Author: Editor

On April 16, Chinaplas 2021, the first post-pandemic international trade fair for the plastics and rubber industries, came to an end in the Greater Bay Area. It was the first time that Chinaplas was held at Shenzhen, China. With an exhibition area of over 350,000 square meters, Chinaplas 2021 attracted the participation of 3,576 leading exhibitors from 41 countries and regions, and 152,134 professional visitors from 85 countries and regions. Among the visitors, 2,363 were from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and overseas.

Scandinavian Enviro Systems will submit a proposal for consultation documentation to the county administrative board in Västra Götaland ahead of a future permit application for a new recycling plant for end-of-life vehicle tires. The consultation pertains to the establishment of a new facility to be located in Uddevalla Municipality with an annual capacity to recycle half of all end-of-life tires in Sweden.

2021 marks a milestone in WM Thermoforming Machines’ history as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. The common thread connects the company of 1981 to that of 2021 is said to be passion, “especially our passion for research and innovation, and the continuous escalation of technological know-how originating from it,” declared Luca Oliverio, sales director of the Swiss company.

Bridgestone Americas announced it is expanding the company’s Williamsburg, KY, air springs manufacturing plant. The $51 million investment in the Firestone Industrial Products’ plant will help meet market demand in the automotive vehicle market with a focus on the electric vehicle sector. The expansion of the facility is expected to break ground the second quarter of this year and wrap up by the end of 2022.

Seven members of the United Steelworkers union (USW), including USW International President Tom Conway, testified at an International Trade Commission hearing, sounding the alarm over the harm dumped and illegally subsidized imports inflict on the domestic tire industry. The USW filed trade petitions on passenger vehicle and light truck tires from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam last May.

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association urged Congressional leadership to include tire policy and related transportation sustainability initiatives as they negotiate the latest infrastructure package. In a letter, the association representing 13 of the world’s largest tire manufacturers identified five specific policy proposals ranging from tax incentives to additional research dollars and procurement commitments to strengthen the American tire manufacturing industry and help the country deliver on its important environmental objectives.

Elite Elastomers, Inc., a specialty rubber compounder, announced that Andy Claytor has joined the firm as vice president of sales to lead Elite Elastomers’ growth in the custom rubber mixing industry. Claytor will oversee the development of Elite Elastomers’ sales, marketing and customer service organizations, building upon a strong foundation put in place by Steve Glidewell, the company’s founder.

Arkema plans to acquire Agiplast, a company specialized in the regeneration of high performance polymers and its historical partner in recycling operations. The company, with annual sales of around €15 million, operates a plant in Italy and has 32 employees. Agiplast’s strong know-how in mechanical recycling technologies will enable Arkema to offer high quality recycled polymers to its customers.

The MidAtlantic Rubber and Plastics Group will hold a Lunch & Learn event June 24. With an approach firmly grounded in the scientific method, the latest installment of this ongoing series of presentations will highlight the variety of analytical methods that can be employed in root cause failure analysis.