Natalia Scherbakoff has been appointed as Director of Technology & Innovation, Performance Plastics, at Trinseo. In this newly created position, she will have global responsibility and oversee a technology portfolio of rigid, soft-touch, and bio-based plastics.

The need for life-time recycling loops for all kinds of products is steadily increasing. Tires and rubber products prove no exception. A recent paper from the University of Twente describes the devulcanization of rubber articles including tires of various sorts. It highlights what has been achieved for different major rubber types, but also what hurdles are to be overcome before rubber recycling is as obvious a technology as the manufacturing of first use rubber-articles.

On 24 January 2019, VMI Group announced the opening of a further two manufacturing halls at its new production facilities in Lezsno, Poland, as well as the appointment of Magda Sadowska as General Manager of the Lezsno facility.

Kraton announced on 19 February 2019 that it has initiated a process to review strategic alternatives for its Cariflex isoprene rubber (IR) business, which may result in a sale of that business.

On 17 January 2019, Evonik announced that it has acquired Structured Polymers Inc., a technology startup for 3D printing materials headquartered in Austin, TX, USA. A corresponding agreement and plan of merger was executed and the transaction has been closed recently.

As of 1 October 2018, the Global Executive Board of VMI Group has been extended to four with the appointment of Mike Norman as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). In his role as CCO, Norman will be responsible for all commercial activities of VMI worldwide.

Eni and Sabic on 8 February 2019 signed a joint development agreement to further develop an innovative technology for natural gas conversion into synthesis gas that can be further transformed into high value fuels and chemicals, such as methanol. The partnership will involve, among other activities, the construction of an industrial demonstration plant that will be built and operated inside an Eni industrial premises.

Kistler, a specialist in dynamic pressure, force, torque and acceleration measurement technology, announced that it will share a stand with the Netzsch Group at JEC World 2019 (hall 6, stand R20) from 12 – 14 March 2019 in Paris, France. Visitors will be able to see how technologies from the two companies complement each other ideally in plastic composites processing. Both product portfolios will be showcased, and a simulation will show how the combination of information from mould filling and characteristic material values represents a major step towards intelligent part production, said Kistler.

Lanxess has appointed new distribution partners for its lubricant additives products in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Vietnam earned USD 220 million from shipping 175,000 tons of rubber abroad in January 2019, up 10.8 percent in value and 28.9 percent in volume compared to the same month last year. Experts predict further growth in rubber exports this year with global demand set to rise 4.2 percent to 14.59 million tons, while total output is forecast at 14.84 million tons.