The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP) has elected Douglas Wilson as its President-International for the year 2025–2026 at the association’s 65th Annual General Meeting on April 9, 2025. Wilson replaces Zhuang Yi of Sinopec, who became the Institute's Past President-International.

Wilson is now in charge of P&L for every facet of LCY's Styrenic Block Copolymer business in North and South America, including the Baytown SBS production facility, as the General Manager of the Americas business for LCY Elastomers LP. After 22 years at Honeywell International, Wilson served as Global Business Director for Vertellus (now Aurorium) for five years in the Polyether Sulfones, Citrates and Additives business until joining LCY in 2023. Wilson served as the Global Business Leader for two distinct divisions at Honeywell. He started up as the head of Honeywell's nylon-based film and active resins division, which supplied materials for composites and food and industrial packaging. Later on, he oversaw Honeywell's Research Chemicals division, which included integrating a USD 120 million purchase.

In addition to Wilson, the other members elected to the association’s Executive Committee for the year 2025–2026 include Masayoshi Iwasa of Asahi Kasei Corporation as President of the Asia Pacific Section and member of the FPAC; Giovanni Cassuti of Versalis as EMEA Section Vice-President; Brian Chapman of Kuraray Americas as Member of the FPAC; Shiga Satoru of ENEOS Materials as Vice-President of the Asia Pacific Section; Robert Rikhoff of Lion Elastomers as President of the Americas Section; Zhuang Yi of Sinopec as past President-International and Roxanna Petrovic of IISRP as Managing Director, Assistant Treasurer and Recording Secretary.

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Celebrating more than a century in the industry, Galaxy has launched its 100+ years campaign, a tribute to its enduring legacy as a premier name in construction, earthmoving and material handling tyres. The company has launched a campaign video highlighting the brand’s longstanding record of reliability, a reputation built on strength and resilience that has made Galaxy a global leader ready for any challenge.

With a history of serving customers worldwide through specialised, application-driven tyres, the brand’s success has been driven by popular models such as the Hulk, Beefy Baby, HTSR, LDSR, Yardmaster Ultra, MFS 101 SDS and Port Max. Now, drawing upon decades of engineering know-how, Galaxy is poised to expand into the UTV and ATV market this year. This strategic move broadens its portfolio across new off-highway applications while staying true to its commitment to innovation and dependable performance.

Scheduled to run throughout 2026, the campaign reinforces Galaxy’s role as a proven, steadfast partner – equipped to handle the extra load, no matter the destination. Click here  to watch the campaign video.

Angelo Noronha, CEO, Yokohama-ATG, said, “It is a moment of immense pride for all of us at Galaxy as we celebrate over 100 years of excellence in the off-highway tire segment. The campaign showcases the brand’s success over this period, deeply rooted in customer centricity. We are grateful to our global customers, partners and stakeholders for their trust and continued support throughout this journey as the brand marches ahead to the next century.”

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Michelin India has strengthened its retail presence in Pune with the launch of three new Michelin Tyres & Services (MTS) stores in partnership with Darshan Tyres. This expansion marks a significant step in broadening the company’s retail network across Maharashtra, driven by a commitment to bringing its products closer to customers.

Strategically situated in Hadapsar, Camp and Chinchwad, the three facilities span 2,500 square feet, 1,500 square feet and 2,500 square feet, respectively, placing them in key locations to serve the city’s expanding community of premium vehicle owners. Each location is equipped to deliver the full spectrum of Michelin’s passenger car tyre offerings, supported by advanced diagnostic technology and precision equipment for services ranging from alignment and balancing to fitting and repairs.

The venture builds on a longstanding partnership with Darshan Tyres, a well-established name in Pune’s automotive aftermarket with over 35 years of experience. Together, they now operate a network of 11 stores and two advanced detailing studios, combining Michelin’s technical expertise with Darshan Tyres’ deep local knowledge and service-focused reputation.

Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director, Michelin India, said, ““Pune continues to be one of India’s fastest-growing automotive markets, with a strong base of premium vehicle owners. The launch of three new Michelin Tyres & Services Stores reflects our focused approach to expanding our retail footprint in high-potential markets and bringing our products and services closer to customers. This expansion is aligned with our plans to introduce Made-in-India passenger car tyres, reinforcing our commitment to delivering globally benchmarked products tailored for Indian consumers.”

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Toyo Tire has begun construction of a new research and development centre in Serbia, marking a further consolidation of its European operations.

The Japanese manufacturer held a groundbreaking ceremony recently at its factory site in the Municipality of Indjija. The event was attended by approximately 100 guests, including Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia, and Atsushi Saito, Japan’s chargé d’affaires ad interim to Serbia.

Scheduled to become operational in January 2027, the centre will serve as a hub for advanced processing technology. Engineers at the site will focus on developing rubber compounds and materials, as well as composite design and raw material evaluation.

Satoru Moriya, Director at Toyo Tire, said the facility would "establish a European operational model that coordinates R&D, production, and sales functions," with the aim of boosting the competitive advantage of brands such as Proxes.

The facility is located adjacent to the company’s Serbian factory, allowing the group to use existing proving grounds for driving tests. Toyo Tire expects this proximity to increase development efficiency and reduce the time required to bring products to market.

President Vučić described the investment as a sign that Serbia possesses the "human resources, infrastructure, and determination" required for advanced technological development.

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Pirelli has made its P Zero R and P Zero Trofeo RS tyres available in the replacement market, bringing the expertise gained from custom fitments for the world’s most prestigious and high-performance vehicles to a broader audience of enthusiasts seeking to unlock their car’s full potential. Developed alongside leading luxury automakers and already fitted to over 60 models – from European supercars to American muscle cars – these two tyres stand as the pinnacle of the P Zero range. Their exceptional quality was recently validated by the independent publication Tyre Reviews, which named the P Zero R the top performance tyre of 2026, describing the achievement as an impressive victory rooted in its outstanding capability across both dry and wet conditions.

Pirelli designed the P Zero R primarily for sportscars and high-end prestige models, while the P Zero Trofeo RS serves as a semi-slick aimed at delivering sustained maximum performance on the track for supercars, all while remaining road-legal. The P Zero R achieves its versatility through advanced compounds that ensure strong grip on various asphalt surfaces and in changing weather, with particular emphasis on wet-road confidence, while its tread pattern reduces interior noise. These attributes were confirmed by Tyre Reviews, which ranked the P Zero R first among eight ultra-high-performance summer tyres in its category, leading in dry braking and handling, excelling in wet handling and receiving praise for inspiring confidence even in extreme driving scenarios. Meanwhile, the Trofeo RS is defined by its ability to maintain consistent high performance across many demanding track laps, a capability demonstrated through record-setting runs on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Pirelli refines these tyres using its Milan-based R&D simulator for virtual development, with production carried out by MIRS robots at its Italian plant in Settimo Torinese and its facility in Rome, Georgia, the latter specialising in replacement tyres for the American market, particularly sportscars and local muscle cars. Beyond these offerings, Pirelli continues to advance original equipment technology with solutions such as Elect for electric vehicles, RunFlat for continued mobility after pressure loss, PNCS for cabin noise reduction and the Cyber Tyre system, which uses embedded sensors to relay real-time data for enhanced safety and performance.

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