The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry plans to seek a budget of more than THB 10 billion to help rubber growers and tappers cope with the dropping price of rubber.

The Lehvoss Group is taking the next steps to expand its production capacities for Luvocom compounds. October has already seen an additional line for high-temperature compounds go into operation in Germany. Due to the outstanding level of acceptance and the exceptional success of Luvocom compounds in China, another compounding line is set to be installed in January 2019, just one and a half years after the opening of the local production plant. In North America, too, the Hamburg, Germany based group is expanding its capacities and commissioning an additional line at the location in Pawcatuck, CT, USA.

The Primary Industries Ministry will conduct a study on the Rubber Production Incentive (IPG) floor price, which is currently set at MYR 2.20 per kg. Its Minister, Teresa Kok, said the government has proposed to allocate MYR 50 million under the 2019 Budget to implement the IPG to help smallholders and rubber tappers, but has yet to determine its floor price. “The problem is the quantum; the floor price, which is MYR 2.20, and the ministry will be conducting a study to see if it should remain at MYR 2.20 or increase it.

On 1 November 2018, Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the acetylene carbon black manufacturer Société du Noir d'Acétylène de l'Aubette, SAS (SN2A) from LyondellBasell Industries Holdings B.V. and its French affiliate. The transaction closed on 31 October 2018. Financial details were not disclosed.

Hyosung Advanced Materials will accelerate the expansion of its presence in the global market by establishing a new tire cord manufacturing subsidiary in Vietnam.

Prometeon, one of the top industrial tire manufacturers in the world, has announced its plan to invest USD 115 million in its plant in Turkey until 2020. “The annual tire production capacity at the Turkish plant will increase by 75 percent by 2020 and export to foreign markets will almost double from current levels and make an important contribution to the trade balance of the country,” said a statement from the Chinese-owned company, which operates under the license of the Italian giant Pirelli, on 6 November 2018.

Imerys Performance Additives Division announced that it will implement a substantial price increase for its products of talc, mica and wollastonite, effective from January 2019 or as contracts allow.

Foam Expo Europe, trade fair and conference for the supply chain of technical foam production, and Composites Europe, European trade fair and forum for composites, technology and applications, will take place in parallel in Stuttgart, Germany, from 2019. This was announced by the two organisers, Smarter Shows and Reed Exhibitions.

The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP) has published the 2018 edition of its Worldwide Rubber Statistics, which it describes as the "world's leading source for authoritative data about synthetic rubber."

BASF and Sinopec have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which includes, among other things, plans for a joint pre-feasibility study on a second ethylene cracker in Nanjing, China. According to the MoU, the parties' existing BASF-YPC joint venture will invest in a 50 % stake to build the steam cracker, which will have a capacity of 1 million t/y of ethylene.