The International Rubber Conference Organisation (IRCO), the association of rubber societies from around the world and the organiser behind International Rubber Conference (IRC), sees India’s rubber industry booming over the last few decades. Tyre Trends recently caught up with Michael Clayton, Executive Chairman, IRCO, and Dr Matthew Thornton, Secretary General, IRCO, at the sidelines of Rubber Con 2024. Edited excerpts.

What is the underlying change you are seeing in the rubber conference globally?

Dr Thornton: I think the global rubber industry as a whole is facing similar challenges and bits. Rubber Con being a global conference, the themes have certainly changed over sort of the last 15 years and definitely we are seeing as we should, a trend and focus on sustainability, sustainable materials and sustainable practices.

What about India’s present and future role in the global rubber industry?

Clayton: I think it’s clear to see from the number of delegates at the three-day Rubber Con 2024 being nearly 1,000 that the Indian rubber sector is booming over the last 15 years. This is the third or fourth time we are in India for the IRCO event and plans are there for the future as well. Every time we come here, you can see the depth of the research that’s being done in India and the impact that that’s having globally on the international rubber sector.

Dr Thornton: I think with the population in India, the growth of the automobile sector, it’s (Indian rubber industry) got to be part of the global industry. As we move forward, it’s going to be a huge market for the rubber industry and a huge producer of rubber that goes into the automotive sector globally as well.

Given the disruption in natural rubber production and companies looking at alternative materials, will natural rubber lose its dominance?

Dr Thornton: I think natural rubber is going to play an important role, maybe more of an important role going forward. The move towards sustainability is something that we have seen over certainty in the last five years. Almost every conference now has a focus on sustainability, and being able to use natural rubber, as opposed to synthetic oil derived rubbers from fossil fuel sources, is going to play a key role. And certainly, using alternative feed stocks for natural rubber as well, like dandelion and guayule, is going to be important as well.

What is your take on repurpose, reuse or recycling of tyres?

Dr Thornton: In the UK and Europe, there’s a huge focus on recycling tyres, which I think will extend globally as well. Going forward, companies like Birla Carbon, who are part of Aditya Birla Group in India, are building plants in the Netherlands and investing EUR 100 million in a new facility in the Netherlands to recycle tyres into recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oils. I see that happening across Europe, in the UK, and I am sure going forward that will happen globally. We can’t just continue to leave old tyres in the environment; there have to be some kind of recovery mechanism. For producers and manufacturers, that is something that has to be high on their agenda and ensure that we don’t damage the environment or have an impact on the ecosystem for future generations.

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Nokian Tyres has appointed Glenn Arbaugh as the new Head of Research and Development for North America, marking a strategic move to strengthen product innovation for drivers in the United States and Canada. He will lead the region’s R&D efforts from the company’s manufacturing and research hub in Dayton, Tennessee.

Bringing nearly 35 years of global tyre industry experience in technical leadership, product engineering and design, Arbaugh will oversee next-generation tyre development while enhancing product quality and manufacturing standards at the Dayton Factory. His role supports close collaboration between the North American R&D team and Nokian’s global research operations in Finland.

Since opening in 2019, the Dayton Factory has dedicated all production to the North American market and earned recognition as the first tire plant worldwide to achieve LEED v4 Silver certification. Nokian Tyres, inventor of the winter tyre, continues to offer premium all-season, all-weather and light truck tyres across the region.

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Bridgestone has announced executive leadership changes for its West region (Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), effective 1 May 2026. Scott Damon continues as West CEO, Robert Johnson has been appointed Group President of North America and Wade Sempkowski succeeds Johnson as West Chief Financial Officer.

The company is decoupling the roles of West CEO and Group President of North America to provide clearer scope and focus for its business goals. In his new position, Johnson will assume leadership of North America Core Tire and hold end-to-end ownership and accountability for the full North America profit and loss.

Johnson joined Bridgestone in 2016 as Executive Director of Finance for Bridgestone Retail Operations and later became Vice President of Finance for the Americas Tire Group and Vice President of Stores for Bridgestone Retail Operations. He was named West CFO in May 2024. Before Bridgestone, he held senior finance and operations roles at Advance Auto Parts, Best Buy and Lifepoint Health, earning a finance degree from Belmont University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

Wade Sempkowski

Sempkowski started at Bridgestone Americas in 2019 as Director of FP&A, later becoming Vice President of Finance in 2022 while also serving on the TireHub Board of Directors. His prior experience includes sales analytics and finance roles at Mars Petcare and Southern Land Company, and he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Scott Damon, Bridgestone West CEO, said, “Robert and Wade are experienced leaders with a strong understanding of our business, our customers and the priorities ahead. Robert brings a powerful combination of financial, operational and customer-facing leadership to the North America region, and Wade brings deep finance expertise to the West CFO role.”

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Japanese tyre and rubber major Yokohama Rubber Co, has announced plans to construct two new manufacturing facilities for mining and construction machinery tyres in India and Mexico.

These plants will facilitate the transfer of off-the-road (OTR) tyre production acquired from The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in February 2025. The company also intends to install equipment at these sites to increase production capacity for ultra-large OTR tyres.

Yokohama Rubber will build a greenfield plant in Odisha, India, representing a capital investment of USD130 million. The facility is designed for an annual production capacity of 9,150 tonnes. Construction is set to commence in Q3 of CY2026, with production expected to start by Q3 of CY2028. This site will assume production currently outsourced to Goodyear facilities in Europe and the United States.

A new brownfield plant will be established in Mexico as a Phase 2 expansion of an existing passenger car tyre plant site. This facility will require a capital expenditure of USD 115 million and will have an annual capacity of 10,650 tonnes. Construction is scheduled for Q3 of CY2026, and production is planned to begin in Q2 of CY2028.

The company is also transferring OTR tyre production from Goodyear plants to a site in Romania acquired in May 2025, as well as to existing factories in Japan, the Czech Republic, and India.

These investments are central to the ‘Yokohama Transformation 2026’ (YX2026) management plan, which aims for significant growth through strategic acquisitions and production network enhancements. By expanding its capacity across all off-highway tyre (OHT) categories, Yokohama Rubber seeks to improve its global market position and corporate value.

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CAMSO Construction has announced the appointment of Andreas Lüllau as Area Sales Manager for the DACH region. His career in industrial and construction tyres began in 2007 at Industriereifen Kontor Lüdtke, where he developed extensive industry experience. The company stated that his strong background adds valuable expertise and a solid understanding of the DACH market. CAMSO Construction looks forward to his contributions in strengthening the company’s regional presence and partnerships.

The company statement read: “His career in industrial and construction tires began in 2007 at Industriereifen Kontor Lüdtke, and since then, he has built extensive experience across the industry. This strong background adds valuable depth to the expertise he brings to the team, along with a solid understanding of the DACH region. We look forward to the contribution he will make in strengthening our presence and partnerships in the market. Welcome to CAMSO Construction, Andreas!”

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