The Rubber Board has announced its intention to start an electronic trade platform to improve the marketing efficacy of participants in the supply chain of natural rubber.  

Satish Sharma, Chairman of the Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association, will launch the logo ‘mRube’ prepared as part of this e-market on 28 April through a virtual meeting at Rubber Board, Kottayam, the board said in a statement. Representatives from all rubber stakeholder groups have been scheduled to attend the meeting. 'e-market' is expected to go live in the second week of May 2022. 

India's natural Rubber trade possesses an innate advantage of high-level marketing efficiency owing to its coherent supply chain. The rubber market ecosystem has changed significantly over the years with changing patterns of demand in terms of quality and quantity from the consuming sector.
Though price realisation is relatively good for producers of quality rubber, large volumes of ungraded rubber traded are in the country, the release said. 

These producers are losing their opportunity for want of proper market awareness. There are also cases where growers and co-operatives find it difficult to sell rubber as per quality grades to the final consumer, which often dissuades them from producing quality material. The size of the dealer fraternity is also seen shrinking. In 2000, there were 10,512 active rubber dealers in the country, which came down to 9741 in 2010. In 2020, the count shrunk to 7135, which is quite alarming, the board pointed out. 

Considering the scenario, the board proposes to set up an electronic trading platform to improve the efficacy of the domestic supply chain for natural rubber. The electronic trading platform is contemplated to complement the existing trade system by bringing in more transparency and market visibility. It is expected that e-trade could bring more business to the existing rubber dealers, processors and manufacturers by reaching out to new sellers/ buyers, even in far-off places. 

The e-trade platform is branded as “mRube’ and i- Sourcing Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Ahmedabad is the technology partner for developing this electronic trade platform. The software development for this electronic market is over, and final testing is in progress, the board said. 

The electronic market follows a simple one-time registration for users. Users shall input their Rubber Board license number, and the system will fetch the rest of their details from the Rubber Board licensing portal, and an OTP based validation will complete the registration.  

‘mRube’ attempts to figure out certain impending issues in the current rubber marketing system. Despite being used in the manufacture of products with critical importance like automobile tyres and tubes, surgical and pharmaceutical products etc., there is no systematic arrangement for certifying the quality of rubber traded in the country. In the proposed electronic market, the Rubber Board has a system for assaying the quality of rubber, which will be a game-changer in the domestic NR trade. Besides this, Rubber Board has joined hands with Federal Bank Ltd and ICICI Bank Ltd. to operate the payment gateway and escrow account, which will nullify the payment risk of buyers and sellers involved in trade through this portal. 

It said for the first time in the history of commodity trade, either online or offline, banks had agreed to finance “zero interest rate” advances to sellers. The board also made arrangements with two partnering banks to extend zero interest rate facility to rubber sellers trading through this e-market. Also, ‘mRube’ allows users to filter out buyers and sellers according to their geographical location, quantity, grade of rubber, customer ratings etc. The buyers and sellers can upload their offers, and there is a provision for quoting counter-offers before confirming the trade. Personalised trade pages are available for those buyers whose purchases are from their empanelled vendors. A unique feature built into the system is the generation of legalised trade contacts signed using DSC. The Android and ios versions of e-market mobile applications are also ready for use, the release added. (TT)

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Webfleet, Bridgestone’s globally trusted fleet management solution, has earned three prestigious awards across Europe this month. In Germany, its AI-powered tool Fleet Advisor was recognised as the ‘Rising Star’ at the Baugewerbe Produkt des Jahres 2025 awards. Meanwhile, in Poland, Fleet Advisor – which leverages generative AI to deliver swift, insightful answers to critical fleet-related queries – secured the ‘Fleet Derby 2025’ award in the Digital/AI Innovation in Management category.

Additionally, in Spain, Webfleet received the ‘Award for Excellence in the Road Transport Industry’ from Cadena de Suministro, a leading logistics publication, honouring its 25-year legacy of innovation and transformative contributions to the mobility sector. These accolades highlight Webfleet’s continued leadership and technological advancement in fleet management.

Jan-Maarten de Vries, President of Fleet Management Solutions at Bridgestone, said, “Together, these awards highlight the strength of Webfleet’s dual commitment to cutting-edge innovation and customer-driven progress.”

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The 3rd Edition of the Passenger Vehicle Forum (PVF), a leading forum focussing on the passenger vehicle segment, is scheduled to take place on 3 September 2025, at Hyatt Regency, Pune.

This 2025 edition of PVF will focus on a wide area of topics such as – software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and E/E architecture transformation, electrification, hybridisation & future powertrains, connected, autonomous & smart mobility technologies, sustainability, alternative fuel, customer behaviour, retail transformation and aftermarket innovation.

The idea is to understand the present and future trends reshaping the passenger vehicle industry.

The event is expected to bring together over 300 senior decision-makers, more than 60 speakers and over 40 solution providers to debate, discuss and plan the way forward.

Since its debut, the Passenger Vehicle Forum is amongst one of the key platforms that brings together various stakeholders – OEMs, auto component manufacturers, mobility providers and policy influencers, all under one roof.

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Chinese tyre major Linglong Tire was recently recognised as one of the Best Managed Companies in China in an event joint held by Deloitte China, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School and the Harvard Business Review.

The tyre maker was recognised for its capabilities in the areas of strategic leadership, operational efficiency, integrated management and sustainable growth at the annual event.

Linglong Tire stated that the Best Managed Companies program is a globally recognised initiative under the guidance of Deloitte is said to be the only international award in China for the comprehensive evaluation of enterprise management systems.

The award in its 7^th year saw potential companies evaluated on the bases of complex management questions, executive interviews and neutral expert assessments based on Deloitte’s global program. The companies were assessed on four criteria – strategy, expertise, commitment and financial strength.

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Hankook Tire Hungary Ltd received the ‘Key Supporter of Saint Pantaleon Hospital’ award during the hospital's Semmelweis Day ceremony in Dunaújváros, Hungary. This recognition highlights the company's longstanding commitment to enhancing local healthcare quality through consistent contributions.

Marking a new tradition, this year's ceremony expanded beyond honouring healthcare workers to acknowledge institutional supporters. Hankook earned this distinction through multiple initiatives, including recent equipment donations for the paediatric ward and installation of a nurse call system in the surgical department. The company's support extends to previous years' projects such as ventilator procurement, maternity ward renovations, and pandemic-related protective equipment donations.

The award coincides with Hungary's annual Healthcare Day celebrations on 1 July, which since 1992 has honoured medical professionals nationwide. By recognising Hankook's sustained community involvement, Saint Pantaleon Hospital underscores the vital role of corporate partnerships in maintaining quality healthcare services.

Dr Örs Szilágyi, Director General of the Saint Pantaleon Hospital, said, “We are very grateful for the help and commitment of Hankook Tire Hungary. We are working together for a joint goal to improve continuously the standard of healthcare and thus create value for local citizen, help them in maintaining their health and in getting better. Hankook’s Corporate Social Responsibility sets an example to all. We are happy to award Hankook Tire Hungary Ltd as the first company with the ’Key Supporter of Saint Pantateon Hospital’ award.

Receiving the award from Dr Szilágyi on behalf of the company, Ho Taek Lim, Managing Director of Hankook Tire's Hungary Plant, said, “We are honoured to receive this recognition from Saint Pantaleon Hospital. At Hankook, we believe in long-term partnerships and consider the health of the people living here, our employees and their families to be our most important investment, which is why we intend to continue supporting local initiatives and institutions in the future.”

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