European Rubber Journal articles from January 2008

European Rubber Journal archives from January 2008

Marine hose cartel members fined, jailed; * Rubber execs charged, pleas, penalties agreed* Trials set for May 2008.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw A series of rubber industry professionals has been charged, fined and imprisoned following their arrest last May for allegedly conspiring to fix the price of marine hoses. The highest profile executive is former...

Faurecia wins award for auto seal without corner mouldings; * TPE seal extruded directly onto door* Idea wins SPE award.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Faurecia, a French automotive systems supplier, has won an award for a car door seal that is directly extruded onto the door, rather than assembled from straight extrusions and corner mouldings. The seal is made from...

ASTM proposes standard for rubber allergens.(News)
January 1, 2008... The American Standards body, ASTM, has proposed a new standard to test for allergens in rubber. WK16334, test method for the immunological measurement of four principal allergenic protein (Hev b 1, 3, 5 and 6.02) in natural rubber and its...

NASA and Goodyear to develop moon tyre; * Blowouts undesireable * Work to build on 1960s lunar programme.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: Simona Stankovska Goodyear Tyre and the NASA Glenn Research Center are working together to develop non-pneumatic tyres for use on the moon, and eventually on Mars. According to a 13 Dec statement from Goodyear, the company and...

Goodyear merges, East, West European business units.(News)
January 1, 2008... Goodyear has created a new business unit which encompasses all of its former European Union (EU) and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) regional activities. Arthur de Bok will head the new unit, following the retirement of Jarro...

briefs.
January 1, 2008... Quebec issues mandate for snow tyres Quebec city, Quebec, Canada - The province of Quebec has issued a law requiring all passenger vehicles, taxis and rental cars to put on a full set of four snow tyres between 15 Nov. and 1 Apr., beginning...

Hungary pays Hankook subsidies - but deep labour problems remain; * No problem with government subsidies* Labour relations still difficult.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw A spokeswoman for The Hungarian Investment and Trade Development Agency has said all its arrangements with Hankook Tyre are proceeding normally. The spokeswoman added that there are no delays in the procedure and both...

briefs.(Maxxis International)(Michelin Italiana S.p.A.)(Peugeot S.A.)
January 1, 2008... Michelin restructuring in Spain to cost [euro]143 million Paris - Michelin said its previously-announced restructuring operations in Spain are expected to cost around [euro]143 million On 3 Oct, 2007 Michelin presented to the bodies...

Apollo to build [euro]200 m car tyre plant in Hungary; * Located just outside Budapest* Initial capacity of 7m u/y.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: Simona Stankovska Apollo Tyre plans to acquire 50 hectares of land in Hungary, and invest [euro]200 million, in order to build a passenger car radial tyre plant with initial annual capacity of 7 million tyres, which is expected to...

Apollo to invest [euro]19 m to expand radial car tyre capacity.(News)
January 1, 2008... Apollo Tyres has announced that it will invest Rs 1080 million ([euro]19 million) in the next fiscal year to raise production capacity for passenger car radial (PCR) tyres from 300 000 to 450 000 per month at its plant in Limda, to serve both...

Conti warns against rolling resistance labelling; * Legislation may lead to unsafe compromises* Test link to poor braking.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Dr. Burkhard Wies, Continental's head of replacement passenger tyre development, is advising against the imposition of rolling resistance labelling on consumer tyres. In a statement on Conti's website, he said,...

briefs.
January 1, 2008... Continental to renegotiate Tier 2 contracts Hanover, Germany - Continental AG will restructure contracts with its suppliers following its $16 800-million acquisition of Siemens' VDO automotive unit. "We started talking to our suppliers...

Marangoni adapts to new environment by changing structure, strategy.(News)
January 1, 2008... Marangoni Group said it has begun a process that will result in a change to its strategies and organisational structure. Massimo De Alessandri, ceo of Marangoni Spa said, "In emerging markets, and in particular in the BRIC area (Brazil -...

EC fines chloroprene cartel [euro]243 million; * Fines take account of previous offences, help* ENI hit hardest, Denka to fight fine, Lanxess blew whistle.(Suppliers)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw The European Commission has fined producers of chloroprene rubber [euro]243.2 million for market sharing and price fixing. This was reduced from over [euro]460 million by leniency clauses. Bayer, Denka, DuPont, Dow,...

briefs.
January 1, 2008... Lanxess claims 'Nanopren' tyre additive reduces wear, but does not affect grip or energy loss Leverkusen, Germany - Speciality chemicals group Lanxess has developed Nanoprene, a new high-performance rubber additive for tyres, which it...

US scientists develop shape-memory rubber; * Material is "ridiculously simple" to make* Properties can be tuned.(Suppliers)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Scientists at the University of Rochester in New York have developed a shape-memory rubber. The material, described in the journal Advanced Materials, forms a new class of shape-memory polymers, which are materials that...

Lanxess buys controlling stake in Petroflex for Euro 198 million; * Lanxess takes 70% stake* Wins Brazilian capacity for BR, SBR, NBR.(Suppliers)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Lanxess is to buy about 70 percent of the equity in Petroflex SA, Brazil, at a provisional price equivalent to [euro]198 million. Petroflex, a listed company based in Rio de Janeiro, is among the world's large-scale...

Connecticut researchers say artificial turf is not safe.(Suppliers)
January 1, 2008... A US-based lobby/research group has issued a document saying artificial turf is not safe due to out-gassing of volatile organic compounds. Environment and Human Health, Inc.,(EHHI) based in New Haven released the report last August. The...

briefs.
January 1, 2008... ExxonMobil claims TPV database saves time and money Houston, Texas - ExxonMobil Chemical has created a compression set relaxation database which can predict the long term behaviour of Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), improving...

Kossan signs MOU to develop rubber bearings in Iran; * Good potential in Iran* High-damping rubber to come fom MRB.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: Simona Stankovska Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd said its subsidiary Doshin has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Malaysian property development company Amona and an Iranian rubber processor Kohrang to form a joint...

Marangoni Industrial Tyres invests in Sri Lanka.(News)
January 1, 2008... Marangoni Industrial Tyres, a division of the Marangoni Group, has bought a pre-existing factory in Sri Lanka and is converting it to make superelastic tyres, mainly for use on fork lift trucks but also for other equipment, such as loading...

Henniges Automotive replaces GDX, Metzeler; * Henniges Automotive becomes new name of merged GDX, Metzeler group.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems-North America said in December that it has completed its acquisition of GDX Automotive. It also said it has changed its name to Henniges Automotive. The Henniges name is derived...

Freedonia reports on TPE market.(News)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The Freedonia group has published a new report titled, "World Thermoplastic Elastomers". The report updates the study published two years ago. It is available from Freedonia at a price of $5500 or ?4400. Freedonia says, "world demand for...

Tyre industry experts to meet in Cologne 19 - 21 February; The annual Tire Technology Expo has become a fixture in many peoples' diaries. This year the event returns to Cologne from 19 to 21 February.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Once more, Cologne is the venue for the Tire Technology Expo. The event will return to the Kolnmesse just over the Rhine river from the main centre of Cologne. The main events are the exhibition and conference, but...

Day 1 Tuesday 19 February.(News)
January 1, 2008... The tyre in a rapidly changing world 09.00 - 09.10 Introduction and welcome 09.10 - 09.30 Keynote address Maurizio Boiocchi, senior vice-president and director R&D, Pirelli Tire SpA 09.30 - 09.55 TPMS for passenger cars: present...

Day 2 Wednesday 20 February.(News)
January 1, 2008... Material advances in the 'green' environment 09.00 - 09.20 A holistic approach for advanced tyres Mike Rowlinson, Columbian Chemicals UK 09.20 - 09.40 The impact of S-SBR microstructure variations on silica-filled car tyre tread...

Day 3 Thursday 21 February.(News)
January 1, 2008... Getting to know tyre properties better 09.00 - 09.25 A development procedure for a winter tyre Shunichi Yamazaki, Japan Automobile Research Institute 09.25 - 09.50 Electrostatic tyre balancing and the resonating of tyre suspension...

Full exhibitor listing.(News)
January 1, 2008... 01dB-Metravib: F1 4Jet Sales & Service GmbH: 6380 AMA SpA: 6655 AB Svenskt Konstsike: 6220 Abaqus Europe BV: F13 AIRTEC Controls GmbH: 6230 Akron Standard: 6600 Akron Steel Fabricators Inc: 6600 ...

exhibitors: Part 1 of 3.(News)
January 1, 2008... 4JET Sales+Service GmbH Stand No: 6380 www.4jet.de 4Jet will be introducing its fully automated T-Mark tyre marking system at Tire Expo 2008. The company has developed a fully automated laser marking system with a cycle time...

Freudenberg sells brake hose business.(News)
January 1, 2008... Freudenberg has sold its Flexitech brake hose units in Europe and the US to its long-term partners - Mitsubishi Corp., a Japanese trading and investment company and Meiji Flow Systems, a Japanese manufacturer of rubber products. The purchase...

Tyre-power can slash power bills - consultant; Consultant claims he offers a short-cut to tyres-to-energy profitability.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Gregoire Jovicic claims to know more about tyres-to-energy systems than most. And he aims to earn a living by selling that expertise. Jovicic, a consulting engineer, said he has spent three years and [euro]600 000 of...

UK truck tyre market is complicated, and changing; Changes seen in the UK truck tyre business are often seen later in the rest of Europe. In this exclusive interview, Continental's director of truck products in the UK gives an insight into the changing UK scene.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw If something in the UK truck tyre market changes, it often spreads to the rest of Europe within a few years, according to Arthur Gregg, Continental truck tyres' business director in the UK. Today, he said, the UK truck...

Momentive silicones focusses on customer needs; Silicones are getting into high-volume applications, especially in the automotive sector, despite their high per-kilo cost. The higher-under-bonnet temperatures are finally eliminating older solutions using natural and nitrile rubber.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Former GE silicones company Momentive is now starting to stand on its own after two years of ownership by private equity company, Apollo Management. In that time its ceo, former Goodyear executive John Rich has helped...

Dow-Corning launches fully-fluorinated LSR.(News)(liquid silicone rubber )(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Dow Corning launched a fully fluorinated two-part injection mouldable elastomer at the High Performance Elastomers conference on 5 Dec in Frankfurt, Germany. The company said the new Silastic grade is a 100 percent fluorinated liquid...

Partnerships helped Rep climb back into leading position; Rep has moved from a large, but troubled supplier to a position where it is leading the industry in terms of strategic partnerships.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw Rep has always been among the market leaders in the injection moulding business, but in recent years it has changed from a financially weak company, to one which is enjoying great success in both developing countries and...

People and appointments.(People)
January 1, 2008... Burnes steps down as CEO of Cabot. BASF man steps in Boston, Massachusetts - Cabot Corp. has elected Patrick Prevost to the post of president and chief executive officer effective 1 Jan., 2008. Prevost will join Cabot's board of directors....

CGS buys Konty-G Czech rubber compounder.(News)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw CGS a.s (previously known as Ceska Gumarenska Spolecnost, a.s) has bought a long-time supplier, Czech rubber compounder, Konty-G Trade, also based in Zlin. Konty G makes compounds for the automotive and shoe sectors...

Oil prices continue relentless rise; 2007 car sales higher than in '06.(News)
January 1, 2008... 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...

Working in partnership: a recipe for future success; The future for those companies is going to depend increasingly on their ability to make and develop long-term partnerships in other countries and in fields outside their own special expertise.(Column)
January 1, 2008... Byline: David Shaw I have consistently said, in this column and elsewhere, that no business can hope to grow and succeed if it defines its activities by the upstream materials it buys and processes - rubber. The way forward is to focus on...

briefs.
January 1, 2008... Jippy sells condoms at [euro]0.15; starts campaign for safe sex Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands - The Dutch Jippy Foundation has started a European campaign for safe sex and will make Jippy condoms available for around [euro]0.20 each in...

Trelleborg Rubore to consolidate NA testing operations in Michigan; * centre inTrelleborg locates new tech Michigan* Early announcement proves accurate.(News)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Byline: Simona Stankovska Trelleborg Rubore will consolidate all its North American testing and commercial operations at a facility in Northville, Michigan. The Trelleborg subsidiary claims to be the world leader in the production and...

Veyance signs JV with Chinese conveyor belt manufacturer.(News)
January 1, 2008... Veyance Technologies Inc. has formed a long-term joint venture company with Yinhe Group's Ruiyuan Rubber and Plastics Co. Ltd, which will be operate under the name of Shandong Aneng Conveyor Belt & Rubber Co. Ltd. The new joint venture...

briefs.(Camoplast Inc.)(Trelleborg Automotive)
January 1, 2008... Trelleborg completes UK divestment Helsingborg, Sweden - Trelleborg has announced that the divestment of its operations in Coventry, UK, which are part of Trelleborg Automotive UK, has been completed. The operations, which are part of...

exhibitors: Part 2 of 3.(News)
January 1, 2008... Hofmann Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH Stand No: 6270 www.hofmannmaschinen.com Hofmann will use Tire Tech to tell customers about the advantages of its new sheet-of-light laser as well as its geometry system for quality assurance....

exhibitors: Part 3 of 3.(News)
January 1, 2008... Schill + Seilacher Stand no: F10 Web: www.struktol.de Schill + Seilacher will use the Tyre Tech Expo 2008 to present further information on Struktol HT 324, an advanced additive for use in halobutyl tyre innerliner compounds. ...

Woco helps Nasa with rocket science.(News)(Woco Group for Ariane 5 rocket)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Effbe and Momentive Performance Materials helped the Ariane 5 rocket lift off from Kourou in French Guyana. Their role was to produce heat shield sleeves for the two nozzles of the Ariane 5 boosters. It was a project that was not only completed...