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ontinental has determined further measures to strengthen the competitiveness of its Automotive sector. To this end, the sector is simplifying and streamlining business and administrative structures. With the planned measures in the administrative structures, Continental is aiming to ease the sector’s costs by 400 million euros annually. The full extend should be reached by 2025. To achieve this, Continental is developing a broad range of measures across all parts and all levels of the organization. Therefore, the exact number of globally affected jobs is not decided yet but is expected to be in the mid four-digit range at Automotive.

ubber Division, ACS has just made their Advanced Rubber Compounding & Testing course available virtually. As part of this new course offering, the Division is also offering special pricing options; either half of registration or two registrations for the price of one or purchase this course and receive complimentary registration for their December 6 course – An Introduction to Continuous Vulcanization.

The fishing groups brought their enforcement action under Section 9 of the ESA against 13 of the largest U.S. tire manufacturers, including Goodyear, Michelin, and Bridgestone. The complaint states that 6PPD in tires is imperiling the recovery of 24 populations of coho, Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout that are listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA. Tire manufacturers’ use of 6PPD generates and contributes to ongoing, ubiquitous contamination of surface waters near roads with 6PPD-q, harming coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and many other fish and aquatic species.

In celebration of National STEM Day, Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced their partnership with Play Like a Girl!® (PLAG), a nonprofit organization that leverages skills gained from sports to help propel young women into careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Bridgestone and PLAG are teaming up with five professional football franchises—the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans—for a series of programs during the 2023-2024 season designed to create equitable access to opportunity and develop the next generation of women leaders.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting a petition from the Yurok Tribe, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to address the use of the chemical N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) in tires. The chemical 6PPD has been used in motor vehicle tires for more than six decades to make them more durable. It can also be found in other rubber products such as footwear, synthetic turf infill, and playgrounds.

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced it has been named a 2023 “Top Company for Women to Work for in Transportation” for the second straight year by the Women in Trucking Association (WIT). Representatives from Bridgestone will receive the award, along with other recipients, during a ceremony at the WIT Accelerate! Conference and Expo Nov. 5-8 in Dallas, Texas.

The Rubber Division, ACS announces a Call for Abstracts for their Spring Technical Meeting being held April 30 – May 2, 2024 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, OH.

Davis-Standard, LLC announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire the Extrusion Technology Group (“ETG”) from entities controlled by the Dutch Investor Nimbus. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Davis-Standard has been majority owned by funds affiliated with Gamut Capital Management, L.P. (“Gamut”) since December 2021 and serves the global infrastructure and packaging end-markets with a highly engineered suite of extrusion equipment and converting systems supported by world-class aftermarket spare parts, service, and support for its base of industry critical customers.

Yokohama Tire has expanded its partnership with Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) again. The tire maker announced it will be the new Premier Partner of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America in 2024. All classes of cars in this top tier Porsche one-make series will be fitted with Yokohama’s ADVAN® A005 racing slicks and ADVAN® A006 tires for wet conditions. Drivers will compete in Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars, all of the most current 992 generation, in the series which features 16 races at eight different circuits.