2013 Year in Review: April through June

Reed Rubber Products Inc. adds an extrusion line and moves to a larger facility in St. Louis to accommodate growth.

Elastomer Technologies Inc. expands its operation and opens a plant in Corona, Calif., to give it greater flexibility and the space to handle additional growth.

Original equipment tire demand should be strong, replacement shipments meager in 2013, according to a report from the Rubber Manufacturers Association.

New Yokohama Tire Corp. COO Takayuki Hamaya celebrates the completion of the first phase of the tire maker's expansion project in the Phillipines.

ContiTech A.G. buys a hose factory in Turkey and begins building a hose plant in Brazil, as well as setting up a sales and service support center in Dubai.

Aimed at giving it a strong presence in the silicone-covered wheels sector, RP Machine Enterprises Inc. buys the assets of Butler Rubber Products.

Kultevat L.L.C. joins with biotech company KeyGene N.V. to work on the production of rubber from a Russian dandelion plant.

The U.S. Commerce Department levies antidumping duties on imports of off-road tires manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongee Rubber Co. Ltd. of China.

ContiTech Fluid Automotive Hungaria expands its Vac, Hungary, facility.

Trelleborg A.B. strengthens its position in the offshore oil and gas sector by buying Ambler Technologies Ltd.

Workers at the Goodyear Amiens North tire plant in Amiens, France, sue the company in Ohio, charging it violated French labor law in deciding to close the factory without informing the union.

The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers meets in San Francisco and presents its Technical Award to P.S. “Ravi” Ravishankar of ExxonMobil Chemical Co.

Yokohama Tire Corp. announces it will spend $300 million to build a commercial tire plant in West Point, Miss., to boost its North American tire production capacity significantly.

Simtec Silicone Parts L.L.C. relocates its operations to Miramar, Fla., from Madison, Wis.

Tennessee maker of hose and molded goods Bates Acquisition L.L.C. and Bates Real Estate Acquisition L.L.C. are acquired by the Fluid Routing Solutions business of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp.

TrelleborgVibracoustic expands one of its two antivibration products facilities in China.

Solvay S.A. builds a silica factory in Wloclawek, Poland, and expands its facility in Qingdao, China.

The ACS Rubber Division begins developing a plan for corporate memberships that Division Chairman Leonard Thomas hopes will be implemented in 2014.

Private equity firm Bridgepoint acquires Flexitallic Group, a Paris-based maker of specialty sealing products for the energy industry, with operations in the U.S. and Canada.

Arsenal Capital Partners buys polyurethane systems and tire filler producer Arnco Inc. and moves it under its Dash Multi-Corp. operation, and then Dash buys Pathway Polymers Inc., which also makes polyurethane tire fill material.

Russell A. Livigni accepts the Charles Goodyear Medalist from the ACS Rubber Division.

Flexaust Co. Inc. purchases United Electric Co., a manufacturer of vacuum hoses and vacuum cleaning attachments.

Goodyear moves into its new headquarters in Akron.

The International Tire Exhibition & Conference is split into two events, one retail and the other, for tire manufacturers, returning to Akron in 2014.

Polyurethane goods maker Kastalon Inc. marks its 50th anniversary.

Carlisle Construction Materials Inc. plans to expand its operation significantly to establish a polyolefin membrane factory at its campus in Carlisle, Pa.

Indian tire maker Apollo Tyres Ltd. sells its Ladysmith, South Africa, passenger and light truck tire factory and the rights to the Dunlop brand in Africa to Sumitomo Rubber Industries Co. Ltd.

Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. moves ahead with the third phase of an expansion of its plant in Racalmas, Hungary.

The Canadian Urethane Manufacturers Association merges into the Polyurethane Manufacturers Association.

Apollo Tyres Ltd. agrees to buy Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. for about $2.5 billion.

Titan International Inc. enters into negotiations to invest in a factory in Volgograd, Russia, owned by Russian tire maker JSC Cordiant.

England's Avon Rubber P.L.C. enters the diving rebreather field by acquiring VR Technology Ltd., and purchases a factory in Wisconsin for its Avon Engineered Fabrications business.

Urethane entrepreneur Walt Smith purchases an interest in OTB Architectural Elements Inc., a 9-year-old producer of synthetic polyurethane decorative architectural elements for interior and exterior applications in residential and commercial construction.

Ontario's successful scrap tire stewardship program could be legislated out of existence by a proposed bill.

Semperit A.G. said it is increasing its share of Malaysian rubber latex maker Latexx Partners Bhd. to 95 percent.

Michelin discloses it will spend $1.06 billion on its operations in France in the next six years.

Coming Friday: Year in Review: July through September.