RJA August 2012 Industry News

Rubber Journal Asia Tyre News

Tyre makers set up in China

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wedish Trelleborg Group has set up a new facility in Xingtai, Hebei, China, to manufacture radial and bias technology tyres for farming, forestry and agroindustrial applications while Taiwan-based tyre maker Kenda Rubber intends to invest US$333 million to set up a plant in Guangdong.

Trelleborg has several manufacturing facilities in China, in Huizhou, Shanghai, Wuxi, Qingdao and Xingtai that manufacture marine systems, speciality components, industrial antivibration, agricultural tyres, printing solutions and precision seals.

The firm has 1,500 employees in China and sales in 2011 amounted to nearly SEK1,100 million.

Meanwhile, Kenda is acquiring 2.8 million sq m of land in Huizhou and intends to relocate its existing Shenzhen factory there. The plant will produce motorcycle and bicycle tyres and daily output is expected to reach 83,000 tyres by 2016.

Kenda is also building another plant in Tianjin for passenger car radials by Q2 2013. The tyre maker is also looking to set up yet another passenger car radial factory, in either the US or China’s Sichuang or Wuhan Provinces.

Bridgestone constructing Vietnamese plant

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ridgestone is investing US$575 million to build a tyre plant in Dinh Vu

ndia’s Apollo Tyres has set up a training centre for heavy and light commercial vehicle (CV) drivers in Ujjain City, Madhya Pradesh. In partnership with B-Able, a not-for-profit organisation, the focus of the centre will be on the dual areas of imparting a complete education to equip young aspirants with all aspects of road and vehicle safety and maintenance, along with promoting a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. The latter stems from the fact that India has the second highest CV accident rate in the world because drivers push themselves to spend long hours on the road, neglecting basic rest and health needs. The Ujjain Centre will train 200 drivers/year.

With a GDP (per capita) of more than US$26,000 in 2011 and a rapidly growing population, Saudi Arabia’s tyre market is visibly one of the fastest growing in the Arab nations. Strong developments in roughly all the major automotive segments have infused a huge tyre demand in the country.

A separate study

by Research and Markets projected that demand for tyres and tubes is set to grow by 12% annually.

Being the largest market in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia still imports to satiate its needs. It runs up almost US$800 million in imported tyre bills alone on a yearly basis, importing 13 million tyres/year and volumes are expected to keep on rising as consumer demand increases over the next few years.

Saudi tyre market to grow

Industry News

Apollo inaugurates training centre

Industrial Zone in northern Hai Phong, Vietnam. The facility, the biggest foreign investment in Hai Phong, is being built on a 1.02 million sq m lot and will have a capacity of 24,700 tyres / day. It will start up by 2014.

Bridgestone recently also increased its production capacities at its Nong Khae plant in Thailand and Karawang plant in Indonesia. Regardless, the tyre maker determined that a new plant in Vietnam was necessary to respond to continuing growth and demand.

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Michelin tyres to communicate at the Olympics

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rench tyre maker Michelin will unveil its communicating tyre during the 30th Olympic Games in London. By combining a tyre pressure monitoring system and radio frequency identification chips, the tyre maker is enabling public transport operators in London to enhance the safety of tyres fitted on buses, thereby improving the mobility of both vehicles and transport users. When used with the RFID chips now integrated in Michelin X InCity tyres, the TPMS sensors not only make it possible to obtain tyre pressure and temperature data easily but also to ensure traceability that streamlines and secures monitoring as long as the tyre is used on the vehicle.

To develop this technology, Michelin spent seven years on research, filed around 20 patents and drove some 50,000 tyres a total of 6 billion km in tests conducted around the world.

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audi Arabian tyre sales are forecast to surge over US$10 billion by 2014, according to TechSci Research.

The tyre sales have three major components: OEM, replacement and exports, including re-exports. The used car market was valued at more than US$800 million in 2010, which is the major replacement market boost factor. There has been a considerable increase in the assembly of truck tyre plants in the nation, which is the only factor catering to OEMs. Saudi Arabia’s tyre market is one of the largest in terms of both value and volume in the region with over 60 international brands already present in the market.

MRB to host rubber congress in Malaysia

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he Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) will be hosting its inaugural International Rubber Technology and Economics Congress in Kuala Lumpur on the 10th and 11th October 2012. The Congress, to be held at the One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, will be a discussion forum to highlight the challenges and uncertainties in the rubber industry in 2013 and beyond. Paper presenters are from universities, research institutions, internationally and locally renowned companies

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as well as government agencies. Among these are Universite du Maine, France, Emory University Atlanta, US, Electronic Telecommunication Research Institute Korea, India Rubber Board, Indonesian Rubber Research Institute, PEMANDU and many more.

The country’s ex-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will deliver the keynote address, “Vision for the Rubber Industry”; while Datuk Dr Salmiah Ahmad, Director General of MRB will present a paper on the Automatic Rubber Tapping System (ARTS), the latest innovation in latex harvesting technology.

Three eminent professionals will discuss topics related to seismic rubber bearing.

Dr Kamarudin Ab Malek will be discussing the technological aspects in the designing of seismic rubber bearing for the Second Penang Bridge; Dato’ Ir Dr Ismail Mohamed Taib on its planning and design; and Or Tan Teng, Managing Director, Doshin Rubber Products, on seismic rubber bearing in general.

On the second day, sessions will run concurrently and cover the topics of Precision Transfer of Technology; Rubber Upstream Sector: Novel Approaches; Advancement and Sustainability of Rubber Downstream; Rubber Production: Relooking the Issues; Sustaining and Enhancing Growth and Direction and Market Prospects.

For further information regarding this Congress, please contact the IRTEC Secretariat by email: norhafizah@lgm.my/ shafizal@lgm.gov.my

Toyo to focus on automotive sector

largest market for the firm in Asia, it is also eyeing India. This year, it opened its new Indian facility for rubber additives and release agents in Jhagadia, Gujarat, completing the transfer of production from Madurai in southern India.

In South America, RheinChemie increased bladder production by 40% in Argentina and has a new bladder manufacturing plant under construction in Porto Feliz, Brazil, to manufacture 170,000 Rhenoshape curing bladders/year and Rhenogran predispersed, polymer-bound chemicals.

This is all in line with the demand for bladders that is expected to grow parallel with global tyre production, which is expected to grow by 5% annually in the coming years, fuelled by the megatrend of mobility in the BRIC countries.

The push for increased productivity in the tyre industry has also led to shorter tyre cure times by raising cure temperatures and diminishing bladder wall gauge. Both factors demand premium-quality high-performance bladders that can withstand these changes and maintain their uniformity.

“We’re doing a lot of developments and our Rhenoshape curing bladders with semiconductive compounds can help meet those requirements,” said Negri, adding that the focus is also on sustainable development by making use of mainly renewable raw materials.

During the interview, Negri explained how the targeted application of expertise in rubber and manufacturing technology can increase

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ome November, Toyo Tire & Rubber will sell anti-vibration rubber for automotives in Thailand.

The sector is positioned as a core product for the firm that has established three production plants in Japan and four overseas.

RheinChemie on course for growth in Asia

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fter its back-to-back acquisitions of Darmex in Argentina and US-based Tire Curing Bladders (TCB) as well as the set-up of a new plant in Brazil, RheinChemie is continuing its campaign to become a total solutions provider to the tyre market, said Mario Negri, RheinChemie’s Director for Asia Pacific in an interview with PRA recently. Having marked its entry into the curing bladder business and extended its releasing agent business after acquiring Wacker Chemie’s tyre release agent business, the firm says it is the only global player offering release agents and bladders for tyre manufacturing from a single source.

Now, the firm is exploring opportunities in Asia. With strong economic growth and surging middle class populations, emerging markets in Asia are rich hunting grounds for RheinChemie, a wholly owned subsidiary of speciality chemicals company Lanxess.“We’re reviewing all possibilities to extend our presence in Asia for our activities. It is clearly an important market for us,” said Negri.

While China is still the

Industry News bladder service life while at the same time reducing vulcanisation times.

Bladders are used in the manufacturing process of tyres. A non-vulcanised tyre is placed in a press and once it is shut, the internal pressure forces the tyre against the internal wall of the tyre mould. This is done using a butyl rubber bladder that is then inflated under high pressure and at high temperatures to give the tyre its final shape.

Rhenoshape tyre curing bladders are also pre-treated with a special bladder coating, allowing easy release of the bladder from the mould.

“Curing a tyre takes about 11 minutes and if we can save a minute for every tyre produced that would mean higher productivity and higher energy reductions,” said Negri, adding that these systems are being used in Asia, too.

According to Negri, a growing number of tyre companies are outsourcing their bladder production to optimise productivity and take advantage of the high quality offered by bladder specialists. The size of the global bladder market is estimated at more than EUR300 million.

“RheinChemie is maintaining its direction of a local supplier with global reach. As we set sites and gain capacities near our growing list of tyre customers to serve them locally, we’re also growing our portfolio, giving our customers a chance to source from us as well bladders for truck, ofthe-road and agricultural tyres, as well as building bladders,” he added.

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Rubber Journal Asia Industry News

AXA invests in Italian rubber firm

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XA Private Equity has bought an 82.4% stake in Italian rubber component manufacturer Novotema from private equity firm 3i Group. The latter acquired Novotema in 2003 for EUR24 million.

As part of the transaction, Novotema’s management team acquired the 17.6% of the business that AXA does not have and will continue to manage the company after AXA’s investment. Headquartered in Milan, Novotema generates over half of its revenue in Germany.

It designs and produces rubber components for applications in the automotive, medical, gas control and industrial sectors and its products include rubber components, membrane diaphragms, high-precision seals and gaskets.

China focus for Sibur and Synthomer

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inopec and Russian petrochemicals group Sibur are setting up a joint venture to produce synthetic rubber in Shanghai. It will use patents and technologies from Sibur to produce nitrile butadiene rubber and isoprene rubber.

Sinopec and Sibur have also set up a joint venture in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, to produce nitrile butadiene rubber. Through the joint venture, the companies are considering expanding Sibur’s current output from 42,000-56,000 tonnes/year.

due to the high demand from the tyre market, German firm BASF plans to build a plant at its site in Antwerp, Belgium.

The 155,000 tonne/yearplant is scheduled to start up during 2014.

The investment amount will be in the “high double-digit million euro range.” The butadiene will be extracted from crude C4, a product from the steam cracker.

BASF already operates a butadiene extraction plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, with a capacity of 105,000 tonnes/year.

UK-headquartered synthetic dispersions and latices manufacturer Synthomer has started work on its technical centre for the Chinese market. The facility will be situated on 1,300 sq m in a technology park located in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai.

The new facility will serve Synthomer´s growing team in China, housing both offices and application laboratories and will start operations in September.

Gevo to build plant in Malaysia

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merican renewable chemicals and biofuels firm Gevo has inked a collaborative agreement with the Malaysian government’s East Coast Economic Region Development Council, Malaysian Biotechnology Corp (BiotechCorp) and the Terengganu state government to build the world’s first bioisobutanol plant in Kerteh, Terengganu. It will invest EUR415,800 in the 60,000 tonne/ year bio-isobutanol plant. It is said that the global market size for bio-isobutanol is about EUR3.5 million a year. To be operational by 2015, the plant is expected to generate a cumulative gross national income of about EUR1.26 million by 2020 and provide about 200 jobs.

IRSG forecasts NR surplus

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ingapore-based International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) has forecast a surplus production of natural rubber (NR) in 2012.

The group expects it to rise 7.8% to 11.8 million tonnes this year as consequence of new production available from trees planted in the mid-2000s.

Global consumption, meanwhile, is expected to be at 11.7 million tonnes. Consequently, the deficit is estimated at 81,000 tonnes in 2012.

Technology News

Condom made of NRL

BASF to add on butadiene supply in Europe

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S-based Vystar, the creator of Vytex natural rubber latex, and Ritex Gummiwarenfabrik, a German condom and

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n view of the tight supply and high prices of butadiene,

lubricant manufacturer, have launched an ultra-thin condom made with Vytex.

The latter is a patented, allnatural raw material that is said to reduce the total and antigenic proteins and other non-rubber particles found in NRL and is currently a base material in adhesives, gloves, balloons, cohesives and foams. The global condom market is projected to be worth US$6 billion by 2015 with anticipated sales of over 27 billion units and Europe representing 25% of the global market value. The new Ritex Silver-Light condom is specifically targeting the German, Austrian and Dutch markets.

Rubber conference highlights

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t the recent German Rubber Conference (DKT) in Nuremberg, Lanxess’s subsidiary Rhein Chemie presented a new process known as iCOM for final integrated continuous mixing. According to the company, this makes the production process more cost-efficient. The quality of compound manufacture is ensured through iCOM analytics.

Meanwhile, DuPont Performance Polymers presented its DuPont Vamac Ultra HT ethylene acrylic elastomers (AEM), which achieves continuous heat resistance up to 190°C, with peaks to 200°C. This coupled with improved mechanical properties makes it an ideal candidate for demanding automotive applications such as turbo hoses and air ducts in modern automotive engines.

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Lower temperature silicone process

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ustrian machine maker Engel has widened the opportunities for multi-component technology with a new process for silicone vulcanisation at low temperatures, which it showcased at a symposium by producing wine bottle stoppers.

Whereas conventional silicone rubbers require high temperatures for cross-linking, the new types vulcanise with exposure to light in the ultraviolet wavelength range at room temperature. This enables silicones to be combined with a wide range of thermoplastics via two-component and multicomponent injection moulding. Even temperature-sensitive materials such as PP can now be processed with silicone in a single step.

Cavity inserts in the injection mould that are permeable to light are the prerequisite for UV vulcanisation. For this application, Austrian mould maker Elmet utilises translucent plastic inserts for UV light and integrates UV lamps into the mould for irradiation.

Wine bottle stoppers were produced on a Victory 200/80 LIM injection moulding machine using an Elmet mould. PP is overmoulded with liquid silicone from Momentive Performance Materials with the irradiation time for the vulcanisation of the silicone components of around 20 seconds

New elastomer coating

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S-based NuSil Technology, a specialist in silicone materials for the aerospace, aircraft and automotive industries, has launched R-2183, a low-viscosity silicone elastomer dispersed in xylene.

The elastomer is said to retain elasticity at very low temperatures (down to -140°C) as well as resisting breakdown at elevated temperatures up to 300°C. It can be sprayed, knife coated or spin cast to create

Technology News a coating with a tear strength of 175 30.9 kN/m, a tensile strength of 10.7 MPa and an elongation of 800%.

The material is optically clear, making it suitable for use as an encapsulant. It can also be heat-cured into a thin elastomeric film. The material is formulated as a two-part addition-cure silicone.

Using silicone foam to improve productivity

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erched on a cup of cappuccino or a glass of beer, foam can be pleasing.

But in a manufacturing process, foam can cause vessels to overflow, increasing maintenance costs and processing time and reducing production efficiency.

Hence, it is in the interest of manufacturers to control foam, according to Dow Corning that proposes two methods: destroying it with a defoamer or preventing it with an antifoam product. In either case, products such as the firm’s Xiameter silicone foam control agents penetrate a foam bubble wall, spreading the liquid-gas interface and causing the bubble wall to become unstable and collapse.

This can reduce production costs and improve overall efficiency in many industries around the world – from food processing to general industrial manufacturing.

“Antifoam products should be formulated to have minimal impact – other than foam suppression. Generally, the smaller the amount of antifoam required, the less impact there will be on the product,” the US firm says, adding that this is one reason why silicone products are frequently the first choice for combating foam in industrial processes.