Closed for the holidays, a look at Top 10 web stories of 2021

The Rubber News offices will be closed Dec. 24-Jan. 2 so our staff members can spend the holidays with family and friends.

We'll resume regular hours beginning Jan. 3.

During the pause, you aren't likely to see much news posted to the website, but we will do our best to bring you the big, breaking news stories.

This year, as always, we are grateful for you, our readers, who share your time and stories with us and trust us to bring you the industry news every single day. We wish you all a wonderful holiday and a blessed new year.

Before our paths cross again in 2022, here's a look at the 10 RubberNews.com stories that caught your attention in 2021:

The pandemic taught us that, sometimes, supply chains just don't work in our favor. When it came to the production and delivery of PPE during a critical moment of need, that became clear. So the U.S. government decided to help change that. It's decision to invest in NBR glove production is No. 10 on our list.

Any time competitors find common ground, it's going to make the news. In this case, Trelleborg found the perfect home for its printing blankets operations at Continental.

Sure, EVs have significantly fewer parts than a vehicle powered by a traditional internal combustion engine. But that doesn't mean that the rubber industry is out of luck. Bill Hyde of IHS Markit breaks down some ways demand will rise in story No. 8.

When big deals happen, there's often a lot of questions, especially for the employees impacted by the acquisition. This story, about the USW looking at how the Goodyear-Cooper merger would impact its membership, hit No. 7 on our Top 10 list.

It didn't take long for one of the biggest acquisitions of the year to close, but during the few months the deal was pending, there were a few snags. The story about the legal challenges to the tire industry mega-deal was ranked No. 6 in our Top 10 web stories of the year.

When Danfoss and Eaton came together it sent shockwaves through the hydraulics industry. The deal closed Aug. 2, but it was the news that it was officially going to work out that caught readers' attention.

A fire that engulfed Hexpol's Tennessee plant at the beginning of the year left the company with a lot of pieces to fit back together. This story took a look at how Hexpol planned to move forward.

Silicone just can't seem to find the right balance of demand and supply. It's a challenge the industry has faced for several years and a number of factors are contributing. This is a look at what happened in 2021.

It's no secret that supply chain challenges kept executives up at night for most of 2021. So what happened? This story examines where it all started and why it really hasn't cleared up. It's our No. 2 story of the year.

Very early in 2021, One of Hexpol's compounding plants caught fire, sending smoke into the air hours after it started, according to local reports. News of the blaze was the most-read web story of 2021.