Rubber prices climb as floods curb production

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

According to an article in bloomberg.com by Supunnabul Suwannakij, "Rubber rallied to the highest level in almost 14 months on concern that flooding in Thailand, the world’s largest producer, will reduce supply. Futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange gained as much as 2.7 percent to 250 yen a kilogram ($2,804 a metric ton), the highest level since October 2, 2008. Flooding hit four provinces in southern Thailand after heavy rain started falling in the region on November 19, the Royal Irrigation Department said yesterday on its web site. “Lower supply from Thailand due to floods in southern provinces is a bullish factor driving the prices higher,” Navarat Kaewpratarn, senior marketing official at Future Agri Trade Co., said by phone from Bangkok."

Adhesives and Sealants Market Update - As the economic downturn continues, demand for adhesives and sealants remains soft

As the years approaches the end, the adhesives and sealants industry in the USA has endured and experienced another very tough and challenging year. The three major industries and markets where adhesives and sealant are mainly used are industrial sectors, the automotive industry and the housing market. As these markets continue to struggle during the economic down turn, many manufacturers of adhesives and sealants are reporting very soft demand for their products.

There is also significant overcapacity in the industries concerned, from suppliers to manufacturers to customers, so things will remain fiercely competitive even during a recovery.

To make the situation worse, the global reduction in manufacturing output among major industrial customers in particular in Western Europe and North America significantly impacted the development of the specialty adhesives and surface treatment segment. This is particularly so in the case of the automotive and electronics sectors, and also the metals industry, with the associated markets having shrunken by up to 20%.

Similar negative impact on the manufacture of adhesives and sealants has been the housing market and as a result, the slow sale of existing homes has curtailed professional activity in the use of adhesives and sealants due to a slowdown in the turnover of homes.

On the brighter side, during tough economic times, many consumers often put off hiring contractors for projects and opt instead to save money and to undertake these projects themselves. Hence the DIY segment offers the most opportunity in this type of market.

As regards the future, a recently published study shows U.S. demand for specialty adhesives to be projected to expand 4.4% annually to $3 billion in 2013, with volume reaching 705 million pounds. Although specialty adhesives are a small component of the overall adhesive industry in terms of volume, representing approximately five percent of U.S. adhesive demand in 2008 they are more significant with respect to market value due to their relatively high prices.

Among specialty adhesive product types, cyanoacrylates and similar adhesives are expected to achieve the fastest gains in market value through 2013, mainly due to rapid growth in the medical applications.

Washable Rugs Backing Compound

Manufacturer: We are manufacturer of carpets and rugs. We are now using a compound based on natural rubber latex with fillers and thickener. The backing compound cannot withstand repeated washing of the rugs. Any advice please?

John Woon (Senior Latex Consultant): You need to review your formulation of the latex compound. The filler level must be carefully determined to ensure flexibility while maintaining certain degree of stiffness without cracking tendency when the rug is bent.

You need to incorporate suitable vulcanising curatives to enhance the longevity of the binding and backing rubber compound. Antioxidant must be carefully selected to ensure sufficient ageing and washing resistance. Wingsty L at 1.5 phr is recommended.

The choice of accelerators is also important but at your request, the detailed vulcanisation recipe is not revealed here.

You are at the site for answers and solutions to all your problems in natural rubber latex processing and manufacturing of industrial, household and medical gloves, condoms, catheters, baby teats and baby pacifiers, toy balloons, latex foam products, latex threads etc.

GRP Snd Bhd - The One-Stop-Centre For Your Adhesive and Sealants Needs

Established in 1979, GRP Sdn Bhd have been growing steadily to become a leading provider of superior quality solven and water based adhesives, sealants and underseals.

GRP products are used everyday as a solution to a diversified range of applications needs. Our range of brands include DUNLOP, JEBSEN and others which are known for superior and consistent quality.

Contact Adhesives are available for general bonding applications for furniture, decoration, construction and light industries. Dunlop CA Adhesive is ideal for bonding Formica, Rubber, Cork, Leather, Fibreglass, Polyurethane Foam, PVC Sheet, Carpet, Leathercloth, Leather, Cork and EVA to Wood, Painted or Unpainted Metal or Concrete.

You could also choose from a wide range of Mastic Sealants that provide a continuous compression seal between components which are subject to constant pressure. Dunlop DP 576 Mastic Sealant provides a quick, clean, economical, water-tight seal that does not require any maintenance. Insulation Sealants are used in the air-conditioning and automotive industires to prevent condensation and dripping on cold pipes and valves.

For more details, CLICK HERE

MMA Grafted Natural Rubber Latex

Manufacturer: We heard of some latex products manufacturers using grafted Natural Rubber latex. Can you tell us more about this?

John Woon (Senior Latex Consultant): Many research works have been done on graft polymerisation of many monomers on natural rubber latex. However one monomer that is being used for commercialisation of the grafted latex is methy methacrylkate.

The level of polymethy methacrylate is usualy about 50%, although other levels could be used. The main applications of grafted NR latex are in aghesives and as reinforcing agent especially for tear stregth, modulus, stiffness and abrasion resistance.

You could purchase this from Revertex Malalysia Sdn Bhd. Thier product is trade named Graftex 49 with 49% of PMMA.

You are at the site for answers and solutions to all your problems in natural rubber latex processing and manufacturing of industrial, household and medical gloves, condoms, catheters, baby teats and baby pacifiers, toy balloons, latex foam products, latex threads etc.

Rubber price increases as improved car sales raise tire demand

Thursday, November 5, 2009

According to an article in bloomberg.com by Aya Takada, "Rubber increased for the first time this week as improved car sales in the U.S. boosted speculation that demand will grow for the commodity used in tires. Futures in Tokyo soared as much as 3.2 percent, the largest increase since October 30. U.S. October auto sales improved from a 23 percent slide the previous month, with the seasonally adjusted annual rate exceeding a pace of 10 million for the first time without the benefit of federal rebates, research company Autodata Corp. said yesterday [November 3]. “The market is factoring in a recovery in auto sales,” Takaki Shigemoto, a commodity analyst at research and investment company JSC Corp., said today [November 4] by phone. “Consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars may push up sales further.”