Shin-Etsu Silicones of America Inc. will host an open house this fall at its LIMS Technical Center, offering industry professionals a closer look at liquid silicone rubber processing and equipment.

The event is scheduled for Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the company’s 7,000-square-foot facility at 1120 Tower Drive.

At the Feria de Zaragoza in Spain, Balkrishna Industries Ltd—the leading multinational Off-Highway tire manufacturer—will showcase its tires, engineered and designed to ensure maximum reliability in the most challenging environments. Representing BKT’s solutions will be S. José Pneus, the official distributor for the Iberian Peninsula, with whom the company enjoys a long-standing partnership that marks its 19th anniversary this year.

AMAP invites you to submit an abstract for the 2026 AMAP Annual Conference & Workshop, October 19-21, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts. Submissions are due Thursday, April 24.

Leistritz Extrusion will host the 2026 Reactive Extrusion (REX) Workshop May 13-14, 2026, a first-time event to be held at the Polymers Center of Excellence (PCE) in Charlotte, NC, USA.

In addition to classroom sessions, REX twin screw extrusion systems and analytical testing methods will be demonstrated at the PCE facility.

Build momentum this May with training opportunities from the Rubber Division, ACS, designed to strengthen your technical expertise and professional impact. From advanced compounding and emerging materials to communication skills that elevate your influence, these sessions deliver practical value you can apply right away.

Barberton, OH – RDAbbott, in collaboration with Akron Rubber Development Laboratory (ARDL), will host Organic Elastomers 360°, a two-day hands-on

Guill Tool announce the appointment of Stephen Ovren as the company’s sales manager. The announcement was made by Chuck Paull, Chief Marketing Officer, at the company’s West Warwick, Rhode Island headquarters.

The Okuma High-pressure Coolant System is the newest addition to the company’s growing line of peripheral products to support integrated, seamless manufacturing processes. Designed for demanding machining environments, the OHP Series provides variable flow, high pressure coolant delivery to Okuma machine tools

BASF celebrated the official inauguration of its newly built, world-scale Verbund site in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province in southern China. Covering an area of around four square kilometers, it is more than a major BASF project in the chemical growth market of China. “Zhanjiang shows what the future of chemistry looks like: efficient, digital and sustainable by design. The site showcases a smart integrated Verbund structure on an industrial scale,” said Dr. Markus Kamieth, CEO of BASF, at the ceremony attended by representatives from government, customers, business partners and employees.

DuPont has completed the previously-announced divestiture of its Aramids business (Kevlar® and Nomex®) to Arclin, a portfolio company of an affiliate of TJC, L.P. (TJC), in a transaction valuing the business at approximately $1.8 billion.

Lubrizol announced Best Line Oil Co. as an authorized distributor for Paratherm™ Heat Transfer Fluids and Lubrizol Industrial Fluids throughout the state of Florida. This new partnership expands Lubrizol’s distribution capabilities in the Southeast, providing customers improved access to high performance industrial fluid solutions supported by a well established regional partner.

Clariant will showcase its latest portfolio of innovative additives solutions at Chinaplas 2026, taking place April 21-24 in Shanghai.

Ford Motor Co. is converting part of its historic Dearborn campus into a new facility called World Headquarters South, advancing a broader effort to modernize its workplaces and bring teams closer together. When complete, the 3.3-million-square-foot World Headquarters complex will accommodate approximately 10,000 to 11,000 employees in total. Approximately 16,000 employees will be within a 15-minute walk of one another, providing easier collaboration across the campus.

ARLANXEO entered into an agreement for the expansion of marketing and sales of EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) synthetic rubber manufactured by Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Company (PRC), a joint stock company formed under the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) announced that it has launched joint research with Universitas Indonesia, Public University Corporation Yokohama City University (Yokohama City University), and Public University Corporation Maebashi Institute of Technology (Maebashi Institute of Technology) for the genetic analysis of para rubber trees. This collaboration will leverage trees and genetic information from Bridgestone’s natural rubber farm in Indonesia. Working together with the advanced technologies of the partner universities, the joint project aims to create a marker-assisted selection technology that enables early identification of elite trees (high-yielding, stable performers). Through this effort, Bridgestone and the partner universities seek to contribute to future improvements in the productivity and stable supply of natural rubber.

Greene Tweed has named Seal Dynamics the exclusive sales and distribution partner for its aerospace original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products in Asia and Brazil, effective April 1, 2026. The strategic collaboration builds on a long-standing relationship and provides new opportunities for aerospace OEMs in these regions to access Greene Tweed’s innovative solutions and technical expertise, ensuring they remain competitive in these rapidly growing markets.

At Chinaplas 2026, taking place from 21 to 24 April in Shanghai, the ENGEL Group places the reduction of part costs, material usage and investment in series production at the center of its trade fair presentation. The internationally operating manufacturer of injection molding solutions presents production cells that combine process steps, reduce scrap and enable stable production even with demanding materials and geometries. A total of six applications are presented in live operation, three of which are for the automotive sector.

Kent Elastomer Products has announced new leadership appointments alongside a notable milestone: a 40-year employee tenure within its operations.

The Rubber Division, ACS has updated its calendar of Rubber Group events.
Attend one of these upcoming Rubber Group events to make some new contacts, catch up with current connections, learn, support our industry and have some fun.

Since 2006, the plant has produced around 136 million tires, supplying car manufacturers and replacement markets across Brazil and South America
Investments of around 1.2 billion Brazilian real, approx. €235 million, in the past ten years alone demonstrate the company’s long-term commitment to Brazil
“Our 20-year journey in Camaçari is a story of continuous growth, operational excellence and the deep commitment of our people to this region,” said Shander Basílio, plant manager of the Continental tire plant in Camaçari

Evonik will present its high-performance polymers and plastic additives at CHINAPLAS 2026, Asia’s largest plastics and rubber exhibition. Under the theme “WE GO BEYOND WITH plastics solutions”, Evonik will showcase its innovative achievements in sustainability, energy transition, low-altitude economy, smart manufacturing, personalized healthcare, and the circular economy.

Lutz Holding GmbH, a German group of companies specializing in professional fluid management, is expanding its international presence. The new branch office “Lutz-Jesco Italia S.r.l.” in Milan is set to become the foundation for long-term growth in one of Europe’s key regions. The new branch office builds upon an established sales partnership with the renowned Italian pump manufacturer ARGAL.

Hiratsuka, Japan—The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it is supplying its GEOLANDAR X-CV tires as original equipment (OE) to

Apollo Tyres Ltd announced two major milestones that reinforce its commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices. The company has achieved an improved EcoVadis Gold Rating, with its score improving to 98th percentile in FY26. The Company has also received validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its near-term and net-zero emissions reduction targets.

Evonik has launched a new tribological material, designed especially for use in slide bearings needing to withstand high-temperature and high-pressure environments. Based on PEEK (polyether ether ketone), the VESTAKEEP® Easy Slide 2 product can be used either as a polymer coating in hybrid bearings, or as a full PEEK-based bearing, depending on the application. The material is ideally processed by injection molding, but also can be extruded

Somerville, NJ – Tony Listro has recently joined Leistritz Extrusion as Product Manager Life Science+ business covering Pharma and Food

Västra Frölunda, Sweden – PulPac announces that its intellectual property portfolio within Dry Molded Fiber has surpassed 500 national patent

Guill Tool has released its new reciprocating head. The traditional tip and die assembly is replaced with a linear reciprocating assembly that changes the tube’s profile within a given length. This process is repeated throughout a single extrusion run without interruptions. Cutting capability, in association with the extrusion speed, cuts the finished product to length.

The Spring Technical Meeting is only one week away but it’s not too late to register! The meeting will be held at the Cleveland Marriott East – 26300 Harvard Road, in Warrensville Heights, Ohio 44122​​​​ from April 14 -16, 2026.

The China Rubber Industry Association held the 2026 China Rubber Annual Conference in Qingdao. During the conference, the Enlarged Meeting of the Rubber Machinery and Molds Branch of the China Rubber Industry Association was convened on March 24. Attendees included Zhu Hong, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Rubber Industry Association; Jiang Xin, Secretary-General of the Rubber Machinery and Molds Branch; and Guan Bingzheng, Branch Chairman, as well as Chairman and President of MESNAC.