Nokian Tyres and the Swedish biomaterials company Reselo AB have signed a development agreement to further develop their renewable material Reselo Rubber as a new raw material in tires. Reselo Rubber is a completely renewable material made from birch bark that comes from residues from the global pulp, paper and sawmill industry. The purpose of the now signed cooperation agreement is to develop the material further to adapt it for commercial tire production.

Bridgestone introduces the Potenza Sport A, the company’s first mass-produced tire to incorporate 55% ISCC PLUS certified recycled and renewable materials. ISCC PLUS is a globally applicable certification standard which aims to increase the transparency and traceability of alternative feedstocks throughout the entire supply chain, from the point of origin to the final customer.

By 2030, well over 100 million electric cars are expected to be on the roads worldwide. To make electromobility more efficient in the future, nearly all manufacturers are working to increase range and reduce charging times. High-performance batteries are one of the priorities in this development. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies assists manufacturers by providing innovative solutions that increase cell reliability – solutions that contribute to a longer cycle life, greater design flexibility and advances in cell design. With its cell caps and cell envelopes, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies now has two products ready for series production.

The Lubrizol Corporation and SABIC have developed compatible material solutions well suited for various applications in the consumer electronics and mobility industries, among others. These solutions, which combine soft and rigid materials, can help customers advance their sustainability goals, enhance the protection of ever-thinner and more vulnerable applications, and streamline manufacturing through part consolidation.

Bridgestone EMEA (Bridgestone), Grupo BB&G (BB&G) and Versalis (Eni) announced the signing of an agreement aimed at establishing a closed-loop ecosystem to transform end-of-life tires into new tires. The agreement will bring together the innovation, experience and technological skills of all three companies. The partnership aims to develop a model for the creation of a scalable and increasingly sustainable supply chain.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) reports that in the first seven months of 2024, global natural rubber (NR) production saw a slight increase of 0.7%, reaching 7.1 million tons. In contrast, global NR demand grew at a faster rate of 1.2%, totaling 9.0 million tons. Despite the tight supply situation that pushed up rubber prices, market sentiment remained subdued due to several factors: the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged, concerns about a potential recession in the U.S., and the weakening U.S. dollar, which has exerted downward pressure on both physical and futures market prices.

Jeety Rubber Liberia Limited Corporation has purchased a 100% stake in Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC), taking over the ownership of the company from its previous owner, Socfinaf S.A.
Jeety Rubber LLC, a subsidiary of the Jeety Conglomerate based in Weala, Margibi County, buys and processes rubber into finished and semi-finished products, TSR 10, for shipment.

Interface, Inc. announced continued efforts to develop a circular economy with expanded capabilities at its recycling facility in Scherpenzeel, Netherlands.

The Scherpenzeel recycling plant will now use an innovative process to recycle post-consumer carpet tiles that cannot be reused, supporting Interface’s commitment to circularity. This will enable the used products to be immediately returned to the production cycle and used to make new carpet tiles for the European market.

The global styrene butadiene rubber market will reach a valuation of USD 11.5 billion in 2024, attributed to factors such as automotive industry growth. The trend is set to create new opportunities for the market, leading to a projected CAGR of 5.5% between 2024 and 2034, and reaching a total valuation of approximately USD 19.7 billion by 2034 according to Future Market Insights.

Harwick Standard Distribution Corporation, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, announced their appointment as the distributor for USA and Canada for Neville Chemical, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, effective October 1, 2024. This relationship will enable Harwick to market products further into the rubber, plastics and other polymer related market segments.

Washington, DC – The 2024 Polyurethanes Technical Conference’s Early Bird Registration is ending Sept. 6 – sign up before then

Yokohama Tire returns as the Official Tire Supplier of Nitrocross. Yokohama will be the exclusive spec tire for all classes competing in the series, including the premier Group E class where new, purpose-built ADVAN A054® race tires will debut on the FC1-X, the world’s fastest electric race car.

Nitrocross features notoriously mammoth jumps with vast, banked turns on a variety of track surfaces all in a single lap. World-class drivers such as Team Yokohama members Travis Pastrana, Tanner Foust and the Isenhouer Brothers will test their skills during the five-city, 10-round, action-packed series, which begins September 7-8 in Richmond, Virginia.

Team Yokohama Nitrocross highlights include:

— Group E: Tanner Foust, the first American to win a round of the European Rallycross Championship, is returning to full-time competition after a successful cameo in the class at Utah Motorsports Campus last season. He’ll be driving the Optima Battery/Yokohama-backed FC1-X with team OMSE on the newly developed ADVAN A054 tire.

— SxS: Action sports superstar and Nitrocross founder Travis Pastrana headlines this star-studded field of Can-Am Maverick R drivers competing on GEOLANDAR® H/T G056 tires.

— Baja Bug: Brothers Nick and Chris Isenhouer step out of their 6100 desert racing truck and into a race-modified 1960s-era VW Beetle to compete on Yokohama’s new GEOLANDAR A/T4™ tires and sporting A/T4 livery.

“We’re excited to return as the Official Tire of Nitrocross,” said Patricia Wall, Yokohama’s motorsports senior manager. “We love seeing our brand perform on a wide variety of vehicles, especially in a punishing environment like Nitrocross. It really drives tire development forward across all our platforms from consumer products to motorsports.”

For example, Wall said the new ADVAN A054® was designed to handle the huge amount of torque generated by the FC1-X. “When the FC1-X was introduced its acceleration was impressive, to say the least. But just like an electric car you see on the streets, the FC1-X is heavy and is a little more challenging on a tire than a lighter weight internal combustion race car.”

Wall explained that Yokohama engineers developed this A054 tire around a beadlock wheel for the FC1-X and Group E class. “The new wheel and tire combination will improve the racing significantly. The A054 tread is the right pattern for grip on dirt and tarmac; the construction has been improved so there will still be great tire performance at the end of races. The introduction of the beadlock wheel will allow drivers to push the limits even more which is going to make for some great racing.”

Complete 2024/25 Nitrocross Series schedule:
September 7-8, Richmond, VA
October 5-6, Salt Lake City, UT
November 15-16, Phoenix, AZ
January 11-12, 2025 Miami, FL
March 1-2, 2025 Las Vegas, NV

Along with Nitrocross, Yokohama’s extensive list of 2024 North American-based motorsports activities – both on- and off-road – includes Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Endurance Challenge, Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama, King of the Hammers, Championship Off-Road Series, Ultra4 USA and the TrophyLite Series.

Apollo Tyres Ltd has successfully completed a best practice 5-star occupational health and safety audit conducted by British Safety Council, demonstrating its commitment towards the continual improvement of health and safety management systems and associated arrangements.

The board of directors of Elkem and Elkem Testvirksomhet AS have approved the merger. The decision to approve the merger will be registered with the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises and is scheduled to take place by the end of 2024

ontinental offers automated tire tread depth measurements for the first time thanks to its new ContiConnect sensor generation. Fleet operators are now able to obtain precise and daily updated data on the rate of wear of their commercial vehicle tires. In conjunction with AI-based algorithms, upcoming tire services for individual commercial vehicles as well as entire fleets can be planned with precision. This increases the safety and efficiency of the fleet, saves costs and helps to reduce its CO2 emissions. The new tread depth measurement and the tire service planning complement Continental’s existing ContiConnect solution portfolio, which already includes data on tire pressure, temperature and mileage. Continental will present the new solutions to the public for the first time at the IAA Transportation 2024 in Hanover from September 17 to 22.

ARPM Celebrates Ten Companies Awarded with Prestigious Safety Award at the Annual Environmental, Health and Safety Summit

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. announced that it is supplying its “ADVAN Sport V107” tires as original equipment (OE) tires for the BMW M2 high-performance compact sports car that was launched by the German automaker BMW M GmbH in April 2024. The sizes are 275/35ZR19 (100Y) for the front and 285/30ZR20 (99Y) for the rear.

The industrial overview for the polyacrylate rubber industry is marked by growing demand from sectors requiring high-performance materials capable of withstanding extreme conditions. As per estimations by Research Nester Analytics, the market for polyacrylate rubber size is poised to reach USD 86 Billion by the end of 2036, growing at a CAGR of 10% during the forecast period. In the year 2023, the industry size of polyacrylate rubber was over USD 3 Billion. As industries continue to innovate and prioritize reliability, the demand for polyacrylate rubber is expected to rise, driving market growth and technological advancements.

The Rubber Division, ACS is holding its next WOMEN OF OUR INDUSTRY on October 2, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET. This WORD Conversation’s featured guest is Marjolein Groeneweg. This WORD Conversation begins with open networking for approximately 10 minutes followed by a conversation between our featured guest, Marjolein Groeneweg, Global Marketing Director, Synthetic Rubber at Synthos, and Gail Reader, Founder/Director at Rubber Heart.

Juan Ramon Salinas, IISRP’s Managing Director and CEO has announced his plans to retire on September 1st, 2024. Hence, Roxanna Bauza Petrovic has been elected to serve as Managing Director and CEO.

As one of the largest tire and automotive technology suppliers in the world, Continental will now have an EV compatible checkmark on some of their new truck and bus tires. The EV compatible checkmark means that the tire meets the special requirements of EV/hybrid vehicles as well as those of combustion engines.

MAXAM Tire North America is set to showcase its latest advancements in mining tire technology at MINEXPO 2024, taking place in Las Vegas, NV, from September 24-26. Visitors to Booth #10721 in the West Hall will be among the first to experience the new MS453PRO haul truck tire and the new 3-star MS501 45/65R45 mining tire.

Endurica LLC, the developer and provider of the world’s most comprehensive CAE workflows for fatigue analysis of elastomers, announces a strategic expansion in Europe with the incorporation of a new sister company, Endurica Europe SARL. Headquartered in Luxembourg, Endurica Europe SARL is chartered with two strategic objectives: Growth – to extend the market presence of Endurica’s industry-leading software and services solutions, along with improved customer service in Europe; and Innovation – to expand Endurica’s technical leadership in elastomer durability with new capabilities and support for a broader range of polymers to enable customers to reach their sustainability goals.

Covestro LLC is investing more than $40 million in a series of modernization and technical upgrades across its 9-building Pittsburgh, Pa., headquarters. Covestro, a leading supplier of high-quality polymers, has called its campus along the parkway west in Pittsburgh home since 1958. The site, which employs roughly 700 people, functions as the business headquarters for the North American region and is one of Covestro’s three global research and development hubs – the others being Leverkusen, Germany, and Shanghai, China.

Diamond America Corporation, a leading U.S. based extruder and die manufacturer, announced the relocation of their Headquarters. Effective September 30,2024, all operations will migrate to 1436 Martin Road, Mogadore, OH 44260 from 96 East Miller Avenue, Akron, OH 44301. This move signifies a major milestone to support the company’s growth and evolution over the last 20+ years.

Huntsman has developed a new range of innovative, high-performing thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) materials for the footwear industry that offer game-changing possibilities for soling applications. The new AVALON® GECKO TPU portfolio offers a series of products that have exceptional grip and durability and have been developed with circularity in mind. Tailor made for use in high performance soling applications, the range includes an extrudable grade for creating super thin outsoles and a product that can be foamed to produce a very low density and super soft material with a unique touch and feel.

Bridgestone sets new performance standards for agricultural tires. All three tires in the Bridgestone lineup feature our triple-defense rubber compound engineered to resist wear, protect against stubble and enhance durability. The patented Involute lug design maximizes traction and minimizes soil disturbance and energy loss caused by tire slip, helping farmers reduce fuel costs to get the most from their equipment and tire investment. Outlasting a top competitor in field trials, the Bridgestone VX-TRACTOR tire delivers 45% more wear life.

Trederra inked an exclusive agreement with Tyre Recycling Solutions (TRS) of Switzerland, supporting the production of Trederra footwear outsoles made from end-of-life tires.

TRS will supply Trederra with CT-50 rubber powder, manufactured using the patented TRS Water Pulse technology, a proprietary water-jet system that pulverizes tire tread into fine powder derived from 100 percent end-of-life tires diverted from landfills and free from steel and synthetic fibers.

Prism Worldwide is thrilled to unveil its latest innovation with the launch of CIRX™ car mats, engineered with our cutting-edge Ancora™ TPE technology. These pioneering mats are crafted from Ancora C-1082, a high-performance material that incorporates 50% recycled content derived from end-of-life tires, utilizing Prism’s advanced process technology.

The global silicone market is poised for significant growth, with sales estimated at USD 18,432.1 million in 2024 and projected to reach USD 29,456.9 million by 2034 according to Future Market Insights. This represents a steady compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% over the forecast period from 2024 to 2034. The market expansion is likely driven by increasing demand across various industries, including automotive, electronics, construction, and healthcare, where silicone’s versatility and durability are highly valued. As technological advancements and sustainability trends continue to evolve, silicone’s applications are expected to diversify further, supporting its robust market performance.