Rubber News' March 18 issue breaks down rubber in medical happenings

This week's issue features a special section on rubber in the medical industry. In this section, Reporter Andrew Schunk brings coverage back from the MD&M West Show in Anaheim, Calif.:

• Beacon MedTech is moving forward with new President Jim Colony;
• New York-based Tessy Plastics Corp. embraces the complex in contract manufacturing;
• Trelleborg's Healthcare and Medical unit broke ground on a $21 million component production facility in Costa Rica;
• Silcotech North America Inc. strikes a deal with Arburg GmbH, a long-time partner for the firm's machinery needs, for two injection molding machines; and
• Simtec Silicone Parts L.L.C. discusses the highs and lows of silicone injection molding and the importance of communication with customers.

It's tough to get legislation passed in an election year, but rest assured rubber-related industry associations are hard at work serving their members in a variety of ways, serving as unified voices through advocacy work and providing educational and networking resources for members.

Freudenberg Medical will quadrupal its footprint in Costa Rica with a second production facility. The greenfield expansion is expected to be about 100,000 square feet upon completion and is intended to meet increasing global demand for precision medical components.

Titan International made the first major buy in the tire industry in 2024 with its $296 million deal to buy specialty tire, wheel and outdoor equipment manufacturer Carlstar Group L.L.C. Titan President and CEO Paul Reitz called the move "a transformative deal" for Titan as it expands its manufacturing and distribution footprint.

While we're gearing up for the Spring Technical Meeting, we look back at last fall's International Elastomer Conference with ACS Rubber Division Executive Director and CEO Lakisha Barclay, who gives a (spoiler free) sneak peak of what's to come for this year's big event.

Sailun Group is investing $250 million toward a new, multi-product tire plant in Indonesia that could be operational as early as late 2025.

Brendan Rodgers, a tire industry veteran of more than 40 years, is Rubber News' 2024 Harold Herzlich Award winner. He will be honored for his work during the upcoming International Tire Exhibition & Conference in Akron.

Get an overview of last month's Rubber News Live, "Predicting the unpredictable: Breaking down automotive trends and looking ahead in 2024," where we spoke with industry experts—Casey Selecman, AutoForecast Solutions' director of powertrain forecasts, and Automotive News reporter Michael Martinez—about emerging auto industry trends and impacts.

This issue's Technical Notebook features Sandhiya Thiagarajan, Aubrey Dettman and Amanda Koh of the University of Alabama and their look at the preparation of SEBS beads for the introduction of elastic properties in magnetic smart materials.

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