Europur, the European Association of Flexible Polyurethane Foam Blocks Manufacturers, carries out continued interviews with foam producers and suppliers on the situation in Europe’s foam industry. In an update from 7 April 2020 it said that in most of Europe, there have been no government orders demanding the closure of foam plants and normal operation would be allowed as long as measures to protect the workforce are taken. Production is, however, drastically reduced due to lack of demand for foam and closure of many companies further down the supply chain.

The Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) is asking the government to allow farmers to tap rubber during curfew, said Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on. The minister said tapping must be done at night well into the curfew time when the rubber trees yield latex. If farmers are barred from collecting the latex at night, they will have nothing to sell and earn no income, the minister said. He has instructed the RAOT to seek permission from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and coordinate with the Interior Ministry, which supervises local governments to permit rubber farms to continue working during the curfew from 10pm to 4am.

Malaysian authorities have ordered the reopening of the Padang Besar checkpoint in Songkhla next week (second week of April) to allow the import of concentrated latex for the country's production of rubber gloves. Kajohnjak Nuanphromsakul, acting governor of the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT), said in Bangkok that the Malaysian government has decided to reopen the checkpoint in Sadao district, effective 6 April 2020, in response to rising demand. Malaysia is one of the world's leading producers of gloves and relies on latex supplies from Thailand.

Europur and Euro-Moulders announced that due to the Covid-19 epidemic in Europe, the associations are forced to reschedule their annual conference to 24 and 25 November 2020, in the same venues in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The conference will take place in the Park Plaza Amsterdam Airport Hotel and a dinner will take place at the Scheepvaartmuseum in the evening of 24 November. The programme of the event will be slightly amended and will be communicated shortly, the associations said.

Kumho Petrochemical said it will concentrate on its core business to ensure internal stability amid prolonged uncertainty due to growing tension between key players and the spread of protectionism in the global oil market. The chemical company's main business is manufacturing synthetic rubber and resins and this year it plans to solidify its leading position in the market by continuing to grow.

Covestro announced that is has signed a contract with its 16 core banks for a new syndicated revolving credit facility for EUR 2.5 billion with a term of five years plus two one-year extension options, effective as of 17 March 2020. The facility can be drawn in different currencies and will be used as a standby backup liquidity reserve, the company said.

In light of the recent developments on travel restrictions, the declaration of safety of all participants and additional measures taken by the host country relating to the COVID-19 outbreak, the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, and the Organising Committee of the World Rubber Summit (WRS) 2020 have announced the postponement of the conference to September 2020. The new dates will be communicated in due course, said the organisers.

Huntsman Corporation announced that it has agreed to acquire CVC Thermoset Specialties, a North American speciality chemical manufacturer serving the industrial composites, adhesives and coatings markets. CVC Thermoset Specialties is part of Emerald Performance Materials LLC which is majority owned by affiliates of American Securities LLC.

Davis-Standard announced that in light of recent announcements related to COVID-19 and “shelter in place” requirements, it is confirming that the company has been identified as an Essential Business and will continue to operate to produce equipment required for the manufacturing of medical supplies, food and pharmaceutical packaging, construction materials and other related products.

LyondellBasell announced that it will slow construction of its world-scale propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant. The company said it is limiting non-essential activities at this time due to ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including government orders designed to limit human contact.