MUMBAI, India (Aug. 25, 2010)—Lanxess India expects demand for synthetic rubber to increase in India, a country with a long history in the production and consumption of natural rubber.
Lanxess said India is currently undergoing a shift toward replacing natural with synthetic rubber in a variety of applications as it is driven by the needs of rapid modernization.
One of the growth drivers for high-performance rubber in India is the automotive industry, said Lanxess.
Triggered by a burgeoning middle class, demand for passenger cars and two-wheelers is rising. The automotive industry is expected to grow by about 12-14 percent in 2010-2012.
In addition, the government has an ambitious project of expanding and strengthening the highway infrastructure of India by an estimated growth rate of 8-9 percent.
Increases in mobility would generate more demand for tires, according to Lanxess, and modern radial tires rely on high-performance synthetic rubber.