European Rubber Journal articles from November 2001

European Rubber Journal archives from November 2001

Phoenix sells printing blanket activities: German firm to focus on core business as printing activities are sold. (Rubber news).(in management buyout backed by BPE Private Equity GmbH)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... As part of efforts to focus on core business, Phoenix AG has sold its offset blanket activities in a management buy-out, effective 1 Oct. The MBO team, backed by a fund managed by BPE Private Equity GmbH of Hamburg, has acquired the assets of...

Avon disposes of two non-core US units: proceeds from sale will be used to reduce borrowing. (Rubber news).(Avon Rubber PLC)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... A von Rubber plc has announced the sale of its New York-based Automotive Injected Rubber & Plastics businesses, and a management buyout at the Nylaflow division of its Cadillac Rubber & Plastics Inc. subsidiary. Par Industries llc of...

Blue diamond wins major textron sealing contract. (Rubber news).(Textron Power Transmission and Fluid Handling Products, Blue Diamond Bearing Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Oil seals supplier Blue Diamond Bearing Ltd of Eastleigh, UK, has signed a contract with Textron Inc.'s fluid and power systems unit, worth about 500 000 [pounds sterling] ($713 000) a year in Europe. The UK firm will make and supply,...

Magnifoam deal opens European marketplace: silicone elastomers supplier Leewood bought by Canadian foamed silicone parts maker. (Rubber news).(Magnifoam Technology International Inc., Leewood Elastomer Group)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Canadian silicone foam manufacturer Magnifoam Technology International Inc. acquired a 51-percent controlling share of Leewood Elastomer Group on 1 Aug, allowing the firm to delve into the European market and strengthen its silicone division....

SKF, goodyear form Brazilian power transmission alliance.(SFK Group, Goodyear Engineered Products alliance)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Gothenborg, Sweden--Bearing manufacturer SKF and Goodyear's Engineered Products division have created an alliance to provide service to the industrial power transmission market in Brazil, an SKF Group statement said. The power transmission...

Wellington profits surge.(Wellington Holdings PLC)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... London--Wellington Holdings plc has reported strong growth in sales and profits, led by increasing demand for its polymer seal products in the global oil and mining sectors. The UK-based group's products are used in various engineering and...

Federal-mogul files for chapter 11 protection.(Federal-Mogul Corp. files for bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Southfield, Michigan--In the face of mounting asbestos litigation, Federal-Mogul Corp. said it has filed Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection in the US and UK to separate those liabilities from its true operating potential. The seal maker...

Delphi exits Chinese suspension systems JV.(Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. sells stake in Tianjin Municipal Shock Absorbe to Kangtai International Trade Co.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Troy, Michigan--Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. has agreed to sell its majority equity stake in a venture with Tianjin Municipal Shock Absorber Co. in Hangu, China, to Kangtai International Trade Co., a German affiliate of the China-based...

GenCorp to cut staff as earnings drop: earnings drop at GDX automotive despite 65 percent sales rise. (Rubber news).(GenCorp Inc., GDX Automotive sales performances)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Automotive sealing and defence products group GenCorp Inc. reported poor third quarter performance in its fine chemicals business and slower than anticipated recovery in the vehicle sector. Net income was $5 million on sales of $356...

Smiths sells hose businesses.(Smiths Group PLC sells subsidiaries)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... London--Smiths Group plc has sold off two Continental European flexible hose businesses, Induplas SpA and Flexiplas SA, as well as Plenty Group, a Newbury, UK-based fluid handling products maker, for a combined total of 20 million [pounds...

SKF to supply fiesta parts.(for Ford Fiesta, bearings and seals)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Gothenborg, Sweden--SKF Group said it will supply the bearings and seals for the 2002 Ford Fiesta, unveiled by the auto maker at the Frankfurt automotive show last week. The contract is valued at more than $184 million over the production life...

SSL sells business unit.(SSL International PLC sells unit to Coloplast A/S)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Cheshire, UK--SSL international plc will sell its continence care business unit to Coloplast AS. included in the sale are SSUs catheter manufacturing equipment, inventory, patents, trademarks and other intellectual property attached to the...

Bridgestone rejig to raise performance in Japan: tyre maker to increase production of HP tyres and runflats in Japan. (Tyre news).(Japan and China, Potenza and Regno tire brands are focus)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Bridgestone Corp. is moving to raise its profitability by increasing production of high performance tyres in Japan and further shifting production of standard passenger car tyres to lower-cost regions of the Far East, including China. The...

South pacific tyres streamlining operations: two Australian tyre plants to shut in effort to cut losses. (Tyre news).(South Pacific Tyres, close Footscray and Thomastown plants)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... South Pacific Tyres, the joint venture between Pacific Dunlop Ltd and Goodyear which has been plagued by losses the past 18 months, will close two of its three factories in Australia and streamline administration in the coming nine months,...

Tyre valve fault costs ford $15million in damages.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Miami, Florida--A court in Florida has awarded $30.7 million damages against Ford Motor Co. for making a faulty tyre valve that caused an accident, which left a 10 year old girl in a coma for life. The Florida State Court jury ruled that...

General tire morocco plant in financial trouble.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Hannover, Germany--General Tire & Rubber Co. of Morocco filed for insolvency on 4 Sept, after its main group of shareholders failed to agree to measures designed to restructure the Casablanca, Morocco-based tyre making operation. The plant...

Trelleborg systems to market agricultural tyres: Pirelli brand returns to US agricultural sector. (Tyre news).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Trelleborg Wheel Systems SpA will start marketing Pirelli-brand agricultural tyres in North America later this year. Trelleborg Wheel Systems, an operating division of Sweden's Trelleborg AB, gained the rights to the Pirelli trademark for farm...

Michelin cuts 2000 US jobs to reduce costs: $200 million savings as tyre maker cuts 7 percent of workforce but expansion programme in South Carolina is still on. (Tyre news).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Michelin North America Inc. will cut its work force by 2000 over the next two years as part of a plan to reduce operating costs by about $200 million annually. The tyre maker is launching the restructuring plan immediately to get leaner...

Pirelli begins MIRS unit in US.(Pirelli Tire North America, modular integrated roboticized system)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Rome, Georgia--Pirelli Tire North America has begun construction of its first Modular Integrated Roboticised System (MIRS) plant in the US, with tyre production to begin at the Rome, Georgia, site within a year. The 40 000-[m.sup.2]...

Locker gains Michelin contract.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Warrington, UK--Locker Process Solutions has gained a contract from French tyre maker Groupe Michelin to supply equipment for handling hot synthetic rubber in crumbed form. The UK-headquartered supplier of materials handling systems is to...

S African tyre strike ends.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... * Johannesburg, South Africas--Unionised workers at South Africa's tyre plants have ended a four-week strike and returned to work after agreeing to a new three-year contract calling for an 8-percent increase in the wage and benefits package...

Goodyear cuts earnings forecast after US attacks: US tyre maker sees weak outlook for fourth quarter, with low demand and uncertainty following on World Trade Center attacks. (Tyre news).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has downgraded its earnings forecasts for the third quarter of 2001. The revision, it said, was prompted by the impact of the recent terrorist attacks in the US on an already weak tyre market. "Already slowing...

Sharp downturn forecast for global tyre industry: LMC forecasts poor results for the tyre sector this year, following record sales and production during 2000. (Tyre news).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... This year "will end showing a sharp downturn in both original equipment and tyre demand compared with 2000," according to market research firm LMC International, in its annual world tyre forecast. Last year's global economy was buoyant,...

Rohm and Haas buys Chemetall bonding unit: acquisition will extend scope of Rohm and Haas in rubber to metal bonding, say company officials. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Rohm and Haas Co. has acquired the Megum rubber-to-metal bonding business Frankfurt, Germany-based Chemetall GmbH. The deal, for an undisclosed amount, includes Chemetall subsidiaries in Italy and Brazil, Rohm and Haas announced 1 Oct. ...

Polish cable maker updates mixing system. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Polish cable manufacturer Krakowska Fabryka Kabli, of Krakow, part of the Telefonika Group, is updating its plant with a new mixing line. Other new machinery being supplied to the plant includes a new mixer feed system and an upgrade to its...

Mitsui in joint solvents project at Leuna site: investment signals Japanese firm's expansion strategy for Europe. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Mitsui & Co. Europe plc and DOMO Caproleuna GmbH, the German-based chemical division of floor coverings maker, DOMO, plan to jointly establish an 80-kilotonnes-per-annum solvents plant in Germany. The plant at the Leuna chemical complex...

GE buys PolyOne list.(GE Silicones)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Waterford, New York--GE Silicones has purchased PolyOne Corp.'s silicone rubber compounding customer lists and formulations to serve PolyOne customers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The customers will be serviced through GE...

Apax terminates bid for Mannesmann: poor market conditions for polymer machinery lead to proposed deal falling through. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Apax Partners & Co. has withdrawn its bid to acquire Mannesmann Plastics Machinery AG (MPM) from Siemens AG. A contract signed between the firms in July has been terminated by mutual agreement, said an 8 Oct Apax statement. Under the...

Low-temperature cure project moves to phase 2: project finds energy savings and advantages in low shrinkage, in low temperature curing. (Supplier news).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The Materials Engineering Research Laboratory (MERL) is looking for partners for a new phase of its project to develop engineering rubber compounds which can be cured at low temperatures, according to Bob Campion, MERL's managing director. ...

Crompton axes rubber chemicals operation.(Crompton Corp. to phase out specialty chemicals production at Naugatuck, Connecticut)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Crompton Corp. is to phase out production of speciality chemicals at Naugatuck, Connecticut, where it makes Uniroyal Chemical products for the group's rubber, polymer additives and crop protection businesses The plant produces a wide range of...

New CHP plant for Sevalco.(combined heat and power plant would supply Columbian Chemical Co.'s Sevalco plant)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Avonmouth, UK--Avonmouth CHP Ltd has been given the go ahead to build and operate a 180 MW gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) station at Severn Road, Avonmouth by Brian Wilson, UK energy minister. The combined cycle gas turbine will...

Work starts on Mitsui plant.(Mitsui Elastomers Singapore Pte Ltd starts building elastomer plant)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Osaka, Japan--Mitsui Elastomers Singapore Pte Ltd (MELS), a subsidiary of Mitsui Chemical Inc. held a groundbreaking ceremony on 20 Sept for its new $100-million Tafmer elastomer plant on Jurong Island, Singapore. When completed in...

UK sector urged to regroup around core strengths: in February this year Chem Systems launched a study into the competitiveness of the UK rubber sector on behalf of the UK government. As well as charting the shortcomings of the industry the findings provide clear pointers for what must be done to secure its future. (UK industry report).(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The UK rubber sector must become much more focused on specific markets and technologies, according to John Dorken, director of the British Rubber Manufacturers' Association, reviewing a major Chem Systems study of the sector. Commissioned...

Icon boss marks out strategy after second buy: following a second major acquisition, Icon boss Richard Gogerty explains the strategy of the UK group, which aims to rapidy emerge as a major supplier of specialist rubber products worldwide. (Rubber news).(Icon Group buys Northern Rubber Co. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Icon Group has acquired automotive and industrial parts maker Northern Rubber Co. Ltd of Retford, Nottinghamshire, from Tomkins plc. The acquired firm will now serve as Icon's main base, said managing director Richard Gogerty, who set up the...

Michelin to attack UHP tyre sector using C3M: French tyre maker reveals its strategy for exploiting new tyre building method, as it declares the process ready for wider use. (Tyre manufacturing).(C3M technology will let Michelin et Cie. develop ultra-high performance tires)
November 1, 2001... Groupe Michelin will use its new C3M tyre manufacturing technology to attack the very lucrative ultra-high-performance tyre market, according to company officials including Edouard Michelin, chairman, and Herve Coyco, head of passenger car and...

Strip-fed technology allows set up in a day: Michelin is becoming more open, but the tyre maker is still keeping most details of the C3M process under wraps. (Tyre manufacturing).(Michelin et Cie.'s new process simplifies tire manufacturing)
November 1, 2001... The "unique" C3M process is a "true revolution" in tyre building, which is now in the industrialisation phase, according to Dominique Bronner, vice president of Michelin's passenger and light truck (P/LT) tyre division. "Yesterday [in a...

Tyre analysis shows strong UHP growth: Michelin; 40 percent growth to 2004 for high-performance tyres, and even stronger growth for the UHP segment. (Tyre manufacturing).(Michelin et Cie. forecasts for ultra-high-performance tire market)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Michelin's analysis of the tyre market indicates two high-value segments with exceptional growth rates, said Herve Coyco, head of passenger car and light truck tyres. Annually sales of passenger car and light truck (P/LT) tyres total...

ITEC-Asia opens in Korea: ITEC Asia took place in mid-September. It was attended by around 100 delegates from all parts of the world, though the organisers say there were some cancellations from the USA and Japan in the light of the terrorist attacks which took place in the US a week earlier. The opening session of the conference saw Hyung-In-Shin, president of Kumho Tyres presenting the keynote paper (See box, opposite). (ITEC-Asia review).(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2001... ITEC-Asia showed the intense effort currently going into computer modelling of tyres and tyre performance. Nearly 40 papers concentrated on the ways engineers are trying to make their tyres safer and more effective, and simultaneously, to speed...

Wyko, Nakata reap benefits of alliance: two mid-sized machinery companies are benefiting from their mutual agreements. Wyko is getting sales in Japan, while tyre makers. (ITEC-Asia review).(tire manufacturing equipment suppliers WYKO Corp. and Nakata Engineering Company Ltd. cooperate)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Nakata Engineering Co. Ltd and Wyko Engineering are celebrating the success of their strategic alliance. Wyko claims it has made some specific sales into the Japanese tyre industry, while Nakata is soon to begin detailed engineering discussions...

Compounding for health and safety: an EU-funded research project has resulted in some new information about a series of environmental issues related to rubber compounding. (EU research).(issues pertaining to rubber compounding)(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2001... Four years on, the first Thematic Network on rubber compounding has reached the end of its first incarnation. On 1 Sept 1997, eighteen participants got together to examine the problems and issues associated with health, safety and the...

K exhibitors stop-press. (K2001 preview).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... LWB Steinl H 14 / E57 Steinl will be demonstrating its technology in injection moulding equipment, and showing four machines at the K show. The first is a new development: a machine capable of moulding either rubber or thermoplastic...

RMS Equipment partners with Chinese manufacturer.(to deliver and develop rubber and tire machinery)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Kitchener, Ontario--Rubber and tyre machinery maker RMS Equipment Co. has a new "cooperation agreement" with Dalian Bingshan Rubber and Plastics Co. Ltd, based in Dalian, China, the Kitchener-based company announced 3 Oct. The agreement will...

Diary.
November 1, 2001... OCTOBER 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://ww.crai.cim.uk/ * Service life prediction of...

Free money--if you are prepared to work for it. (postcript).(research money is available)(Brief Article)(Column)
November 1, 2001... One of my colleagues in the industry recently suggested that there is far more money available for research grants than there are good research projects to go around. His argument is based on discussions with the funding authorities, and...