CHICAGO, Ill.—Amsted Seals and Forming has added a second subsidiary to its heavy-duty truck aftermarket portfolio.

HANOVER, Germany—Continental and Menke Agrar have entered a distribution partnership to sell drive belts for the agriculture industry aftermarket.

ST. JOSEPH, Minn.—For more than 125 years, Vail Rubber Works has kept business rolling, through the Great Depression and the Great Recession. It must do so once again during a pandemic, as the company looks to Vail Harding to lead.

ASHTABULA, Ohio—Whether for customers, employees or the community, adding value has been a focus for Grand River Rubber & Plastics for nearly 45 years.

EPE, Netherlands—When VMI Group began in 1945 as Veluwse Machine Industries, in the same spot next to the Zuuk water mill where one today can find the headquarters for the global manufacturer of tire-making machinery today, the company comprised a small group of workers with noble intent.

INDIANAPOLIS—The Association for Rubber Product Manufacturers has evolved from inauspicious beginnings to become the choice for non-tire professionals.

CHENNAI, India—When an unforeseen crisis like the coronavirus pandemic strikes, the tendency can be to try to resolve immediate rather than long-term issues. The key, according to the leadership team at Polyhose Inc., is to strike a balance between the two philosophies.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Growing up in a small Midwestern town, Brian Dutton said he learned a lot about the nature of people. That curiosity has helped Dutton forge a path of his own, one that led him to become president of Kuriyama of America.

SEOUL, South Korea—New artificial intelligence technology developed by Hankook Tire could revolutionize its factory floors and production lines, saving the company from costly shutdowns by predicting a possible problem before it occurs.

McCOMB, Ohio—Flexibility has defined Crushproof Tubing's products. Now, it's the characteristic allowing the Northwest Ohio company to adapt in niche markets.

DENVER—Gates Industrial might consider the first quarter of 2020 as a tale of two economies.

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J.—Elkem Silicones U.S.A. has reached a distribution agreement with IMCD U.S.—Specialty Chemical Solutions to promote and supply specialty silicone materials in North America.

WARWICK, N.Y.—Despite uncertain market conditions created by the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 has been a year of expansion for Mechanical Rubber, which recently made its second big move of the year.

GADSDEN, Ala.—The union that represents employees at Goodyear's tire plant in Gadsden has voted in favor of a proposal to close the 90-year-old facility.

The silicone industry righted itself in terms of capacity and demand. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.