European Rubber Journal articles from July 2004

European Rubber Journal archives from July 2004

Regent in good shape for future, says new boss; Glove business has good growth opportunities, as elimination of powdered gloves continues. Regent's management team gets Apax Partners funding for buy out from SSL International.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Regent gloves has a new incarnation. Private equity group Apax Partners has set up a new company, Regent Medical Ltd, and spent [pounds sterling]163 million ($244 million) to purchase the assets of the surgical-glove and...

Investors group to buy PolyOne elastomers unit; PolyOne finally divests elastomers unit to New York private investors, at the same time as Melos management complete an MBO.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh PolyOne Corp. is to sell its Elastomers and Performance Additives unit to an investment group led by New York-based equity firms Lion Chemical Capital llc and ACI Capital Co. Inc. The sale, for around $120 million...

Carlyle, Meggitt to buy Dunlop Standard; Private equity company to control Dunlop Aerospace Precision Rubber, management to remain in place.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw UK equity fund manager Doughty Hanson & Co. has agreed to sell Dunlop Standard Aerospace Group to a consortium of Meggitt plc of the UK and global private equity firm Carlyle Group for a total of $1450 million...

Lanxess starts to go its separate way; Rubber business managers face up to challenges after taking formal control of global operations from Bayer.(News)(Lanxess)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh, David Reed Lanxess became an independent Bayer AG subsidiary on 1 July, the first formal step in its planned separation from the group by early 2005. The fledgling firm now faces several challenges from its Bayer...

Commercial spaceship is powered by 'rubber'; Fuel is a form of butadiene rubber-but not one familiar to most tyre engineers.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw SpaceshipOne set a new world first in late June, carrying a single pilot up to the edge of space and back down to earth for a perfect landing in Mojave, California. It was the first vehicle to carry a man so high,...

ERJ newsbrief: Yokohama, ExxonMobil to commercialise tyre liner.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd and ExxonMobil Chemical Co. have agreed to cooperate on the commercialisation of a Yokohama-developed inner liner technology that promises to reduce the weight of a tyre "significantly." Houston-based ExxonMobil...

Nokian expanding tyre capacity in Russia.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Bruce Davis ERJ Akron bureau Nokian Tyres plc is boosting capacity on two fronts, breaking ground for its first plant in Russia and debottlenecking production for winter tyres at its Nokia plant. Nokian has budgeted $63.5...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
July 1, 2004... Bridgestone buys Belgian mould maker * Brussels-Bridgestone Europe (BSEU) NV/SA has purchased Mecamold SA, a Herstal, Belgium-based maker of moulds for the tyre industry and supplier to the tyre maker for the last 35 years. Terms of the...

Michelin opens tyre factory in Russia; Russian factory will make tyres for the replacement market, adding OE only when capacity allows.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Michelin Russian Tyres Manufacturing Company formally opened its factory in Davydovo, 100 km east of Moscow, on 7 July. The company entertained over 800 guests including over 500 employees and 150 tyre dealers at the...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)(Brussels-Bridgestone Europe NV/SA)(Paris-Michelin)(Hanover)(CGS Group )
July 1, 2004... Retreader rebuilding plant after major fire * Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany-Ellerbrock GmbH, a German supplier of retread material and technology, topped out its new production hall 11 June. The firm is rebuilding the facility, following the...

SSL restructuring now complete.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... This deal to divest Regent marks the end of a protracted sales process by SSL, which made the decision in mid-2003 to sell off its medical division in order to focus on its consumer brands-largely Durex condoms and Dr Scholl footcare products....

Conti to stop making tyres at US plant; Conti finally grasps the nettle and opts to end tyre production at difficult, costly site in Mayfield, Kentucky.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Continental Tire North America Inc. (CTNA) said 29 June that it will suspend tyre production indefinitely at its troubled Mayfield, Kentucky, plant, on 31 Dec 2004. Conti has previously described Mayfield as its...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
July 1, 2004... Goodyear completes Sava Tires purchase * Akron, Ohio-Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is now the sole owner of Sava Tires doo, based in Kranj, Slovenia. Goodyear announced it has acquired the remaining 20-percent stake in the tyre maker,...

ISP signs Resin Express to sell SBR in Europe; Ravago will distribute SBR from the former Ameripol Synpol plant at Port Neches, Texas.(Suppliers)(ISP Elastomers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White ISP Elastomers has signed Resin Express, part of the Ravago Group, to distribute its hot-emulsion styrene butadiene rubber throughout Europe. ISP Elastomers, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Specialty...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
July 1, 2004... OMA USA to distribute for Colmec * Cleveland, Ohio-OMA USA Inc has been named the exclusive distributor and sales representative for North America for the rubber extrusion lines manufactured by Colmec SpA of Milan, Italy. OMA will...

Bridgestone opens new proving ground in Rome; [euro]40-million investment in new test track shows Japanese tyre firm's commitment to growing its share of the European market.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Bridgestone Europe's investment of [euro]40-million in a new test track gives some indication of how important the European market is to the Japanese tyre firm, said Shigeo Watanabe, chairman and ceo of Bridgestone Corp.,...

Latex allergy award significant for glove use; UK employers must protect employees against hazards, according to a recent high court judgement-and this includes NR latex.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White A recent award of [pounds sterling]354 193 ([euro]530 0000) compensation to Welsh nurse Alison Dugmore, after she became unable to work as a result of developing severe latex protein allergy in the early 1990s, has been...

Powder-free gloves reduce LPA.(News)(University of Osnabruck)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... A detailed study by dermatologist Dr Henning Allmers of the University of Osnabruck, Germany, has indicated a two-year lag between the introduction of low-protein powder-free gloves and a decline in occupational allergy cases. This is the first...

HSE recommends...(News)(Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health regulation)(Health and Safety Executive)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... COSHH regulations ask employers to assess any substances used at work that are hazardous to health. HSE adds "Natural rubber latex is hazardous to health." To comply with legal duties, an employer's assessment should include: *...

What was the verdict?(News)(Singleton NHS Trust)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... In June this year, Dugmore-who has been unable to work in intensive care nursing since Dec 1997-was awared [pounds sterling]114 193 in punitive interest on top of compensation of [pounds sterling]240 000. In their Nov 2002 adjudication, the...

Medical glove use at 80 000 m.(News)(Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers' Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... To give some idea of the huge scale of medical glove use, data from the Malaysian Glove Manufacturers' Association shows that US imports of medical gloves rose to 26 000 million units in 2002, from under 4000 million in 1989, an average growth...

ERJ newsbrief: Rationalisation over at Trelleborg's US units.(Briefs)(Industrial group)(European Rubber Journal )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... * Trelleborg Group's plant in Logansport, Indiana, is now closed and its production has been transferred to other units of Trelleborg North America. "We now have a satisfactory production structure within Automotive in North America, which...

East meets West at the IISRP in Poland; At its annual meeting in Warsaw, the IISRP heard how the expansion of the EU might lead to a competitive challenge for the existing members. With low wages and a flexible, well-educated workforce, the new EU is going to be a powerful economic force.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Patrick Raleigh European Union enlargement will work both ways, former Polish prime minister Jan Kryzstof Bielecki told delegates to the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers' 45th annual general meeting in...

New team.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Steve Wood, chief executive officer of Kraton Polymers, was elected international president of the (IISRP) for 2004-05. He succeeds Zdzislaw Ingielewicz, president and general manager of Dwory SA. The executive committee will include: ...

IISRP honours.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... During the Warsaw event the IISRP presented its two highest awards to Eckhard Loser, a former director of Bayer's Institute of Industrial Toxicology, and Albert Moore, who was the senior scientist at DuPont Dow Elastomers, until his recent...

German rubber institute expands facilities; New seminar rooms and library at DIK's Hannover offices should be in-use by year's end.(News)(Deutsches Institut fur Kautschuktechnologie )
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Reed By the end of this year, the Deutsches Institut fur Kautschuktechnologie eV-Germany's rubber industry educational and training organisation-expects to open an extension to its facilities on the outskirts of Hannover,...

Lord aims to land Airbus system pact; Aero engine mount design may result in Airbus contract for Lord Corp.(News)(MGP Asquini SA)(mounting system)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Mike McNulty ERJ Akron bureau Lord Corp. is counting on a longtime successful partnership to land another aircraft contract with Airbus SAS. The company is teaming with Beyssac, France-based MGP Asquini SA to develop an...

Condom study provokes strong reaction; Industry says there is no justification for setting nitrosamine levels for condoms.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Condom makers have rejected the findings of a recent German study which claims condoms contain high levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines, and recommends that limits be set for these chemicals. "This is completely...

Scare stories not substantiated.(News)(Chantilly Volunteer Umpire Association)(Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The CVUA study produced a rash of scare stories about condoms causing cancer in the 'yellow press' in Germany and in tabloids across Europe. But the evidence available suggests that no link exists between condom use and cancer. In...

Benelux sees decline in rubber units; The global trend to cost-down has affected many countries in northern Europe.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw The global trend to cost-down has affected many countries in northern Europe. Traditionally a centre for the chemical industry, the Benelux region used to have a strong rubber processing industry, but consolidation and...

National institutions have a place in Europe.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Although the centre of European political power resides in Brussels, there is still a place for national rubber industry organisations, according to ABIC, the Belgian rubber association. Dominique de Hemptinne, head of ABIC said there is a...

Conti succeeds in first part of bid for Phoenix; Phoenix shareholders make Conti sweat, but capitulate at the last minute. Now the EU will take its investigation of the takeover to phase 2 and evaluate competition in airsprings and conveyor belting.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Continental AG has taken a major step in the development of its technical rubber goods business ContiTech, by gaining more than 75 percent of the shares of rival rubber parts maker Phoenix AG of Hamburg. The 29 June...

Benelux latex industry starts to recover; While the latex processing industry in the Benelux region is starting to recover after a five-year dip, butadiene and other monomers are becoming increasingly tight, leading to significant price increases in SBR and other raw materials used by the rubber industry.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw Belgium is Europe's centre of the carpet industry. Where there are carpets, there are carpet backings to protect the carpet and prolong its life. These are often made from styrene-butadiene latex, and Belgium is the...

Maastricht conference to offer solutions; IRC 2005 will take place in Maastricht, the Netherlands, from 7 to 9 June next year. The event is jointly organised by Institutions in the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium, and will comprise a large exhibition and a conference which promises to be more industrially relevant than previous IRC events.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw With the title, "creating value throughout the supply chain", next year's IRC conference promises to be more relevant to the needs of rubber industry professionals than previous IRC events. The conference and...

Demand for NR gloves lifts latex; Progress in additives for latex to reduce allergy problems and nitrosamine content and improve processing, was on the agenda at a recent conference.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Demand for natural rubber latex has been surging. The threat of terrorist use of anthrax, the upsurge of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), and of bird flu-have all stimulated demand for protective rubber gloves,...

Chemical allergy 'more common'.(News)
July 1, 2004... Latex protein allergy has raised huge public concern and caused widespread changes in latex production, processing and use. But the other type of allergic reaction, a type IV delayed reaction, to chemical residues, is "more common," and the...

Butyl faces latex threat; Tyre inner liners made from butyl rubber could be replaced by nanocomposite coatings made from latex dispersions.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White Novel nanocomposite barrier coatings made from aqueous rubber dispersions have potential to replace the current butyl rubber used in tyre inner liners, according to Harris Goldberg, president and chief executive office of...

Nano-latex in India.(News)(Rubber Research Institute of India )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Rubber Research Institute of India in Kottayam, Kerala is also working on nanosilicate materials in colloidal materials. At the Hamburg latex meeting, Siby Varghese of the RRII described experiments with NR latex, PU dispersions and a...

Diary.(Calendar)(Calendar)
July 1, 2004... July * Natural and Synthetic Latex Product Manufacturers. July 20-21, 2004, Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, Akron, Ohio. Contact Crain Communications, web www.rubbernews.com August * PU China 2004. 31 August-2 September: Shanghai, People's...

Looking ahead * September 2004 issue.(News)
July 1, 2004... * High temperature elastomers High temperatures and flexibility are two of the unique selling properties of elastomers. While thermoplastics soften above 120[degrees]C or so, thermoset rubbers continue up to 180[degrees]C or more, while...

Rubber prices may have peaked; oil continues up.(News)(Brief Article)
July 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...

Anti-trust battles will have far-reaching effects.(Column)
July 1, 2004... Byline: David Shaw ERJ first told the rubber industry about investigations into anti-trust activities in rubber chemical sales in October 2002. Since then, we have reported on similar investigations into EPDM, nitrile rubber, carbon black,...

EU extends antitrust investigation.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Continental AG also acknowledged that the European Commission will take its investigation of Conti's planned takeover of Phoenix AG into Phase II proceedings. The company expects a decision before October. "In view of the intensive...

ContiTech gains deal with axle maker BPW; Airspring unit and axle manufacturer will join forces to produce innovative designs.(News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Liz White ContiTech's airspring unit has agreed a strategic partnership with BPW Bergische Achsen Kommanditgesellschaft. Conti described its new partner as the European market leader in the manufacture of axles and running gear for...

ERJ newsbrief: MediCor to buy implant maker.(Briefs)(Laboratoires Eurosilicone SA)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... MediCor Ltd of Las Vegas has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Laboratoires Eurosilicone SA. Eurosilicone develops, manufactures and markets silicone implants for the aesthetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery markets, including...

Cheap Chinese auto parts? Maybe not; Costly shipping, raw materials negate low wages.(News)
July 1, 2004... Byline: Alysha Webb Crain News Service Conventional wisdom holds that China's suppliers can produce any part more cheaply than rivals in any other region. That's a myth, say auto executives who do business there. Costly raw materials,...

ERJ newsbriefs.(Briefs)
July 1, 2004... Retford firm to distribute US sheeting * Warren, Rhode Island-US rubber sheet maker Lloyd Manufacturing Corp. has appointed J-Flex Rubber Products of Retford, UK, to distribute its products under the Lloyd brand name in the UK and...