News

ARLANXEO held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Therban® hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) plant in Changzhou, China. With a nameplate annual production capacity of 5,000 tons, the first phase of construction will allow for the production of 2,500 tons of high-quality rubber per year. The plant is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2025.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced that Ryan Waldron has been named president of the company’s Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it is supplying its GEOLANDAR X-CV (pattern number: G057) and GEOLANDAR A/T G31 tires as original equipment (OE) to Toyota Motor Corporation for use on the automaker’s new SUVs , the 250 series Land Cruiser, which launched worldwide in April 2024. The new SUVs are being fitted with two sizes of GEOLANDAR X-CV–245/70R18 110H and 265/60R20 112H–and two sizes of GEOLANDAR A/T G31–245/70R18 110H and 265/65R18 114V.

Lianda Corporation recently added rubber cure accelerator DOTG (Di-ortho-tolyl guanidine) to its specialty chemical lineup.

A Lianda customer reached out for help due to unavailability of DOTG. The Lianda source team was able to utilize its sourcing network and quickly identified a reliable source for DOTG. Emergency shipments are being arranged to help the customer maintain production.

The Commercial Managing Director of Klöckner DESMA Elastomertechnik GmbH, Mr. Siegfried Köhler, has left the company at his own request as of 15.04.2024. Salzgitter AG had appointed Mr. Köhler as Managing Director for Service and Sales until 1.10.2023. Due to unexpected private circumstances, Mr. Siegfried Köhler feels compelled to cease his activities as Managing Director of DESMA Elastomertechnik with immediate effect.
Dr. Michael Zaun, Managing Director of DESMA since September 2022, will take over Mr. Köhler’s business responsibilities on an interim basis until a successor is appointed.

The ENGEL Group concluded the fiscal year with a slight decline in turnover of approx. -6% compared to the previous year. “The volume in the injection molding machine market has fallen by up to -40% according to various association figures. ENGEL has succeeded in gaining shares in a shrinking market – a trend consistent with observations from previous economic contractions,” comments Stefan Engleder, CEO of the ENGEL Group, on the turnover of around 1.6 billion EUR. The Business Units Medical and Packaging made a significant contribution to this development. Demand for the production of diabetes therapy products remains high, especially in the American region, while the packaging industry is experiencing a boom in Europe due to new regulations. The after-sales business also manifested positive growth, with a surge of almost +15% compared to the previous year.

Following Elkem’s annual general meeting on 18 April 2024, the board has decided to elect Bo Li as the new Chair. Bo Li is also Chair of the board of China National Bluestar (Bluestar), Elkem’s majority shareholder, and a subsidiary of Sinochem.

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. held a groundbreaking event on April 15 for its new consumer/light truck tire plant at the Alianza Industrial Park in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. The event was well attended by a crowd of state and local officials, as well as management from Yokohama companies, including YRC Chairman and CEO Masataka Yamishi; Yokohama Corporation North America (YCNA) CEO Shinichi Takimoto; and Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) President and CEO Jeff Barna.