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Cabot Corporation announced the promotions to Executive Vice President for three senior leaders: Hobart C. Kalkstein, President, Reinforcement Materials Segment, Digital and Americas Region; Erica McLaughlin, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Head of Corporate Strategy; and Jeff Zhu, President, Performance Chemicals Segment and Asia Pacific Region. All three continue to report to Sean Keohane, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Get both for only $150. Order online at www.rubberworld.com/product/blue-book-red-book/.
Offer ends 12/31/22

ExxonMobil announced the successful startup of its new polypropylene production unit at the Polyolefins Plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The unit increases polypropylene production capacity along the Gulf Coast by 450,000 metric tons per year, meeting growing demand for high-performance, lightweight and durable plastics, particularly for automotive parts that can improve fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions.

Elkem has decided to partially curtail its production in Norway by temporarily shutting down two furnaces – one at Thamshavn and one at Rana. This is due to high power prices.

Hankook Tire has launched the company’s first tires in the U.S. that are specifically designed for electric vehicles (EVs). The iON evo AS and iON evo AS SUV are the first in Hankook’s full line of EV tires. Available in 26 sizes and rim diameters of 18 to 22 inches, iON evo AS and iON evo AS SUV are built with Hankook’s EVolution technology, which focuses on tread wear, noise reduction, and the unique grip performance for EVs.

Toyo Tire began operations at the facility in July 2022 on a line that had been partially constructed, and by the second half of 2023 the facility will reach its production capacity of 5 million passenger car, SUV and light truck tires per year. The company is targeting the production of tires for local market within Europe while also catering for the North American market

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it has once again been recognized for leadership in corporate sustainability by the global environmental non-profit CDP, which named Yokohama Rubber to its prestigious A List for tackling climate change on December 13. Yokohama Rubber’s selection recognizes its efforts to cut emissions, mitigate climate risks, and develop the low-carbon economy, based on its responses to the CDP’s 2022 climate change questionnaire, which scored more than 10,000 companies worldwide. This is Yokohama Rubber’s fourth time on the A list, following its selection in 2016, 2019, and 2020.

Get both for only $150. Order online at www.rubberworld.com/product/blue-book-red-book/

Synthos welcomes USITC’s Sunshine Act determination regarding Emulsion Styrene-Butadiene Rubber from the Czech Republic. On December 8, 2022, the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) determined that imports of emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR) from the Czech Republic were not sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) and, consequently, no industry of the United States is materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber from the Czech Republic. As a producer of ESBR in the Czech Republic, Synthos welcomes this decision by the USITC.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that on December 1 it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PT Kirana Megatara Tbk, a major natural rubber supplier in Indonesia, to cooperate in efforts to provide economic support for Indonesian natural rubber farmers and to improve traceability to ensure transparency and soundness of the natural rubber supply chain. The MOU with Kirana Megatara is the latest concrete action taken under Yokohama Rubber’s “Procurement Policy for Sustainable Natural Rubber.” In conjunction with the signing of the MOU, the two companies held a seminar event targeted at improving the quality and productivity of natural rubber in Indonesia. The event, attended by about 50 small-scale farmers affiliated with Kirana Megatara and local government officials, featured a tapping contest and a quiz on agricultural technology. The farmers attending the event received a complementary supply of fertilizer and natural rubber coagulants.