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Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) has re-appointed Mr. Minoo Mehta as the Head of BKT USA operations, effective May 15th, 2026.

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.

For carbon black, silica, pigments, and battery electrode materials, oil absorption numbers (OAN/COAN) provide a practical indicator of powder structure and dispersion behavior. Anton Paar’s Brabender AbsorptoMeter with integrated industry-leading MetaBridge software converts this classic test into an automated, traceable workflow where every drop counts – eliminating manual variability and delivering audit-ready, highly repeatable results and straightforward data integration.

Measuring technology specialist PiXARGUS is further expanding its sales activities across the Atlantic under the umbrella of the CiTEX group. Jeff Foster, Vice President Business Development of the CiTEX sister company iNOEX LLC, is now representing PiXARGUS for North America. 

Master Bond MasterSil 981-LO is a two component, addition cured silicone system designed for bonding, sealing, coating, and encapsulating applications. It meets NASA low outgassing specifications and features optical clarity, particularly in thin sections, making it well suited for aerospace, satellite, optical, and optoelectronic applications. The compound is 100% reactive, contains no solvents or diluents, and exhibits minimal shrinkage upon cure.

Struktol Company of America, LLC highlights its TR 451, a processing additive specifically designed for use in highly loaded mineral filled polyolefins. Engineered as an optimized blend of special oleo chemicals, TR 451 helps compounders meet demanding performance and cost targets in high-filler systems by improving homogenization and processing efficiency.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it is supplying its GEOLANDAR A/T G94 tires as original equipment (OE) for Toyota Motor Corporation’s new Land Cruiser “FJ” SUV, which was launched as the latest model in the automaker’s Land Cruiser series. The Land Cruiser “FJ” was launched worldwide, and the GEOLANDAR A/T G94 tires are fitted to the Land Cruiser “FJ” sold in Asia*, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.

Valmet introduces the Valmet DNAe Optimization Suite, a scalable software suite of optimization applications designed to improve plant performance and operational efficiency. It can be delivered to process plants using control systems supplied by Valmet as well as those from other providers.