Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook Tire) hosted a kick-off event on June 4 at its state-of-the-art R&D center, Hankook Technodome in Daejeon, for the national project titled ‘Development of Tire Manufacturing Technologies Using Sustainable Materials.’ The initiative is being carried out as part of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE)’s 2026 Environmental Technology Development Program.

The project seeks to accelerate Korea’s circular economy by securing high-quality recycled raw materials from end-of-life tires and advancing their commercialization in tire manufacturing. It consists of two key workstreams: the development of technologies for producing premium recycled feedstock from waste tires and the establishment of tire manufacturing technologies utilizing sustainable materials.

In a recent 2025 Global Rubber Machinery Industry Report, MESNAC once again ranked No.1 worldwide in rubber machinery sales with $810 million in revenue. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the company has secured the top position, further strengthening its leadership in the global market.

Momentive Performance Materials (Momentive), announced the appointment of Jim Knaub as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective June 1. In this role, he will lead the global marketing team and oversee the Company’s portfolio positioning, value proposition development, go‑to‑market strategy, and commercial enablement.

Jim Knaub joins Momentive from Dow, bringing more than 24 years of experience in a variety of leadership positions driving growth through strong product marketing and go‑to‑market leadership across the chemical industry.

YOKOHAMA Europe announces the appointment of Takashi Maki as new Chief Executive Officer, marking another important step in the Company’s long-term growth strategy and its continued investment in the European market.

Since 2023, Takashi Maki, Executive Vice President of Yokohama Europe, has played a key role in driving business growth and strengthening synergies with The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. in Japan.

Europe’s industrial future will depend on continued investment in research, innovation and technical education, according to a Borealis news release highlighting the winners of the 2026 Borealis Innovation Award. This year’s top award went to students Denise Lehner and Nikola Jelinek for research identifying fungi capable of biodegrading plastics. Second place was awarded to Anna Decker and Lina-Marie Salzmann, whose work on plastic-drying processes demonstrated energy savings of more than 80% compared with standard methods. Third place went to Malik Grovogui and Dominik Henhapel for developing bio-based materials for reusable food packaging.

Monday’s program at the 2026 Global Polymer Summit (GPS) will combine in-depth technical education with recognition of industry leaders and innovators. GPS 2026 offers extensive technical programming at a significantly reduced cost. Technical sessions are included with all registration types and are nearly $700 less than previous Technical Meeting registration rates.