer, Rick Sandford director of corporate marketing and strategies and Patrick Freche director of technology)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... ELIOKEM has appointed Richard Levy as chief operating officer, Rick Sandford as director of corporate marketing and strategies and Patrick Freche as director of technology. They report to Jacques Collonge, who stays as chief executive.

Former ERJ publisher dies.(Rubber news)(European Rubber Journal)(Obituary)
January 1, 2004... [] Hudson, Ohio -- Ernest Zielasko, the retired publisher of European Rubber Journal and co-founder and publisher of our sister magazine, Urethanes Technology, died of cancer 13 Dec. He was 84. He had encouraged Crain Communications Inc. to...

Trelleborg enters third phase: at Trelleborg's annual capital markets day, chief executive Fredrik Arp presented a profile of his company, and announced the formation of a new division, Trelleborg Sealing Systems, made up of the former units of Busak + Shamban, Forsheda and Dowry Seals.(Trelleborg profile)
January 1, 2004... Trelleborg AB is now in the third phase of its restructuring programme, according to Fredrik Arp, chief executive officer. This phase will be characterised by slower growth, and smaller, more focussed acquisitions, he said. The 700-million...

Sealing systems unit is driven by marketing: Trelleborg's new sealing unit generates twice the profits of any of its competitors. Claus Barsoe, president, explains that this is done by adopting a marketing approach, rather than relying on technology or any other single specialism.(Trelleborg profile)(Trelleborg Sealing Systems)
January 1, 2004... Claus Barsoe, president of the Trelleborg Sealing Systems business has been one of the key driving forces in the unit throughout the turbulent history of acquisition by TI Group plc and then Smiths Group plc. Looking completely at home in its...

Process analysers come of age: ten years ago Alpha Technologies introduced a new machine called the rubber processability analyser. It has taken a decade for competitors to arrive on the scene, but in the final months of 2003, five different companies introduced machines which do something very similar to the RPA.(Processability testing)
January 1, 2004... Testing for processability has been one of the betes noirs of the rubber industry. Often, said Philip Prescott, owner and founder of Prescott Instruments, a company only discovers one of its compounds is off-specification, when technicians run...

HSE focus on latex allergy; UK Health and Safety Authority draws attention to latex allergies in the workplace with a web site devoted to raising awareness of the problem.(Health and safety)
January 1, 2004... The UK's Health & Safety Executive, the government organisation responsible for improving workplace conditions, is presently targeting occupational asthma, particularly in the healthcare sector. It formally launched a section on its website to...

European passenger car sales continue to decline.(ERJ dataflow)
January 1, 2004... Price trend (red) of Brent Crude spot over the last 12 months. Chart supplied by WTRG economics Information We present here a series of charts and tables which are meant to give a snapshot of how the rubber industry is performing....

Diary.(Calendar)
January 1, 2004... 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 * Mixing of rubber compounds,...

Natural rubber price on the rise.(postscript)
January 1, 2004... It has been a while since I have written about natural rubber. That is deliberate. Although I find the natural rubber sector one of the most fascinating areas of the whole rubber business, many readers think just the opposite. A couple of years...