The German speciality chemicals company recently inaugurated the first India Application Development Centre (IADC) in the country’s financial capital, reinforcing its commitment and outlook for the country. 

For Lanxess India, tyre industry accounts for almost 25 percent of its business, as against global average of around 10 percent. And the company’s management continues to be upbeat about the growth story for Indian tyre makers.

“India, from our point of view, will play a very important detrimental role (for Lanxess). Because when you want to grow your industry, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly has as an ambition, you need the chemical industry and all their precursors. And if you want to help the Indian industry to further develop (new solutions), you need to have local application for local needs,” remarked Matthias Zachert, Chairman of the Board of Management of Lanxess.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the India Application Development Centre (IADC) in Thane, Mumbai, which also marks a significant commitment by the German chemical major for the country.

Lanxess is said to be the world’s largest supplier of rubber additives focusing on solutions around rubber chemicals, speciality chemicals and processing aids for the rubber industry. The company’s solutions find their way in high-performance rubber products such as tyres, treads, seals and even drive belts.

At present, Lanxess has established two production facilities in India – Jhagadia in Gujarat and Nagda in Madhya Pradesh. The tyre industry is primarily supported by Lanxess Rhein Chemie Additives Divisions, which manufactures Rhenogran and Rhenodiv at the Jhagadia facility. The company has invested over EUR 70 million in the Jhagadia facility, which not only supports the domestic customer base for Lanxess but also its customers in the Asia-Pacific region. The company has a longstanding presence in India, with representation from all 10 of its business units and a workforce of around 800 employees.

It comes as no surprise that Zachert sees India as a critical growth region for Lanxess, offering immense opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

INDIAN TYRE INDUSTRY A KEY GROWTH DRIVER

Globally, the automotive industry in particular is transitioning from being seen as a seller of products to a mobility solutions provider, what’s with new business models or service solutions.

Zachert sees that while the tyre market was consolidated for many years, it has started opening up in the last decade.

“The global tyre market has opened up, strongly driven by Chinese tyre manufacturers but also Indian tyre manufacturers. We have rising stars here in India. Mobility has always led to liberty and flexibility for mankind. This will be a trend that in the next 10-20 years is not going to vanish. Mobility will be important, which means the tyre industry is important. And therefore, I look positively at the tyre industry going forward, notably the one that is located here in India,” said an optimistic Zachert.

It is important to understand that the company has almost 25 percent of its business exposure to the Indian tyre segment, which could be amongst the highest for the company.

“For our group, the mobility exposure that we have worldwide as a company is 10 percent. We are over-proportionally present here in India, which is good and normal because the industry is expanding. The Indian tyre market is expanding not only locally but globally,” he said.

The recent setting up of IADC is part of Lanxess’ strategic focus on India as a key market and innovation hub. The strengthening of R&D will enable the company to enhance its ability to deliver high-value, specialised solutions tailored to local needs.

To begin with, the company has integrated expertise from two key businesses in India: Lubricant Additives (high-performance additives and additive systems, synthetic base fluids and ready-to-use lubricants) and Material Protection Products (antimicrobial, disinfection and preservation solutions). Going forward, the idea is to be present with all business units’ expertise at the IADC.

Namitesh Roy Choudhury, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Lanxess India, said, “By establishing the IADC, we are bringing our expertise closer to our Indian customers. This centre will not only support innovation but also strengthen our ability to address evolving market trends with speed and precision.”

For Lanxess India, the IADC aligns with its transformation journey towards a speciality chemicals company. The aim is to focus less on cyclical business areas and solutions for critical applications and move towards a partner for sustainable mobility or consumer protection. And the company sees India’s growing industrial base and expanding consumer markets as an ideal platform for driving such advancements.

SUPPORTING THE TYRE INDUSTRY

The production of the plain looking black tyre is more than just moulding of rubber; it is a complex process, which includes incorporating various raw materials and scientific steps to ensure that the tyres are built up to a particular specification. After all, tyres remain and are supposed to be the sole point of contact between a vehicle and the road when in motion.

Lanxess, for its part, supplies solutions across mixing, batch-off, extrusion & tread marking, tyre inspection & repair, tyre curing, green tyre spraying and tyre building processes.

According to the company, a durable car tyre is the result of a complex manufacturing process in which the tyre is built-up from various rubber compounds and reinforcing materials. It explains that by using rubber chemicals and various fillers, the raw material rubber is turned into a high-performance product. This is because rubber is soft and not very durable until vulcanisation. By selecting the type of rubber, the crosslinking chemicals and additives required for the desired technical properties of the end-product, high-performance products such as tyres and other rubber products are created.

EUROPEAN COMPANIES TO STEP OUT OF PETROCHEMICALS

The chemicals industry has undergone a sea of change, especially given the evolving trend from geography-focused development to globalisation. For the last few years, there has been a growing pressure, especially given the focus on sustainability.

To support the sustainability drive, the company recently introduced Vulkanox HS Scopeblue, a next-generation rubber additive designed to help tyre manufacturers produce more durable and environmentally friendly tyres. The anti–degradant effectively protects tyres from the damaging effects of oxygen and heat while offering reduced environmental impact. Its low volatility and minimal migration tendency further enhance tyre performance and longevity, making it an optimal solution for modern, eco-conscious manufacturing.

The company claims that the Vulkanox HS Scopeblue boasts a carbon footprint more than 30 percent lower than its conventionally produced counterpart thanks to the use of bio-circular acetone and renewable energy in its production process. It is being currently manufactured at an ISCC PLUS-certified plant in Germany; this mass-balanced additive retains the same chemical structure as the original product, allowing tyre manufacturers to adopt it seamlessly without altering their existing production processes.

Zachert further said, “Times lead to change. The industry dynamics of chemicals has been adjusting to change for the last decade and will continue to see changes for the next decades. If I look into the next 10 years of the chemical industry, my personal prognosis is that you will see that the European chemical companies will more and more step out of petrochemicals and go upstream. And this is happening as we speak. My thesis also is that the European industry will focus more on niche polymers and speciality chemicals. The upstream and volume polymers will go elsewhere, where you have the raw materials and cheap energy. Countries that are destined to dominate these kinds of chemicals over the next 10 years, is the Middle East and the United States. Europe used to be the epicentre of chemicals 20-30 years ago from polymers to chemicals to pharmaceuticals.”

Then there is the shift from global supply chain to more of regional supply chain given the geopolitical situation.

“I see that with the current world with geopolitical tensions, the likelihood is high that we will go back to trade zones. And therefore, the global value chain in chemicals is one where many companies will have to rethink the global approach and turn towards a more regional approach,” added Zachert.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

As Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks expand globally, the tyre industry is undergoing a structural transformation. Collection systems are improving, traceability is increasing and investments in recycling technologies are accelerating. However, one critical tension remains insufficiently addressed: the speed of industry evolution is outpacing the agility of public policy. And within that gap, one key question emerges: where does retreading fit in this new circular economy architecture?

A STRUCTURAL PARADOX

Retreading represents one of the most efficient forms of resource optimisation in the tyre lifecycle. It extends product life, reduces raw material consumption and lowers emissions. Yet, in many regulatory frameworks, it is still treated ambiguously – often grouped with recycling rather than recognised as prevention or preparation for reuse. This distinction is not semantic. It is strategic. Because when policy fails to differentiate, markets fail to prioritise.

A FAST-MOVING INDUSTRY, A SLOW-MOVING FRAMEWORK

The tyre market is evolving in real time:

1. Increasing penetration of low-cost imports.
2. Growing variability in product quality.
3. Accelerated turnover cycles.

Retreading, in this context, becomes more than a circular solution. It becomes a filter of industrial quality. Not all tyres are equally retreadable. And that difference defines their real contribution to circularity. Yet most EPR systems continue to operate with uniform economic signals, failing to distinguish between products that enable multiple lifecycles and those that exit the system after a single use.

SIGNALS FROM EUROPE

Recent developments in countries like Portugal – where eco-fees applied to retreaded tyres approach those of low-cost, non-differentiated new tyres – highlight a concerning trend. Similarly, in Spain, industry representatives continue to advocate for a clearer institutional recognition of retreading within EPR systems. These cases illustrate a broader issue: circular policies can unintentionally undermine higher-value circular strategies.

THE MISSING LINK: PERFORMANCE-BASED POLICY

What is missing is not regulation. It is regulatory precision. EPR systems have successfully organised waste flows. But they have not yet evolved to reward performance within the lifecycle. This is where eco-modulation becomes critical.

ECO-MODULATION AS A STRATEGIC LEVER

Eco-modulation should not be a marginal adjustment. It should be a core industrial policy tool. Properly designed, it can:

• Differentiate tyres based on real circular
• performance.
• Incentivise durability and retreadability.
• Penalise short-lifecycle, non-recoverable products.
• Align market behaviour with system objectives.
• To operationalise this, we need new metrics.

FROM COMPLIANCE TO PERFORMANCE: A PROPOSED FRAMEWORK

The next step for EPR systems is to move towards performance-based differentiation. This could be implemented through instruments such as:

• Retreadability Index (RI)
• Performance Score (CPS)

These would measure:

• Number of effective retreading cycles per tyre.
• Structural durability and casing quality.
• Real contribution to lifecycle extension.

Under such a system:

• Tyres with higher retreadability would receive lower eco-fees.
• Products that systematically fail to re-enter the cycle
• would face higher costs.
• This is not just a technical refinement. It is a shift from:
• Generic compliance.
• To intelligent market shaping.

THE LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE

In Latin America, the stakes are even higher.

The region faces:

• Structural dependence on imported tyres.
• Strong presence of low-cost, low-durability products.
• Emerging EPR frameworks (Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador)

Chile, for example, through its EPR law (Ley REP), has made significant progress in structuring collection and recovery targets. However, like many systems, it still faces the challenge of fully integrating reuse strategies into its economic logic. Under these conditions, retreading is not just an environmental solution. It is a strategic industrial capability.

BEYOND WASTE MANAGEMENT

Latin America has a unique opportunity to design EPR systems not only to manage waste

but to govern resources and shape markets.

This means:

• Incentivising retreadable tyres
• Strengthening local retreading industries
• Reducing dependence on short-lifecycle imports
• Building resilience into supply chains

But this requires something critical: policy agility. Because if regulation lags behind market dynamics, it will not transform the system – it will merely formalise its inefficiencies.

A STRATEGIC CONCLUSION

If EPR systems are designed without properly integrating retreading – and without differentiating based on actual circular performance – they risk reinforcing a linear logic under a circular narrative. For emerging regions, this would be a critical mistake

The discussion around repair, reuse and retreading can no longer be treated merely as a waste management issue. It is increasingly becoming a matter of industrial resilience, strategic autonomy and economic security.

As global supply chains face growing pressure from geopolitical fragmentation, logistics disruptions and volatility in raw material markets, extending the useful life of products is emerging as a strategic capability for nations and industries alike.

In this context, Right to Repair should not be understood only as a consumer right but also as an industrial policy tool capable of strengthening local economies, reducing external dependency, preserving technical capabilities and supporting more resilient production systems.

Retreading, remanufacturing and reuse are part of a broader transition where value creation is no longer based exclusively on extraction and disposal but increasingly on intelligence, efficiency and lifecycle management.

CIRCULARITY WITHOUT HIERARCHY BECOMES INEFFICIENCY. REGULATION WITHOUT DIFFERENTIATION BECOMES DISTORTION.

Final note

The future of the tyre industry will not be defined only by how we recycle, but by how intelligently we extend the life of what we already produce. And that requires alignment between:

• Industry dynamics.
• Policy design.
• And strategic vision.

In that equation, retreading must move from the margins to the centre. Because properly understood, it is not just a process. It is a strategic filter, an industrial policy tool and a geopolitical lever.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has released its market report for May 2026, depicting a sector characterised by sustained price strength and firm fundamentals. The global natural rubber market received additional upward momentum from a decline in Brent crude oil prices, which averaged USD 107.14 per barrel during the month. This represented a month-on-month decrease of 8.65 percent, attributed to easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which collectively bolstered the commodity's outlook.

Global production projections for 2026 stand at 15.337 million tonnes, marking a 2.4 percent increase from the previous year, with growth driven by Thailand, China, India and Malaysia, even as output moderates in Indonesia and Vietnam. Monthly production, however, fell to 997,000 tonnes in May, a year-on-year decline of 4.7 percent, due to seasonal wintering and dry weather conditions across South and Southeast Asia. Concurrently, worldwide consumption is forecast to rise by 1.3 percent to 15.550 million tonnes for the year, with May's consumption reaching 1.310 million tonnes, a 4.6 percent annual increase. This demand was underpinned by steady tyre manufacturing, electric vehicle-related consumption and resilient purchasing managers' indices in China and India, alongside record auto retail sales in India.

Physical prices for all major grades recorded broad-based gains throughout May, with SMR-20, STR-20, RSS-3, RSS-4 and latex all experiencing increases. Trade flows showed a mixed pattern, as imports from China and India contracted month-on-month, while Malaysia and Vietnam registered significant gains. On the export front, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand recorded increases, whereas Indonesia and Malaysia saw declines. Currency movements saw the Malaysian ringgit ease slightly, while the Thai baht traded within a stable range, and both nations reported decelerating GDP growth for the first quarter of 2026. Futures contracts on the SHFE and SGX reflected tightening supply and firm demand, posting notable month-on-month gains.

The market outlook remains cautiously balanced against a backdrop of several macroeconomic factors. Elevated trade tensions between United States and China, ongoing geopolitical conflicts and a steady United States Federal Reserve interest rate policy present potential headwinds. However, these are being offset by supportive elements, including the accelerating adoption of electric vehicles, tight feedstock supply due to adverse weather and the positive market sentiment generated by the European Union's decision to lower anti-dumping duties on Chinese tyres.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Zeon Corporation has introduced a novel data management system specifically designed for elastomer research and development, marking the company’s first foray into a subscription-based service model. The platform is engineered to centralise and streamline R&D data pertaining to rubber products, with the primary goal of enhancing operational efficiency and accelerating developmental processes for its clientele. The initial phase of the rollout will concentrate on the Japanese market, with a strategic plan to broaden access to other regions in the future.

The elastomer industry frequently grapples with the fragmentation of data across disparate systems, which complicates the effective utilisation of historical information. Through extensive experience in elastomer supply and sustained client engagement, Zeon has identified this operational hurdle as a pervasive issue affecting the entire sector. This recognition has been the catalyst for developing a solution that directly confronts these data management deficiencies.

The newly launched system incorporates specialised functionalities that are finely attuned to the nuances of rubber product R&D. It integrates a comprehensive database that combines master data for key compounding agents available in Japan with extensive catalogue information, facilitating rapid and efficient data access for daily research tasks. The platform’s intuitive interface and user experience are meticulously crafted to optimise usability and data visualisation, with a commitment to ongoing enhancements based on evolving customer requirements.

Zeon has formally designated this data management solution as a growth driver for its strategic initiatives, extending beyond the Phase 3 objectives of its STAGE30 medium-term plan. The company envisions this business becoming a cornerstone of its strategy to augment the value proposition of its elastomer operations. By synergising its deep-seated elastomer expertise with advanced data utilisation technologies, Zeon is poised to foster innovation in client R&D and propel the overall advancement of the elastomer industry.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

A new bio-based cut & chip resin for the most demanding applications.

NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 is SI Group’s latest advancement in bio-based performance resins designed to significantly improve cut and chip resistance in high-severity rubber applications. With approximately 75 percent bio-based content, this innovative material delivers on sustainability targets while exceeding the performance typically associated with petroleum-derived resins, making it a strong choice for applications such as OTR tyres in mining, construction and agriculture, mining conveyor belts, rubber tracks and mill linings.

Cut and chip resistance is a complex set of material behaviours, including static mechanical strength, dynamic response under deformation and ability to withstand sharp impacts and abrasive environments. In demanding applications such as mining or agriculture, materials must tolerate repeated high-strain loading and resist the initiation and propagation of tears. NaugaShield™ BIO-TR 30 was developed precisely to meet these conditions, demonstrating notably low dynamic heat buildup and excellent tear strength – characteristics closely tied to enhanced cut and chip resistance and long-term durability under cyclical loads.

To evaluate its performance, NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 was benchmarked in an Off-road Rib Tread formulation against two widely used industry references: a gum rosin/semi-aromatic C5/C9 resin combination and a styrenated DCPD resin. All materials were tested at an equal loading of 10 phr to provide a direct and unbiased comparison. Under these conditions, the bio-based resin consistently outperformed both alternatives, offering a stronger balance of reinforcing behaviour, improved tear propagation resistance and superior resistance to thermal degradation during dynamic flexing. Further improvements were achievable by reducing the amount of free extender oil in the compound, underscoring the resin’s adaptability in formulation design and its ability to unlock even greater performance when optimised.

These laboratory indicators were corroborated through extended Coesfeld Cut & Chip testing (see chart), in which compounds were subjected to up to 3,000 cycles at 200 rpm under a 200N applied force. Formulations containing NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 exhibited substantially lower mass loss and maintained tread surface integrity more effectively than the hydrocarbon and gum rosin-based-benchmarks. The performance advantage was even more pronounced in compounds adjusted for lower free oil content, confirming that the resin can be tailored to meet the durability requirements of the most challenging operating conditions.

The strong performance of NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 in OTR tread compounds can be readily transferred to other rubber goods that encounter similar wear mechanisms. Applications such as mining belts, agricultural and construction tracks or mill linings benefit from the resin’s ability to reinforce the rubber matrix, reduce crack growth under repeated impact and maintain structural cohesion under high-strain deformation. This versatility allows manufacturers to integrate a 75 percent bio-based resin that supports sustainability by reducing fossil-based content and helping end products last longer while maintaining – and often improving – operational performance across multiple product lines.

NaugaShield BIO-TR 30 is currently available in commercial quantities, enabling compounders and manufacturers to move directly from laboratory evaluation to pilot- and production-scale trials.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!