A look at the rubber industry in the 2020s (so far)

2020

• COVID-19, a coronavirus first discovered in China in late 2019, begins its rapid spread around the globe and brings entire economies to a halt as cases surge and stay-at-home orders are put in place to protect public health.

• Goodyear closes its Gadsden, Ala., tire plant.

• Goodyear is the first to close plants in response to the virus' spread, shutting down operations in Europe, North America and South America. Other tire makers quickly follow suit.

• General Motors teams up with Ventec Life Systems to build 30,000 life-saving respirators.

• BRC Rubber & Plastics Inc. jumps in to help with the ventilator project.

• Just as the silicone industry begins its rebound, it's hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which throws off silicone supplies again when demand for medical products soars.

• Demand for medical gloves soars globally.

• Continental restructures, focusing on new mobility trends of electrification and automation. Meanwhile, CEO Elmar Degenhart steps down, handing the baton to Nikolai Setzer.

• President Trump calls for a boycott of Goodyear after an image from one of the company's plants notes that political attire, including MAGA attire, is not permitted.

• Danfoss A/S agrees to buy Eaton's hydraulics business in a deal worth $3.3 billion.

• Manuli Rubber Industries acquires a majority share of Ryco Hydraulics Pty. Ltd.

• Synthomer P.L.C. acquires Omnova Solutions Inc.

• The COVID-19 pandemic takes toll on auto sales, but electric vehicles fare better than any other sector. Industry analysts expect a swift transition to electrification.

• General Motors is the first auto maker to declare it will move to an all-electric portfolio.

2021 … so far

• Firestone Building Products is sold to Zug, Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim Ltd. for $3.4 billion.

• President Biden takes office and many industry associations are optimistic about facets of his vision, particularly infrastructure.

• In response to shortages caused by COVID-19, the U.S. looks to boost domestic medical glove production.

• Goodyear purchases Cooper Tire in a $2.5 billion deal that merges the third and fifth largest tire makers.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has many lingering effects, but the most prominent are the bottlenecks in shipping.

• Shipping challenges, supply shortages and low prices take their toll on the natural rubber market.

• A deep freeze in Texas severely impacts the oil and petrochemical industries.

• Biden proposes a far-reaching, $2 trillion infrastructure plan for the U.S. that many industry associations are optimistic about. Some raise concerns about tax increases.

• U.S. customs officials seize gloves made by Malaysia's Top Glove, saying the company uses forced labor. Top Glove claims the allegations are false and works to prove it.