Author: RubberWorld

The MidAtlantic Rubber and Plastics Group Scholarship is officially open for applications. As a membership benefit, members can sponsor one scholarship applicant. The applicant does not have to be a member’s child, but can be any current or incoming college student, which could be a relative, neighbor or someone in your community. Preference will be given to students majoring in Science, Technology, or Business, but all majors will be considered. The number of scholarship awards and amount awarded will depend on the number of qualified applicants.

The rubber mixing plant, operated by SETCO, specializes in producing solid tires and expanded rim assemblies. The facility utilizes state-of-the-art equipment to create high-quality rubber compounds. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and authorities are assessing the extent of damage to the plant. Local residents are advised to stay indoors if they experience breathing difficulties due to the chemicals released during the incident. As the situation unfolds, authorities are closely monitoring air quality and ensuring the safety of the community.

Corteco focuses on seals in more detail than most other aftermarket companies. As part of the technology and sealing expert Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, Corteco is diversified and well positioned for the demanding independent aftermarket within the heavy-duty sector. A market in which Corteco is progressively increasing its presence. The product range will see further expansion with additional product groups in 2024.

3M announced that it purchased a group annuity contract and will transfer a portion of its U.S. pension payment obligations under the 3M Employee Retirement Income Plan (ERIP) to Metropolitan Tower Life Insurance Company (Met Tower Life), an insurance company. Under the contract, 3M will transfer approximately $2.5 billion of its defined benefit pension obligations and related plan assets for approximately 23,000 U.S. retirees and beneficiaries to Met Tower Life. This represents approximately 60% of ERIP retiree participants. The contract was purchased using assets from 3M’s ERIP trust and no additional funding contribution was required as part of this transaction.

The refurbished ARBURG Technology Center (ATC) in Radevormwald is back in operation. After a two-year modernization phase, on 7 June 2024, ARBURG Partners Juliane and Michael Hehl, together with the Managing Directors and project leads, cut the reopening ribbon. This event, marked by an open house, followed an exclusive event the previous evening. The two-day event was attended by a total of around 250 guests.

Circtec Ltd has acquired Granuband B.V., a leading Netherlands end-of-life tire collection and recycling company. With a substantial recycling plant in the industrial port of Amsterdam, capable of processing 50,000 tons per year of end-of-life tires into granulate, molded products and tire chips, Granuband is one of the main end-of-life tire recycling companies in the Benelux region.

Röhm has significantly expanded its production capacity at the Wallingford plant in Connecticut (USA) in June 2024. The innovative improvement was possible by modifying and redeploying an existing production line at the Wallingford site, providing customers with faster delivery and meeting increasing demand globally.

Celanese Corporation opened two new facilities in India: the India Technical Center in Silvassa and a new Shared Service Center in Hyderabad. Both facilities will allow the employee teams in India to better support both local customers as well as global employees through a range of capabilities.

Malaysia’s natural rubber production decreased by 20.9 percent in April to 21,325 tons as compared to 26,966 tons in March, official data reported. Year-on-year comparison showed that the production of natural rubber fell 9.1 percent from 23,460 tons a year ago, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement.