The desert perennial shrub called guayule (pronounced ‘Why-YU-lee’), which produces natural rubber, resins, and bagasse, is moving closer to commercialization as a crop option in Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, and perhaps one day in Southern California. Thousands of acres of guayule were grown in California and Arizona during World War II to produce rubber and auto parts for military vehicles. Bridgestone and PanAridus are among the companies expected to offer commercial contracts to growers in as early…

Tire giants Bridgestone and Michelin are investing millions of dollars ramping up their production capabilities in Canada and Mexico. Bridgestone is expanding its existing Canadian facility, while Michelin has broken ground on its new Mexican plant. Here’s what you need to know. BRIDGESTONE EXPANDS IN CANADA Bridgestone is expanding its passenger and light truck tire manufacturing facility in Joliette, Québec, as part of a five-year investment that will total more than $250 million. The plant…

With record U.S. vehicle sales now on the books for 2015, automakers are propelling into the new year with a sense that they’ll have to work harder to see more growth ahead. Carmakers dialed up discounts in 2015’s second half to win market share as Americans surged into showrooms amid cheap gasoline and a growing job base. The gambit paid off: Full-year sales beat the standard set 15 years ago, rising 5.7 percent to 17.5…

Dandelions are modest plants that are an excellent alternative source for a raw material of high demand: natural rubber, the fundamental ingredient in rubber products. Fraunhofer researchers have established the basis for the large-scale production of high quality rubber with Russian dandelion. Approximately 40,000 products of everyday life contain natural rubber. It’s the material that provides extreme elasticity, tensile strength and low-temperature flexibility in products from mattresses and gloves to adhesive tape and tires. As…

KOTTAYAM, JUNE 4:  A study conducted by Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) has found out that extreme temperatures are becoming more frequent in recent years in Kottayam, Kerala’s major rubber growing area. An analysis of the data of daily maximum and minimum temperatures from 1970 to 2010, conducted by the Climate Change and Ecosystem Studies Division of RRII showed clear indications of the warming trend. Yield to be affected The production of latex in…

AS AWESOME AS electric vehicles are—and, they areawesome—range remains their limiting factor. Regenerative braking, which captures energy otherwise lost as heat and returns it to the battery, helps here. And engineers have considered other ways of capturing energy from things like the rebound and compression of shock absorbers. Goodyear sees an opportunity to squeeze a little juice out of the tires. Goodyear, like all tire companies, has spent a lot of time and money developing tires with…

NEW YORK: The United States on Wednesday (Jan 21) set large import duties on car and light-truck tyres made in China, saying producers were dumping them into the US market. The US Commerce Department said it would begin collecting anti-dumping duties of between 19.17 per cent and 87.99 per cent on the tyres, depending on the producer/exporter. Most of the dozens of companies affected by the ruling will face duties of 27.72 per cent. For…

PETALING JAYA: Top Glove Corp Bhd has posted lower net profit of RM45.9mil for the fourth quarter ended Aug 31, compared with RM48.42mil in the same quarter last year, despite recording higher revenue. Revenue increased 5.8% to RM580.23mil from RM548.16mil on the back of higher demand for rubber gloves. Its full-year net profit was 8% lower at RM180.11mil from RM196.5mil in 2013. Revenue for the year was marginally lower at RM2.28bil from RM2.31bil a year…

KUALA LUMPUR: Rubber output in top producer Thailand may fall as much as 10 percent this year as plummeting prices drive away tappers, a senior industry official said on Monday, reversing earlier estimates for output to increase. The change in the forecast came as members of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), which account for more than 90 percent of natural rubber output, met in Kuala Lumpur to discuss more drastic measures to…

Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam were among countries which today agreed to refrain from selling natural rubber below current prices, according to the International Rubber Consortium. Cambodia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea also pledged to join efforts by producers to improve prices to prevent small holders from suffering further losses, the group said on its website. It follows a move by trade groups from five Southeast Asian nations, which account for at least 70…