European Rubber Journal articles from March 2001

European Rubber Journal archives from March 2001

Continental to sell non-core rubber businesses.(selling majority of ContiTech)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2001... Most of ContiTech is up for sale as a single $1300 million turnover unit--minus ibration control and airsprings. Continental AG will sell off most of its traditional rubber goods businesses, grouped under the ContiTech umbrella. The sale...

Conti aims to fill out chassis products.(Continental AG)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Continental AG has a few product holes in its plan to offer complete chassis management, but it is preparing a shopping list. It already makes tyres, brake systems and suspension components. In its bid to control vehicle ride dynamics,...

Strategy keeps suppliers edgy.(DaimlerChrysler AG and suppliers lay off workers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... US suppliers to Chrysler are anxious about what cutbacks mean. Suppliers to DaimlerChrysler AG aren't sure how the auto maker's broad production cuts will affect them. But they are nervous. The Chrysler group will cut 26 000 jobs in North...

New boss for DSM Elastomers.(Paul Hamm and Ben van Kooten)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... [] Herleen, The Netherlands--DSM Elastomers president Paul Hamm has been appointed to a new role at DSM NV, in charge of business development for the group, as of 1 March. His successor as president of DSM Elastomers will be Ben van Kooten, who...

Rubber-skinned Tyrannosaurus roars again.(exhibit at Natural History Museum in London)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... A moving, roaring Tyrannosaurus rex at the centre of a new display at the Natural History Museum in London has a skin made from silicone rubber, said the museum's John Phillips. The silicone is applied much like sealant, and then painted, he...

Italian group adds silicone products firm.(Reda S.p.A. acquires Tamburini Gi Effe srl)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Reda makes sixth acquisition in its quest to become a major rubber player. Reda SpA of Milan, Italy wants to become a bigger force in the rubber business and as part of its plan to achieve this aim has bought Tamburini Gi Effe srl. ...

Henniges to close Irish profiles plant.(Henniges Elastomer und Kunststofftechnik Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung und Company KG)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Closure of GenCorp unit in Ballina is attributed to high costs, problems keeping staff and the strong currency. Henniges Elastomer und Kunststofftechnik GmbH & Co. KG, will close its plant in Ballina, Ireland, at the end of September 2001...

Mission Rubber buys German seals maker.(Mission Rubber Co. acquires Hermann Muecher GmbH & Co. KG)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Purchase will allow Mission Rubber to sell its products in Europe. Mission Rubber Co. acquired Hermann Muecher GmbH & Co. KG of Schwelm, Germany, in early January, combining the businesses to focus on plumbing markets and raise export...

FRP uses $1m to modernise.(Fuchs Rubber Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Innovative custom mixer and moulder strengthens operation. Belgian rubber moulder FRP has invested over BFr50 million ($1 million) to modernise equipment, raise capacity and set up a new testing and development laboratory. This...

Bellows seals for naval guns test moulder's ingenuity.(Leyland and Birmingham)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... A large intricate rubber bellows seal for the barrels of these UK-made naval guns required the design and materials skills of Leyland and Birmingham, and a 4-tonne mould. L&B made the bellows for Busak+Shamban to supply to BAE Systems Marine.

Silvertown to grow after MBO from Unipoly.
March 1, 2001... Ex-BTR firm's new independence means it can focus on developing core design and engineering skills, says management. The management of rubber processor Silvertown UK Ltd has bought the company from the UniPoly Group for 7 million [pounds...

Rubber news: ERJ newsbriefs.
March 1, 2001... UK government to fund energy-saving project By Liz White, ERJ staff [] Hertford, UK -- The Materials Engineering Research Laboratory (MERL) based in Hertford, UK. has gained funding from the UK government which will allow the...

PacDun to split into two listed companies.
March 1, 2001... Australian rubber firm to separate latex glove business from tyre and automotive products. Pacific Dunlop Ltd plans to split its activities into two independent, public-listed companies; one based on its Ansell healthcare business, the...

New German plant and new US name for Meteor.
March 1, 2001... German automotive profiles maker is expanding in Europe and the US to meet rising demand for the models it supplies. Meteor Gummiwerke KH Badje GmbH & Co. will build a new plant in Worbis, Thuringen in eastern Germany, because of expanding...

MaineTire gains foothold after year in Europe.
March 1, 2001... US industrial tyre maker aims to be a major player in Europe with $15 million in annual sales. Maine Industrial Tires Ltd is looking to post sales of between $15 million and $20 million annually in Europe during the next three to five...

Space station uses Parker seal systems.(Parker Hannifin Corp. wins National Aeronautics and Space Administration contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Elastomer parts on the new space station do a tough job under extremes of temperature, pressure and load. Parker Hannifin Corp. will provide more than 3000 valve and seal assemblies to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration...

Regent Medical expands glove offering.(rubber surgical gloves)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Thinner, smoother Super-Sensitive glove gives better control in delicate surgery. Regent Medical Americas has unveiled a thinner Biogel surgical glove with a smooth surface for microsurgical procedures. The glove is the first of...

Pirelli to install MIRS unit at UK tyre plant.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Modular system for tyre making to go into Italy, the UK, Germany and the US. Pirelli SpA has decided to install a MIRS (modular integrated robotised system) unit at its UK tyre plant in Burton-on-Trent. The plan was announced by Advantage...

Michelin confirms Chinese tyre JV.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Groupe Michelin has confirmed that it will form a 70:30 tyre manufacturing joint venture, based in Shanghai, with Shanghai Tyre and Rubber Co. Ltd (STRC). The French group will be the dominant partner in the venture which will start...

Tyre news: ERJ newsbriefs.
March 1, 2001... MSF closes doors in Manila [] Manila, Philippines--MSF Tire & Rubber Inc., an affiliate of Groupe Michelin, has ceased manufacturing at its plant in Manila and will liquidate most assets early in the year. Substantial financial losses...

Goodyear cuts `to save' UK tyre plant.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Union wants to know if Goodyear plans to upgrade equipment, as another 240 jobs go at the tyre maker's Wolverhampton plant. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. said its decision to cut 240 jobs at its Wolverhampton, UK, tyre plant, on top of 215...

Conti signals closure of Belgian truck tyre unit.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Flat demand for truck tyres in Europe forces German tyre maker to assess future of making truck tyres at Herstal. Continental AG has notified workers at its Uniroyal Englebert SA plant in Herstal, Belgium, that it considering phasing out...

Goodyear aims for major cost cutting in 2001.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Tyre maker's workforce to be cut by 7200, largely in Europe. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is planning a series of streamlining and efficiency measures to restore "traditional" levels of profitability, its chairman and chief executive officer,...

Job cuts to be largely in Europe.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Goodyear tyre workers in Europe will bear the brunt of the company's cost-cutting plan to reduce its 105 000-strong global workforce by about 7 percent this year. The US tyre maker expects to axed 600 jobs in western Europe and 2000 in its...

Conti targets high-performance tyre market.(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 1, 2001... Continental says new SportContact tyre uses a "more complex coupling chemistry" between rubber and silica. Continental AG has launched a new product into the high performance tyre sector, a market it expects to grow by around 40 percent...

Agency fines SITA over scrap tyre plant.(International Pages)(Legal Beat)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Sita links infringement to earlier problems at scrap tyre plant previously owned by Elm Energy. SITA Tyre Recycling Ltd has been fined for environmental infringements at its tyres-to-energy facility in Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, which it...

Vredestein profits down sharply.(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2001... Raw materials costs blamed for 98 percent decline in profit. Vredestein NV made a profit of 0.2 million [European Dollar] ($0.19 million) for 2000 compared to 10.4 million [European Dollar] the previous year, from consolidated sales up 15...

DuPont Dow Elastomers to build Dutch plant.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... DuPont Dow Elastomers has officially started construction of a new $50-million fluoroelastomer plant in Dordrecht, which is due to come on stream early in 2002. Situated adjacent to the current DPDE fluoroelastomer plant, the new unit will...

EniChem to add polychloroprene reactor.(International Pages)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2001... EniChem SpA plans to increase its chloroprene rubber (CR) capacity by the end of the year. It is installing a new 3-kilotonne-per-annum reactor at its facility in Champagnier, France. The project marks an investment of 6 million [European...

Sid Richardson pulls out of Cancarb purchase.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Tripling of natural gas prices causes deal to fall through. Cancarb's options include legal action. Bleak economic conditions in the natural gas industry have killed a deal in which Canadian subsidiaries of Sid Richardson Carbon Co. would...

Supplier news: ERJ newsbriefs.(International Pages)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... New Degussa in action [] Dusseldorf, Germany--Degussa AG, the company formed by the merger of Degussa-Huls and SKW Trostberg, officially came into being on 9 Feb. Degussa is now listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange. Trading in...

Polish SR firm Dwory needs strategic investor.
March 1, 2001... Dwory needs money to upgrade to solution-SBR and BR. The Polish rubber producer is not in talks with Czech firm Kaucuk on joint rubber production. Dwory SA, Poland's sole synthetic rubber producer, is looking for a strategic investor to...

People.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Pirelli makes senior appointments [] Milan Pirelli SpA has appointed a second managing director, Carlo Buora, with responsibilities for finance and administration activities Buora, who retains his position as general manager, will report...

Acordis rayon unit moves to new CVC company.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Industrial rayon for tyre cord moves to NewCo, set up by CVC. Acordis is to transfer several of its fibre businesses to NewCo, the fibres company formed recently within the CVC Capital Partners group, which owns 64 percent of Acordis...

Rhodia strengthens American silica business.(aquires Venesil)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Venezualan plant adds 20 ktpa to Rhodia's precipitated silica capacity Rhodia has completed its purchase of Venesil, a Venezuelan producer of precipitated silica, located in Barquisimento. The deal will help Rhodia's plans to develop its...

Streamlined Reichhold taking global approach.(Reichhold Chemicals Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Plans for production of synthetic latex in Europe are under review as supplier reorganises. Dainippon Ink and Chemicals subsidiary Reichhold Inc. is in the midst of streamlining its operations, adding new leadership and expanding globally...

Impact to cut costs at Goodyear.
March 1, 2001... `Impact' is Goodyear's acronym for a modern tyre manufacturing system. The full system uses modern control systems, high levels of automation, and new ideas such as injection moulding, to cut costs and improve quality. On top of that, however,...

The hot former unveiled.(Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... The hot former is a new machine which creates and assembles up to seven carcass components into one large system component. Everything from the inner liner to the Apex 4 is laid down in a series of steps, and assembled hot, with no need for...

Injection moulding for tyres will be a `breakthrough'.
March 1, 2001... According to Jentgen, "Injection moulding will be the breakthrough technology" for tyre building. "We have one body piece [bead/apex assembly] and one outer piece [tread package] right now, but I cannot tell you more," he added, implying that...

Machinery industry feels currency movements.
March 1, 2001... Traditionally, US-based machinery makers have looked at their rivals in Germany and other parts of Europe with something approaching pity--based on the high cost of employing people, the difficulty of restructuring the workforce, and strong,...

Machinery companies.(sales, products, spending)(Illustration)
March 1, 2001... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A&A Machinery Co. Private UK Rubber plus Products: OMix OMill C E People: NA...

Farrel feels the breeze as Euro weakens.(strong US dollar hurts export sales)
March 1, 2001... Mixer market gets very competitive, as weak Euro gives European manufacturers a competitive edge in the global market. Farrel Corp says it remains committed to the internal mixer, and will shortly announce new technology to underline its...

Exchange rates take their effect.(US rubber machinery producers are at disadvantage vs. Europeans because of the strong US dollar)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2001... Every time we do an analysis of the global industry, we come up against exchange rates. Each autumn we look at the tyre industry, and in that industry, exchange rates seem to be one of the critical factors for deciding who is the biggest tyre...