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Bolder Industries Belgium, an affiliate of US-based Bolder Industries Inc., the circular solutions provider for rubber, plastics, and petrochemical industries, announced a landmark achievement in its global expansion efforts. The European Commission awarded the company a €32 million grant from its highly competitive EU Innovation Fund pilot program, marking a significant endorsement of its cutting-edge approach to sustainable materials. The Flanders region has committed an additional €2 million to support the construction of Bolder Industries’ new state-of-the-art facility at the Port of Antwerp.

Michelin announced to the 1,254 employees of the CHOLET and VANNES plants its intention to close down production by early 2026 at the latest. Both plants have been facing severe economic difficulties for several years.

Despite the teams’ remarkable engagement and the Group’s efforts, the viability of the two plants could not be preserved. The two sites have been severely impacted by the structural transformation of the Passenger car & Light truck and Truck tire markets and worsening competitiveness of Europe, notably due to inflation and rising energy prices. This decision has been made as a last resort, once all alternative solutions and scenarios have been analyzed and evaluated.

The Bridgestone lunar rover tire will be developed for the Astrobotic 24U CubeRover. Astrobotic has a legacy of developing lunar rovers for over 17 years, which includes 37 rover technology contracts from NASA and 6 distinct lunar rovers to date. Astrobotic’s 24U CubeRover is built to provide mobility, power, and communication support for scientific instruments and payloads on the lunar surface. This 24U rover is about the size of a standard kitchen stove and boasts robust capabilities such as explicit steering, dynamic suspension, and long-distance communications to excel in harsh lunar terrain.

Wacker Chemie AG saw its sales decline in the third quarter of 2024 due to the ongoing difficult market environment. The chemical company generated sales of around €1.43 billion in the reporting quarter (Q3 2023: €1.52 billion), down 6 percent. This decline was mainly due to significantly lower volumes sold by the POLYSILICON division. Compared with Q2 2024 (€1.47 billion), sales decreased 3 percent.

In Q3 2024, WACKER posted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of €152 million (Q3 2023: €152 million). Earnings were thus on par with last year, despite the lower volumes sold by the POLYSILICON division. Compared with the previous quarter’s EBITDA (€160 million), earnings decreased 5 percent. The WACKER Group’s EBITDA margin for Q3 2024 was 10.6 percent, after 10.0 percent a year earlier and 10.9 percent a quarter earlier.

When it comes to rubber industry education, the Rubber Division is your best resource. Their training opportunities cover a wide variety of important topics and are offered all throughout the year. Webinars are free for Rubber Division, ACS Members and all Rubber Division, ACS courses are free for undergraduate Student Members (discount for masters & graduate Student Members). All courses are held virtually with the exception of a few scheduled to be held at partner locations.

OCSiAl has opened its first European production facility. The facility, located in Serbia will produce TUBALL™ nanotubes and nanotube-based products, marking a significant step forward in integrating nanomaterials into various industries. More than 1,500 companies worldwide, including leading rubber and plastic manufacturers, already use graphene nanotubes in their production lines.

The majority (54 percent) of younger drivers in Germany (up to the age of 34) see cars as a status symbol. This is a key finding of the representative mobility study conducted in August 2024 by market research institute infas on behalf of Continental in Germany, China, France, Japan and the USA. In Germany, 1,000 people aged 18 and over were surveyed about their mobility needs. According to a study commissioned by HORIZONT in 2017, for example, only 25 percent of younger respondents viewed cars as a status symbol.

A new generation of silicone elastomers specifically designed for additive manufacturing with
Longer shelf life and improved productivity are the advantages of this new silicone elastomers for Additive Manufacturing

Freudenberg Performance Materials is expanding its business in coated technical textiles (Mehler Texnologies). The technical textiles specialist is acquiring major parts of the Heytex Group from the private equity investor Bencis Capital Partners. The acquisition covers the core business of Heytex with three production locations (Germany and China) and all headquarter related functions, including Sales and R&D. The Heytex Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality and functional technical textiles. The company with an international presence is headquartered in Bramsche, Germany. In 2023, the parts of the Heytex Group to be acquired by Freudenberg Performance Materials generated sales of roughly €100 million with a workforce of some 400 employees. The transaction is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.