Rubber News ( 8 June 2026)

20 pages. The June 8 issue of Rubber News features our special report in the lab and testing sector of the rubber industry. In this report, tire road wear particles (TRWP) took center stage, as Leo Breton, technical development director for Japan-based Horiba Ltd., discussed what he said could be a more accurate method for testing TRWP. And Ace Laboratories’ Erick Sharp highlighted how the lab is studying the leachability of certain chemicals and materials in TRWP. Smither’s Edward Yang also contributed commentary on the need for rolling resistance testing to move beyond room temperature as range anxiety grows alongside the adoption of EVs. On the cover Linglong Americas Inc. highlighted its latest Atlas and Leao off-road tires in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas during a ride-and-drive event. A well-tuned and balanced philosophy has helped Eagle Elastomer weather economic downturns, supply-chain upheaval and an increasingly difficult labor market — without surrendering its independence or loyalty to customers. Goodyear is taking steps to close its tire manufacturing plant in Fayetteville, N.C., by the end of 2027, a move that would idle more than 2,000 workers. What’s inside? 1. The German Rubber Industry Association (WDK) is sounding the alarm on the “exceptionally difficult economic situation” the industry finds itself it. 2. United Kingdom-based biotech startup QuberTech raised $4.3 million in funding to accelerate the development of high-yield rubber dandelions. 3. Marco Sealing Solutions acquired Pride Seals Inc., the eighth acquisition Marco has made since 2020. 4. Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. plans to build two factories in India and Mexico to support off-the-road tire production. 5. Ammega Group’s latest expansion reflects a broader shift underway in industrial production as manufacturers prepare for tighter environmental regulations. 6. Are EV tires worth the cost? A recent Consumer Reports study evaluates its findings around this question. 7. Canadians are warming up to EVs as fuel prices and federal incentives are on the rise. 8. Cabot Corp. said it will close certain manufacturing plants in South America and Europe as the company targets “capacity rationalization.” 9. Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. plans to close its Bowling Green plant by the end of 2027, the second Ohio plant the company has closed within the last six months. 10. First Brands Group L.L.C. has moved Jasper Rubber Products Inc. toward shutdown, adding the business to a list of operations designated for wind-down under its Chapter 11 restructuring. 11. Bridgestone said it will close its only Taiwanese tire plant to align with its global operational strategy. 12. Freudenberg Medical L.L.C. will close its Carpinteria, Calif., location near the end of June, estimated to impact about 80 employees. 13. Asahi Kasei will discontinue production of several upstream lines in the materials division as the Japan-based multinational focuses more on profitable markets. 14. The Polymer Industry Cluster has opened a new cycle of R&D funding to help companies accelerate their ideas from concept to commercialization. 15. Continental Tire the Americas plans to build a highly automated finished-goods warehouse in Illinois. 16. This issue’s Technical Notebook features Akron Rubber Development Laboratory’s Ed Terrill, Barry Palmer, Jonathan Martens and Kaylan Yaceczko and their studies on the mechanism of abrasion.