Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - Indianapolis, IN - The Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM) recently released its 2019 Wage and Salary Report. ARPM conducted this keystone study that analyzes information on over 60 job titles specific to the rubber industry, as well as additional operational benchmarks. The 2019 report covers job titles in multiple areas of a rubber business, including, but not limited to, administration, technical, operations and management. Participants in this survey included over 250 U.S. polymer manufacturing companies who reported wage and salary information on employees in current job positions. ARPM’s Wage and Salary Report has evolved each year to encompass new job titles, as well as important industry and business trends within the rubber industry. This report remains one of the very few compensation reports dedicated exclusively to the rubber manufacturing industry. The 2019 report contains comprehensive analyses on nearly 60 different job classifications from rubber processing facilities across the United States. The data in this report represent nearly 44,450 full-time and 2,615 part-time employees. “Especially at this time of year, companies need accurate and comprehensive data to ensure they make informed and data-driven decisions in regard to compensation packages and payroll budgeting. This report allows companies across the United States of all sizes to benchmark positions and determine competitive market salaries to attract and retain talent,” said Ashley Turrell, ARPM’s membership and analytics director. For more information or to purchase this report, visit www.ARPMinc.com.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - Newmarket, Ontario, Canada - AirBoss of America Corp. announced that it has appointed David Camilleri to its board of directors, effective December 9. “David brings two-plus decades of advanced manufacturing, strategic growth and operational experience in both the rubber compounding and anti-vibration segments to his new role on AirBoss’ board,” said Gren Schoch, chairman and CEO of AirBoss of America Corp. “His industry-specific expertise will provide additional valuable perspective as we work to grow our core Rubber Solutions business, as well as diversify our Anti-Vibration segment into new sectors adjacent to our current product offering focused on SUVs, light trucks and minivans.” Camilleri is a senior business executive with extensive experience in the rubber compounding, anti-vibration, automotive and aerospace/defense industries. He has over 25 years in the advanced manufacturing space and was most recently the president of Noranco, vice president of Canada/Mexico Aerostructures at Precision Castparts Corp., a Berkshire Hathaway company. Prior to that, Camilleri was president and CEO of Noranco, an integrated manufacturer and solutions provider to the international commercial and military aerospace sectors, with operations in Canada, the United States and Mexico (ultimately acquired by PCC). Prior to that, Camilleri held progressively senior positions with Cooper Standard Automotive, including director of operations for both the Noise and Vibration and North American Compounding Divisions. Since 2017, Camilleri has been an operating advisor to Onex Partners, the private equity platform for Onex Corporation, and going forward will advise ATL Partners, a PE firm with focus on the global aerospace, transportation and logistics sectors. Camilleri is also a director of two private companies, Advanced Integration Technology and Laker Energy, as well as a director of Nutrition for Learning, a charity local to the Kitchener Waterloo region. Camilleri graduated in business administration at Wilfred Laurier University, and holds an MBA from Athabasca University.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - Tokyo, Japan - Toyo Tire announces plans to launch the Nanoenergy M176, a ribbed truck and bus tire that is able to reduce rolling resistance by around 9 percent, and in turn improve fuel efficiency when compared to the company’s existing products. The new tire is set to hit the Japanese market in January. Making use of proprietary process technology, Toyo Tires previously developed what it calls its Nano Composite Polymer, which is able to reduce energy loss in rubber compounds by approximately 20 percent. This polymer is now set to be employed in a Japanese market product for the first time in the form of the Nanoenergy M176. By incorporating this proprietary polymer in the tire’s tread base and tread cap, these being the parts that contribute most to reducing a tire’s rolling resistance, Toyo Tires has been able to give the Nanoenergy M176 excellent fuel efficiency while also maintaining a high level of wear resistance. The new tire also makes use of Toyo Tires’ “e-balance,” a proprietary basic technology for truck and bus tires that helps to improve and balance fundamental performance characteristics such as economy, durability, fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - Colombo, Sri Lanka - GRI has acquired industrial tire specialist Axis Tyres in Australia. The acquisition is focused on the forklift segment of Axis Industrial Tyres Pty. Ltd. in Australia. It includes the four branches of Axis in Altona and Braeside in Melbourne, the Sydney branch and the branch in Adelaide. GRI adds these four Axis branches to its own branch in Brisbane, thereby strengthening its presence in industrial tires and service in Australia and creating a national footprint. “This venture has further expanded GRI’s global industrial tire service network and will achieve our goal of increasing distribution channels in Australia and getting closer to our customers at a national level. GRI will now be able offer our high-performance material handling tires to forklift companies and operators across Australia,” stated Prabhash Subasinghe, managing director of GRI. Axis Tyres, which is a subsidiary of Tradefaire International Pty. Ltd., was founded by James Saunders in 1992, and operates in many business segments including forklift tires, truck tires, agriculture tires and off-the-road tires. Its operations span over several locations in Australia. “With a strong growth strategy at our core in all the segments that we operate, GRI acquired Axis Tyres to strengthen our reach in Australia. We were already established in Brisbane, offering superior tires and service in that state. With this acquisition, GRI is now able to offer this service excellence also in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide,” said Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma, CEO of GRI. GRI will elevate the level of service and the quality of tires that Axis has been offering to its loyal customers across Australia. GRI will also work with other distribution and service partners to provide a compelling offering to all national accounts. GRI continues to grow not only in the material handling tire segment, but also in agriculture tires and construction tires. Having built a strong reputation in material handling tires since 2002, GRI embarked to produce a compelling range of agriculture and construction tires in Sri Lanka. GRI built an advanced factory, with some of the best tire building machines and started production in April 2018. In just over 18 months, GRI has launched over 200 new products from its Advanced Specialty Tire factory. GRI is a leading producer of specialty tires from Sri Lanka with offices in nine countries and sales in over 50 countries around the world. GRI produces high-performance agriculture, construction and material handling tires.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Steelastic has named Jim Vogel as its new president. Vogel is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served eight years on active duty in the U.S. Army. He has more than 20 years of commercial and leadership experience. Vogel most recently worked for General Electric where he was the general manager for two business units over the last eight years. “We believe that with Jim’s years of capital equipment experience and his commercial background, he will be an excellent fit for the Steelastic brand,” said Barb Philibert, president and CEO of Pettibone, LLC., a division of Heico, Steelastic’s parent company. Vogel replaces Steelastic’s former president, Ian Dennis. Ian will remain with Heico, transitioning to England in 2020 as operational excellence project manager.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - Detroit, MI - Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on the specialty hoses market. The specialty hoses market is forecasted to grow at an impressive rate over the next five years to reach an estimated value of $2.3 billion in 2025. The key factors driving the market for specialty hoses are organic growth of the steel and chemical industries along with expected expansion of the automobile sector; excellent heat- and abrasion-resistant properties of specialty hoses make them a suitable claimant for the conveyance of aggressive chemicals and hot oil products; the rapidly expanding industrial sector in the emerging economies is providing new avenues for the players in the specialty hoses market; and an ongoing transformation of the industrial sector from conventional sources of energy, such as coal, to LPG and natural gas is further likely to boost the demand for specialty hoses. Based on media type, the specialty hoses market is segmented into chemical, gas, oil, water and others. The chemical segment is likely to remain the growth engine of the market during the forecast period. Expansion of the chemical industry in terms of production, technological advancement, increasing penetration of specialty chemicals in paints, coatings and additives, and development of new applications are the major factors driving the market for specialty hoses in the chemical segment. Based on the inner core type, the market is segmented into nitrile rubber, EPDM rubber, nylon, polyester and others. Nitrile rubber is expected to remain the dominant and the fastest-growing segment of the market during the forecast period. Specialty hoses with nitrile rubber as inner core are predominantly used in applications such as LPG delivery, conveyance of refrigerant gases and refrigerant systems, and delivery of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and other fuels, owing to their excellent flexibility, ease of handling and excellent resistance from oils, acids, fuels and abrasion. On the basis of application type, the specialty hoses market is segmented into in-plant transfer, LPG delivery, welding, drainage service, hydraulic service, firefighting and others. The in-plant transfer is expected to remain the dominant application of the market during the forecast period, whereas LPG delivery is expected to be the fastest-growing segment during the same period. In-plant transfer application majorly includes conveyance of oil, chemical, refrigerant gas, hot and cold water, slurries and bitumen. In terms of region, Asia-Pacific is projected to remain the largest market for specialty hoses during the forecast period. Increasing chemical production and rising LPG demand are fueling the growth of the market in the region. China is the largest market for specialty hoses in the world, owing to the huge demand from its industrial and manufacturing sectors. This factor has led to the increased focus of industry players towards strengthening their roots in the region. For example, Continental AG has opened a new hose facility in China to meet the demand from the Chinese automotive industry. The company is also planning to build a research and development center at the facility dedicated to hose products only. North America is projected to remain the second-largest market for specialty hoses during the forecast period. The USA is the growth engine of the region's market, driven by large-scale production of oil and gas to meet the energy requirement of its industrial sector. Increasing shale gas activities in the USA, and rising oil and fuel demand in Mexico and Canada, are the major factors driving the growth of the specialty hoses market in the region. The key players in the specialty hoses market are Eaton Corporation Plc, Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Continental AG, Alfagomma Spa, Polyhose India Pvt. Ltd., The Weir Group Plc, Baili Hose Co., Ltd., Diebolt & Company, Apache Inc. and Newage Industries, Inc. The development of lightweight, flexible and durable specialty hoses, expansion in untapped and growing markets, and execution of mergers and acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.