Joss Elastomers & Chemicals has joined the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) as associate member. The Dutch company was founded in 1983 and is based in Alkmaar. The product portfolio includes synthetic and natural rubber, rubber chemicals, and a range of TPS products.

Michael J. Whitens, retired former Global Director for Ford’s Vehicle and Enterprise Sciences at Ford’s Research and Innovation Center, has been named the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).

The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) on Thursday (21 November 2019) announced a raft of new petrochemical investments worth more than USD 2 billion (SAR 7.5 billion). At least 80 representatives of more than 13 government and private-sector entities from the Kingdom and throughout the world met at the Invest Saudi gathering in Riyadh to sign the agreements.

Smithers, a leading provider of testing, consulting, information, and compliance services, has announced the launch of a single brand identity, refreshed logo, new tagline, and a streamlined web presence in September 2019. With this shift to a single brand Smithers is bidding farewell to its legacy brands Smithers Apex, Smithers Avanza, Smithers Pira, Smithers Quality Assessments, Smithers Rapra, and Smithers Viscient.

Toyoda Gosei has begun operations at its Thai Binh plant in Vietnam in July 2019. Thai Binh is the company’s second production base in Vietnam and produces airbag components and steering wheels. Safety system products, mainly airbags, are a key business for Toyoda Gosei and the company said that it is strengthening its global production capacity. With the start of operations at the new plant, Toyoda Gosei plans to increase its annual production capacity in Vietnam within four years to 25 million airbag components and 4 million steering wheels.

Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) has been chosen by Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Co. (KIPIC) as the main automation contractor for its new Petrochemical Refinery Integration Project (PRIZe) in Kuwait. The project, which will be the "first" integrated refining and petrochemicals complex in Kuwait, will be developed as part of the Al-Zour complex, HPS noted.

Tuban Petrochemical Industries (Tuban Petro) will proceed with expansion plans after the government of Indonesia decided to "bail out" the company, reported the Jakarta Post. Tuban Petro's first project, expected to cost approximately USD 17.5 million, involves expanding propylene production capacity of its Polytama subsidiary to 350,000 t/y in 2020. The company also plans to build a second propylene plant for Polytama at a cost of around USD 400 million. Capacity of the plant and a schedule were not available.

From 2021, MECSPE, the Italian trade fair for the manufacturing industry and smart factory, will move from Parma to Bologna, in order to expand the exhibition area and benefit from the connections and infrastructures that make this city more accessible for national and international visitors and exhibitors. In 2021, the trade fair will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The 2020 edition of MECSPE will be held in Parma from 26 – 29 March.

The growth of rubber gloves industry will continue in 2020 with export revenue to hit MYR 20.68 billion in 2020 versus MYR 18.2 billion expected this year, said Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA). Its president Denis Low Jau Foo said this was driven by higher global demand with Asia and Africa emerging as the next biggest growth for Malaysia's rubber gloves industry.

Sibur and BASF are collaborating to develop new polymer solutions at Sibur’s PolyLab Research and Development Center in Moscow, Russia. The companies said they work together to leverage on the digital technologies in production and R+D, and to develop an innovative range of polymers using the plastic additives offered by BASF. In addition, the companies plan to also jointly develop additive solutions, focusing on demanding converting conditions for polymers and specifically targeting long term durable goods.