Top Glove, the world’s largest manufacturer of rubber gloves, is considering setting up a factory in Turkey which already is importing 70% of its demand for the product from the company. Founder Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said he sounded out this possibility at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul on Saturday (29 December 2018).

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company announced that it has agreed to form a joint venture with Sailun Vietnam Co., Ltd. to build a manufacturing plant with the capacity to produce more than 2 million truck and bus radial (TBR) tyres annually. Subject to closing and government approvals, the facility will be located near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at the site of Sailun Vietnam’s existing operations.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. announced that it has established a basic technology for a two-component urethane adhesive with high strength and very good elasticity. This technology will be applied to the development of adhesives for automotive body structures, an area expected to see rapid growth worldwide. It can be also applied to various industrial adhesives, including those used in electronic devices exposed to harsh heat cycles, said the company.

Borealis has announced the appointment of Lucrèce Foufopoulos-De Ridder to the Borealis Executive Board as Executive Vice President Polyolefins and Innovation & Technology, effective from 1 January 2019. In this capacity, she succeeds Alfred Stern, who previously held this position and was appointed Borealis CEO in July 2018.

The Pawcatuck facility of extrusion equipment specialist Davis Standard recently became ISO 9001:2015 certified. The certification validates the company’s processes across the board, internally and externally, and serves as a benchmark for the company’s commitment to operational quality and process improvement.

Foam Expo North America has announced its conference agenda at a glance for 2019, which features expert speakers, focused sessions, and a carefully planned schedule that enables participants to also take advantage of activities on the expo show floor.

DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers (T&AP), a business unit of the DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, has announced its intention to extend the high temperature nylon (Zytel HTN PPA) polymerisation capacity at its Uentrop facility in Hamm, Germany. Details on the current and future capacity of the plant were not disclosed.

The three companies Versalis (Eni), RadiciGroup and Safitex cooperate to make synthetic grass for sports fields recyclable in line with the principles of the circular economy. The project is the result of collaboration between Versalis, which supplies the raw material (polyethylene), RadiciGroup, a manufacturer of fibres for sport applications, and Safitex, a manufacturer of synthetic grass turf. Currently, synthetic grass turf is disposed through landfill or incineration.

The results of the European Bioplastics’ annual market data update confirm a stable growth of the global bioplastics industry. “The global market for bioplastics is predicted to grow by roughly 25 % over the next five years“, said Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics. “This trend is possible thanks to the increasing demand for sustainable products by both consumers and brands alike, stronger policy support for the bioeconomy, and the continuous efforts of the bioplastics industry to develop innovative materials with improved properties and new functionalities.”

BASF Venture Capital GmbH is investing in Prismlab, a provider of 3D printing processes and 3D printers, headquartered in Shanghai, China. Prismlab has developed a patented printing process that is characterised by a very high printing speed, high level of precision and lower printing costs. BASF’s venture investment will enable Prismlab to further accelerate its product development and innovation while strengthening its market reach to the global market.