CATEGORIES

Chasing gold

Worldwide, tyre companies are racing to adapt themselves to the disruptions in the automotive industry by accelerating innovations. A major effort is to find a suitable substitute for natural rubber from Hevea brasiliensis grown mostly in Southeast Asia plantations. It is found that rubber-yielding Russian dandelion, a summer weed, is found to be a suitable replacement for NR from Hevea. The research on commercialising NR from this ‘weed’ is being spearheaded by Dr Katrina Cornish and her group at Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. Her research, which has the potential to revolutionise the rubber and tyre industry, aims to develop industrial rubber crop, which matures much quicker than rubber trees that take as much as seven years to give yield

Making ELT Recycling Profitable

The ELT processing industry worldwide has been growing in double digits. From being a responsibility, obligation or compliance, the sustainability in the ELT is evolving into a profitable industry when conducted judiciously

E-commerce in tyre industry and supply chain

The tyre industry has been traditionally dealer-driven with a human touch, but today is witnessing a direct to consumer model by those manufacturers who have embarked on e-commerce for their business

Brand Sherlock Holmes

Global brand consultant and author Martin Lindstrom startled big company CEOs obsessed with big data when he urged them not to ignore the small details as the key for successful brand building could be discovered there. His conviction that small data is rich data drives him, with permission of course, to look inside the refrigerators or nosing in cupboards in households as he dwells into the minds of consumers who make purchase decisions. He does this as a forensic investigator of small data looking for emotional DNA of the consumer in order to gain insights into the mind and spirit of the consumer. It’s not surprising that CEOs and corporate leaders describe him as ‘Sherlock Holmes of brand consultants’

On High Road

The JK Group is looking at doubling revenue to $8 billion by 2020, which it hopes to achieve primarily driven by growth in the automotive tyres & tubes, auto components, defense & aerospace, papermaking and other space. JK Tyre, a flagship company of JK Group, is also playing a major role in Group’s growth, Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, proudly says

Hoosier: Racing Globally

Hoosier Racing Tire (HRT), the US brand with the vast majority of its racing activities occurring in North America, is now part of the continental Group. continental Tire Americas, subsidiary of the continental group, acquired the company in late 2016.The Lakeville based Hoosier, which also has a location in Plymouth, is now well set in lane to strengthen its position in the racing tyre segment, John De Salle, President, told Tyre Asia in an exclusive interview.

Black Donuts In India: One-Stop For Entire Solutions

Black Donuts engineering Inc. is expanding its footprint in India by opening a new office in Delhi, in association with Dawnsun.

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the release agent specialist münch chemie

Demonetisation: Tyre sales unaffected

The impact of the recent demonetisation of Rs500 and Rs1000 notes in India is less on tyre business than in the aftermarket as the trade between auto companies and tyre makers take place through banking and digital cashless transactions

Future Ready

First in the ‘10 million club,’ a strategic acquisition, Leadership Award, entry into 2-wheeler/3-wheeler tyre market – the year 2016 marked a series of highs for India’s global tyre maker JK Tyre & Industries. Strongly positioned in ‘Future Ready’ mode, the company is eyeing bigger achievements

Nano additives: A revolution on hand

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are among the most effective conductive additives which are able to significantly increase electrical and thermal conductivity, and to improve the mechanical properties and other important characteristics of materials. The Russia-based OCSiAl is the pioneer in the field with its TUBALL brand of innovative SWCNTs, which has already taken the global materials processing industry, including that of glove, tyre and auto parts, by storm

AFACHE: Optimising Tyre Factories

Hansung Sysco, the South Korean Group, has taken cutting edge technology to a higher level through its winning arms – AFACHE and ARECA. The two companies are today major contributors to segments that are vital to the future of tyre industry – automation and air pollution control.

Integrated Farm Livelihood Systems For Resilience

A comparative study on smallholder rubber farming in India and Thailand reveals that integrating rubber with other farming practices will enable small and marginal farmers to cope with market uncertainties and changing policy regimes. Rubber as a single crop is a viable option for small farmers only when prices remain remunerative and marketing arrangements are efficient, says economist Dr PK Viswanathan. Based on a comparative study of the socio-economic structures of rubber growing Tripura in India’s North East and Songkhla province in Southern Thailand, he observes that such integrated farm livelihood systems assume greater prominence given the fact that small producers are highly vulnerable to market uncertainties. It offers the smallholder with ample capability for resilience during crises and ensures a sustained flow of income, his research reveals.