The last 12 months have been a busy year indeed for the rubber industry, from the sale of Italian tire maker Pirelli to a Chinese business, to the ending of a 16-year relationship between Goodyear and Sumitomo, to the breaking of the glass ceiling in the hierarchy of the ACS Rubber Division. Here is a synopsis of what happened.
2015 Year in Review: July, August
Michael Fraley, PanAridus CEO.
July
Megadyne S.p.A. buys Sampla Belting S.r.L.
Polymerics upgrades its chemical blending facility in Kent, Ohio.
Aiming to broaden its global network and product lines, Wabtec Corp. purchases Metalocaucho in Urnieta, Spain.
Dayco L.L.C. plans to consolidate its U.S. distribution facilities into a new center in the Memphis, Tenn., area.
A federal judge rules in favor of Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. in a trademark infringement lawsuit against Chinese tire makers.
Huntsman Corp. closes the purchase of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate producer Tecnoelastomeri.
Michael Fraley, CEO of guayule development company PanAridus L.L.C., declares his company is succeeding in commercializing the rubber-producing desert shrub.
The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center is closer to its goal of developing Russian dandelions into a viable rubber source.
The United Steelworkers union says that while Goodyear chose Mexico as the site of its newest tire plant, the company has committed to more tire production in the U.S.
Final figures for 2014 show the U.S. rubber product trade deficit rose 5.7 percent for the year to $12.2 billion.
Speakers at the Clemson University tire conference warn the U.S. tire industry will face a significant shortfall of carbon black by 2020.
Parker Hannifin Corp.'s Engineered Materials Group plans to close two facilities, open an expanded operation in Mexico and consolidate three divisions into three others.
The U.S. International Trade Commission affirms the imposition of antidumping and countervailing duties on passenger and light truck tires imported from China.
Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics L.L.C. launches an expansion.
Carlstar Group L.L.C. acquires urethane tire maker Marathon Industries Inc.
Momentive Performance Materials Inc. sues two Chinese companies, charging them with patent infringement.
RPN photo by Chris Sweeney
PolyFlex CEO Mark Kirchmer displays one of the firm's products.
PolyFlex Products Inc. establishes an alliance with China's EC Global International Trading Co.
A German federal court fines three suppliers of military goods, including rubber tracks, for price fixing.
ContiTech A.G. buys a hose maker in Germany, is expanding a hose assembly plant in Serbia and opens a compounding facility in China.
Desma opens a rubber machinery plant in China.
Avon Rubber P.L.C. acquires Hudstar Systems Inc.
Hose maker Tristone Flowtech Group GmbH adds machinery capacity at several plants, and aims to penetrate the Indian market via a new sales and service company.
Benecke-Kaliko A.G. launches an expansion at its factory in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Investment company Morgenthaler Private Equity buys automotive supplier DLH Industries Inc.
The Tire Industry Association declares war on proposed legislation to re-establish mandatory tire registration.
An appeals court rules against Goodyear in a case involving a motor home accident in Arizona.
Audax Group buys wire and cable maker TPC Wire & Cable Corp.
Off-road tire and rubber track maker Camoplast Solideal Inc. changes its name to Camso Ltd.
Cooper Tire wins the dismissal of a shareholders' lawsuit concerning its failed merger with Apollo Tyres Ltd.
August
Carlstar L.L.C. plans to leave the belt sector after its parent company agrees to sell its belting operation to Timken Co.
A panel of executives from California rubber processors sound off on the state's tough regulatory climate.
Bostik S.A. opens an adhesives facility in Bangalore, India.
Lanxess A.G. reveals it has begun a process to spin off its rubber business as an independent entity within Lanxess Group.
Goodyear announces it will retire its Spirit of America blimp.
Goodyear begins construction at its new factory site in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
Trelleborg A.B. business units land two major contracts.
For the second time in six months, Apache Inc. expands its operation, adding a production and distribution facility in Dallas.
Antitrust authorities approve China National Chemical Corp.'s purchase of a 26.2-percent stake in Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Q Holding Co.'s Qure Medical business acquires Altimex Ltd.
Cooper Standard Automotive Inc. expands production in the U.S. and China.
Aiming to boost its liquid silicone rubber injection molding capacity, Trelleborg A.B. plans to expand capacity at a factory in Bulgaria.
Paul Kundrat, operations manager, poses in front of Kismet's new plastics extruder.
Freudenberg Medical buys majority control of Hemoteq A.G.
Kismet Rubber Products Corp. adds two production lines to its operations.
An Avon Rubber P.L.C. subsidiary buys InterPuls S.p.A.
Nexen Tire Corp. confirms it will build a research and development center near Akron at a cost of $7 million.
Maxcess International Corp. agrees to buy Valley Roller Co.
Specialty chemical producer Emerald Kalama Chemical Ltd. plans to expand a factory in the Netherlands.
Maroon Group L.L.C. buys the assets of specialty chemicals distributor D.B. Becker Co. Inc.
R.D. Abbott Co. obtains expanded distribution agreements with Lanxess Corp.
Hallstar Co. opens a facility in Suzhou, China.
R.E. Carroll Inc. acquires specialty chemicals distributor JH Calo Co.
A fire-damaged tire recycling plant owned by Liberty Tire Recycling in Louisville won't reopen.
Unique Fabricating Inc. buys Great Lakes Foam Technologies Inc.
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