Mutares SE & Co. KGaA and Continental group sector Automotive, which is planned to become the independent company Aumovio in September 2025, announced the signing of an agreement under which Mutares will acquire Continental’s drum brakes production and R&D location in Cairo Montenotte (Italy). As part of the share deal, Mutares will take over all employees and business activities. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The Zhongding Group has officially launched its 2025 open project application cycle for the Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of High-Performance Rubber Materials and Products, inviting researchers and institutions to submit proposals aimed at advancing the rubber industry’s technological frontier.

Bellofram Elastomers has named Garnett Component Sales, Inc. (GCS) as its official manufacturer’s representative for the southeastern U.S. GCS will cover Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

GCS has more than 75 years of combined sales expertise and is renowned for its dedication to providing high-quality products to OEMs across a wide range of industries. Its strong customer relationships and industry knowledge make GCS an ideal partner in expanding the regional reach of Bellofram Elastomers and parent company Marsh Bellofram.

The styrene butadiene rubber market is projected to reach USD 19.7 billion by 2034, exhibiting a steady CAGR of 5.5% over the forecast period according to Future Market Insights. This growth highlights strong demand across automotive, construction, and industrial applications, driven by the material’s durability, cost-effectiveness, and versatility. As industries continue to prioritize high-performance synthetic rubbers, the market is expected to maintain a consistent upward trajectory.

While studying different cross-linking structures in silicone, the research team stumbled upon the potential for electrical conductivity in a copolymer, which is a polymer chain containing two different types of repeating units—cage-structured and then linear silicones in this case.

The possibility for conductivity arises from the way electrons can move across Si—O—Si bonds with overlapping orbitals. Semiconductors have two main states: the ground state, which doesn’t conduct electricity, and a conducting state, which does. The conducting state, also known as an excited state, occurs when some electrons jump up to the next electron orbital, which is connected across the material like a metal.

The Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM) announced the release of the newly revised MO-1: The Rubber Handbook, the latest edition of the rubber industry’s most trusted engineering reference tool. Updated every five years, the Rubber Handbook remains the gold standard for communicating specifications across the rubber manufacturing supply chain.

The exhibition was officially inaugurated by H.E Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI and Expo Centre Sharjah. The opening was attended by H.E Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah; Sultan Shattaf, Commercial Director of Expo Centre Sharjah; and Peram Prasada Rao, CEO of TechnoBiz, along with representatives from participating companies.

Following the inauguration, the attendees toured the exhibition diverse pavilions, where they explored a wide range of high-quality tire products, polymer and rubber solutions, and state-of-the-art tire manufacturing technologies, equipment, and technical services.

At a press conference hosted by Messe Düsseldorf, WACKER presented its first product highlights for K 2025, the 23rd International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber coming up in October. In Hall 6 at Booth A10 – covering an area of 360 square meters and sporting WACKER’s new booth design, the Group will be showcasing innovations in the areas of grid expansion, e-mobility, sensors and lifestyle applications.

The Rubber Trade Association of Europe (RTAE) has reported that prices for Technically Specified Rubber (TSR 20) remained subdued throughout May, averaging around 165 euro cents per kilogram CIF. Despite a brief mid-month uptick to 170 €/kg, the market quickly corrected, with prices falling back to 160 €/kg by the end of the month.

Black Donuts Inc. has announced the launch of InTire Labs, a new independent material research center located in Tampere, Finland. The facility, officially open on July 16, 2025, is designed to accelerate the development of sustainable tire and rubber materials. It will serve as a neutral and confidential platform for research and development, supporting tire manufacturers, rubber product producers, and raw material suppliers worldwide.

The Continental tire plant in Otrokovice, Czech Republic, recently received the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS sustainability certification. This globally recognized standard certifies that Continental meets specific documentation requirements relating to the use of renewable and recycled raw materials. It also confirms the completely transparent traceability of the raw materials used in the production process. Certification of the raw materials enables Continental to ensure the end-to-end traceability of materials from renewable and recycled sources.

NEXEN TIRE announced that its premium all-season tire N’FERA Supreme S has been selected as original equipment (OE) for The Kia EV4, Kia’s first electric sedan.

The N’FERA Supreme S was equipped on the EV4 to meet the unique performance demands of electric vehicles, including high torque, low noise, and precise handling. It was designed to provide a balanced driving experience across various conditions, delivering both ride comfort and braking stability for high-speed and everyday driving.

Erie, PA – Eriez® announces the appointment of Mary Ann De Lunas as Country Manager for its Magnetics division in

Europe non-automotive rubber transmission belts market size was valued at USD 1,257.27 million in 2023. The market is anticipated to grow from USD 1,272.23 million in 2024 to USD 1,685.83 million by 2032, exhibiting the CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period according to Polaris Market Research.

The Europe non-automotive rubber transmission belts market is growing due to industrialization and Europe’s rising need for manufactured goods. The market is expanding due to automation trends and technological advancements such smart functions and increased energy efficiency to fulfil the need for material handling processes efficiently across a range of sectors is propelling the European market’s notable expansion and development. Moreover, Europe is considered as trade hub for export for various countries having full connectivity is fueling the growth of this market.

Through this partnership, NEXEN TIRE will use this collaboration to boost the adoption of sustainable materials. LD Carbon’s recovered carbon black is generated by pyrolyzing end-of-life tires in an oxygen-free environment, greatly lowering carbon emissions and promoting resource cycling. By expanding the use of sustainable materials, NEXEN TIRE is improving its eco-friendly tire manufacturing capabilities.

Greene Tweed collaborated with multiple suppliers to evaluate SAF blends and their effects on the physical properties of fluorine-based elastomers FKM and FVMQ. The study assessed performance in SAF blends, including Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (SPK) and Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene (SAK), following ASTM D7566 standards. Testing simulated extreme aerospace environments, including temperatures up to 120°C and prolonged SAF exposure.

BASF Coatings and Toyota Motor Europe have signed an agreement to develop the Toyota Body&Paint program for Europe, building the foundation for a long-term strategic collaboration between the two companies for Toyota and Lexus brands. The partnership takes advantage of the premium automotive refinish solutions under the Glasurit and R-M brands in the European market. The Toyota Body&Paint program will be designed using a comprehensive set of BASF’s Body Shop BOOST consultancy services and giving access to the cloud-based digital color, business and training solutions platform Refinity®. With the collaboration, BASF is supporting its partner Toyota reaching its individual sustainability targets, while ensuring the highest quality standards in paint-work repairs for Toyota premium vehicles.

In a significant stride toward sustainable mobility, KRAIBURG TPE has introduced its latest innovation in eco-friendly automotive materials: the THERMOLAST® R RC/UV/AP series. Designed specifically for exterior automotive components like running boards, this new thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compound blends high performance with environmental responsibility.

Sharjah, UAE – The Middle East is gearing up for a major gathering of rubber and plastics professionals as TechnoBiz

Falken Tyre Europe GmbH announced the appointment of Hiroshi Hamada as its new Managing Director, Chairman & CEO.

Hamada has enjoyed 33 years at Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), initially joining the company back in 1992 – then named The Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Company. In 2018, Hamada became Vice President of SRI China and President of Dunlop Tire in China. From2024, Hamada continues to serve as Senior Executive Officer of SRI.

Goodyear in collaboration with Canine Companions® and Peanuts®, the Goodyear Blimp will transport a group of eight-week-old puppies from Smyrna, Tennessee, to Nashville for the first time in its iconic 100-year history.

This inaugural flight is an exciting new mode of transportation for these future service dogs, who usually travel by plane to their volunteer puppy raisers throughout the country.

The pups who are destined for service dog careers will be joined in the air by arguably the most famous canine of them all: Snoopy.

Since 2023, Arkema has been working with Carbone 4, a consultancy firm specializing in low-carbon strategies, to measure and improve its customers’ environmental performance. This collaboration forms part of the Group’s commitment to providing solutions that contribute to a more sustainable,
low-carbon industry.

In line with new market and regulatory expectations, Carbone 4 developed the Net Zero Initiative, a methodology for calculating avoided emissions, in collaboration with the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development). The initiative aims to provide companies with the tools they need to transition their operations toward making a fair contribution to global carbon neutrality. Recognized internationally since 2018, this methodology makes it possible to assess the CO2 avoidance of an innovative solution compared with a standard alternative.

BASF has completed the transition to bio-based Ethyl Acrylate (EA) for its Rheovis® range manufactured at Ludwigshafen and Bradford sites. Now, the Rheovis® range has a 14C-traceable biogenic content of up to 35% according to the ASTM D6866-18 analytical standard and a reduced Product Carbon Footprint (PCF1) of up to 30% compared to versions based on fossil feedstock. This development underlines BASF’s commitment to support customers in achieving their sustainability goals. The chemical composition and technical specifications of the new bio-based products remain unchanged.

H.B. Fuller Company announced plans to report its financial results for the three-month fiscal period ended May 31, 2025, in a press release issued after the market close on June 25, 2025. The Company will hold an investor conference call on June 26, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. CT (10:30 a.m. ET) to discuss its financial results.

Bridgestone Corporation has announced its continued support for the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), unveiling a new generation of sustainable tires featuring ENLITEN™ technology. These cutting-edge tires mark a milestone in eco-innovation, incorporating over 65% recycled and renewable materials—the highest ratio ever used by the company in motorsports.

At the EUROMAP General Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany, the European plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers have elected their new presidency. Tobias Baur, CSO of the German injection molding specialist ARBURG GmbH & Co KG, is the new President of the European umbrella association.

The EcoVadis assessment evaluates 21 sustainability criteria across four core themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. NewAge significantly increased its performance in all four categories which led to this year’s overall score, placing it in the platinum category, a level higher than its previous gold rating. NewAge now ranks among the top 1% of all companies evaluated globally. More than 150,000 companies in over 185 countries and 250 purchasing categories have been rated by EcoVadis.

Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. announced the promotion of Cliff Stewart to Associate Vice President of Four-Wheel Replacement Sales and Christopher de Rosales to Associate Vice President of Strategic Planning

Lubrizol has an extensive range of medical grade TPU solutions and differentiated design, development, and manufacturing services for medical devices. IMCD is a leading partner for the distribution and formulation of specialty chemicals and ingredients. The company has developed expertise in medical-grade polymers and established an extensive presence in the medical and healthcare market, combining partnerships with leading suppliers and a wide customer base.

Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO), a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, has donated $100,000 to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) following a two-week campaign where the company made a financial gift for every My Firestone and Tires Plus app downloaded by store customers.

As part of the campaign, BSRO and WWP also hosted an injured veteran and their guest at the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, where they received exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the iconic race.