No. 721 13 January 2023 1) Source: nst.com.my Date: 7 th January 2023 Article: Sabah To Continue RM20 Million Allocation To Smallholders For Rubber Price Incentives KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will continue its RM20 million allocation to smallholders for the payment of rubber price incentives this year. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor today said smallholders would get an additional RM0.25 per kilogramme (kg) for thick rubber. "The Sabah Rubber Industry Board (LIGS), meanwhile, will contribute a subsidy of RM0.05 per kg, thus taking the total additional amount to RM0.30 per kg." The state's 2023 Budget would also allocate RM16.35 million to LIGS for the development of the rubber commodity subsector, he added. "So I want the LIGS management and its staff to raise the quality and effectiveness of service delivery for rubber smallholders, especially in developing the land owned by them right up to processing, and subsequently, marketing their rubber globally." Hajiji said the state government had approved a monsoon season aid (BMT) of RM69,058,400 to 86,323 smallholders. "The assistance has been raised from RM600 to RM800 per recipient and LIGS will distribute it, which will be paid out from today. "The state government is sensitive and concerned about the problems faced by rubber smallholders and tappers. "We find ways to help because smallholders also have to deal with uncertain weather conditions, especially at the end of the year, which affect their income."

He called on LIGS, together with relevant agencies, like the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda), to deal with the issue of rubber trees infected with pestalotiopsis (fungi). "The rubber industry worldwide is plagued by this disease, which can reduce rubber production by up to 50 per cent." --Bernama 2) Source: thestar.com.my Date: 9 th January 2023 Article: Rubber Market Likely To Trade Range-Bound With Upside Bias KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian rubber market is expected to trade range-bound with a biased tendency to trade slightly higher this week. Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association immediate past president Denis Low anticipates another soft week for the rubber market as global uncertainties continue to prevail. “There will be sporadic stock buying and replenishment activities based on current usage pertaining to those businesses still in operation. “This may help to stabilise the prices and hold it steady,” he told Bernama. Low said the explosion of Covid-19 cases in China has affected the businesses and manufacturing activities in the country while prolonging the economic recovery and impacting rubber consumption in China. “The uncertainty of the current situation is causing a slow-down in rubber usage. “Hence, without a full-scale recovery from every part of the world, it will be a long process for any economic sustainability,” he said. Meanwhile, another dealer said the prices will continue to track the performance of regional rubber futures markets, the strength of the ringgit against the US dollar and benchmark crude oil prices amid growing optimism for China’s economic reopening and the potential for a slowdown in the United States interest rate hikes. “Nonetheless, market operators will continue to monitor Covid-19 spikes in China and further cues on the United States monetary policy amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he said. For the week just ended, the Kuala Lumpur rubber market was traded mostly higher this week as sentiment was lifted by growing optimism for an economic boost from China’s reopening of its borders this week.

3) Source: newsarawaktribune.com.my Date: 8 th January 2023 Article: Rubiah Urges RISDA To Find More Young Villagers To Get Involved In Rubber Industry KUCHING: The Sarawak Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) has been urged to identify more young villagers that have interest, skills and determination to succeed in related industries. Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang said RISDA should identify more young local communities that have the interest so that they will be helped with a starter in the form of funds and guidance. “This is to ensure that with their success later, they will be able to help the surrounding community with job opportunities and improve the local economies,” she said in a recent Facebook post. Earlier, she disclosed that she had made a working visit to the Sarawak RISDA office to get the latest developments in projects and programmes implemented by RISDA, particularly involving small rubber farmers and the local community. “After being briefed by the state RISDA director Shaharuddin Saberi, a delegation from RISDA Sarawak and I have inspected the Additional Economic Activity programme in several locations. “The first location is at the manufacturing premises of pineapple-related products at D’Mata Enterprise in Kampung Sungai Mata, where I saw the making of delicious pineapple tarts and juice. “Then, I went to Kampung Empila to inspect the making of cendol at Aju Enterprise. Many people may already know this product because this Aju cendol has already started to be sold at gas stations and also in shops around Kuching and Samarahan. “Lastly, I visited Sri Mewangi Spa in Desa Ilmu, Samarahan. This spa is also one of the products of Additional Economic Activities programme under RISDA, just like Aju Cendol and D’Mata Enterprise,” she told. Rubiah, who is also the Kota Samarahan MP, said these entrepreneurs not only managed to get initial funding to form a business and continued guidance from RISDA, but they also won the Bizz Challenge and were awarded additional funds of up to RM70,000. “Their success is a joint success of RISDA and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development in an effort to produce successful rural children in all fields, especially entrepreneurship,” she pointed out.

4) Source: thestar.com.my Date: 10th January 2023 Article: Cambodia's Total Export Up 16.4 Per Cent In 2022 PHNOM PENH, Jan 10 (Xinhua): Cambodia exported products worth US$22.48 billion in 2022, up about 16.4 per cent from US$19.3 billion a year earlier, said a General Department of Customs and Excise's report on Tuesday. Main exported products included apparel, footwear, travel goods, bicycles and a number of agricultural goods such as rice, rubber, cassava, bananas and mangoes, the report said. According to the report, the top five export destinations for the South-East Asian nation are the United States, Vietnam, China, Japan and Canada. Meanwhile, the kingdom reported a total import of 29.94 billion dollars in 2022, up about 4.3 percent from 28.7 billion dollars in the year before, the report said. Key imported items included oil and gas, raw materials for garment, footwear and travel goods, vehicles, machinery, electronic appliances, and consuming products, among others, it added. Cambodian Ministry of Commerce Undersecretary of State Penn Sovicheat said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and the CambodiaChina Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) had injected a vital impetus to the country's trade growth. "Both the RCEP and the CCFTA are catalysts for our long-term and sustainable trade growth and the two free trade agreements are a magnet to attract more foreign direct investments to our country," Sovicheat told Xinhua. "I believe that our trade growth will be higher this year and beyond," he said. Sovicheat said the two agreements, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, are very beneficial to Cambodia as they have given the kingdom bigger market access with tariff concessions. The RCEP comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 Asean member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and their five trading partners of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. - Xinhua

5) Source: European-rubber-journal.com Date: 11th January 2023 Article: Linglong Progresses Dandelion Rubber Project Chinese alliance reaches ‘breakthrough’ in rubber content, industrialisation of planting Yantai, China – Linglong Tire has progressed its industrialisation of dandelion rubber with the completion of a "world first" 100-tonne dandelion rubber extraction line. In a statement, the Chinese tire maker said it, and other partners, had launched five scientific research projects under the 'dandelion rubber industry technology innovation strategic alliance'. The projects included the introduction of 'rubber grass germplasm' and creation of new strains and the evaluation of these resources, according to the 1 Dec 2022 update. Also encompassed was the breeding of improved varieties along with the “development and construction” of the industrial-scale rubber extraction line. At a meeting late last year, the research groups reported on the overall progress, research results of the five projects. Among other achievements, the alliance reported “preliminary breakthroughs” in rubbercontent and industrialised planting. Furthermore, the project achieved “phased results in the exploration and summary of planting rules and the mechanised planting technology,” Linglong added. The alliance, it continued, has now “completed and connected” the industrial-scale 100- tonne rubber extraction line and registered a total of 24 patents. The Chinese tire maker expects to introduce a ‘commercially viable’ dandelion technology before 2030. Linglong's previously stated targets included improvement of planting resources and integrated harvesting and extraction technology towards achieving "breakthroughs in key indicators by 2025.” “The cultivation characteristics will also improve tens of millions of acres of desertified saline-alkali land in the three northern [regions] of the country,” it added. Under its broader sustainability strategy, Linglong aims to increase the proportion of sustainable materials in its tires to 35% by 2025 and 40% by 2030.

6) Source: European-rubber-journal.com Date: 11th January 2023 Article: Goodyear Advances Smart Tire Technology With ‘Friction’ Detection Trials proof-of-concept tire with autonomous trucking company Gatik in Canada Akron, Ohio – Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has advanced an intelligent tire technology to estimate tire-road friction and convey data in real-time to autonomous vehicles. In a statement 4 Jan, the US tire maker said it worked with self-driving truck company Gatik on a proof-of-concept tire powered by Goodyear’s sensor technology Sightline. The companies recently deployed the road-friction detection technology in Canada, where the system continuously measured tire sensor-derived information. The data was then paired with other vehicle data and connected to Goodyear's cloudbased algorithms to optimise vehicle performance. According to Goodyear, the friction estimates enabled vehicles to detect low-grip conditions, such as snowy or icy environments. Furthermore, the technology made it possible to transfer the information to Gatik’s autonomous fleet, enhancing safety and performance for the company’s commercial operations. The technology is also claimed to help enable “smoother, safer and more sustainable driving.” “This is critical information for autonomous vehicles in terms of path-planning and providing recommendations for safe driving speed, vehicle acceleration limits and vehicle following distance,” stated Goodyear.

7) Source: european-rubber-journal.com Date: 10th January 2023 Article: Chinese Majors Advance ‘Iron-Based’ Synthetic Rubber For Tire Applications Tire makers Linglong, Sentury and Haohua take part in SBR development and production project Qingdao, China – China’s Qingdao Institute of Energy and Sinopec’s Baling Petrochemical have started industrial-scale production of 'iron-based' solutionpolymerised styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). The programme has seen Baling establish a first plant to manufacture the material on an industrial scale in China, said Qingdao Institute of Energy in a 6 Jan statement. The facility is said to have capacity to produce 30 kilotonne per annum (ktpa) of the new “iron-based comb-branched styrene butadiene rubber.” The project has been carried out in partnership with tire makers including Linglong, Sentury and Haohua Tire, according to the statement. The aim, it said, is to address “China's heavy dependence” on imports of synthetic rubber and the country's “urgent need” for high-value conversion and utilisation of C4- C5 olefins. As part of the process, the institute said it had developed a catalyst technology and catalytic polymerisation technology with independent IP rights to produce the 'ironbased' SBR. The project is stated to have won domestic innovation awards and passed a scientific and technological appraisal by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation in July last year. Over the next phase of the project, Qingdao Institute of Energy said it would continue the R&D programme to upgrade the catalytic polymerisation technology. The company will also “strengthen cooperation” with Baling Petrochemical, Linglong Tire, Sentury Tire, Haohua Tire to expand the application of iron-based SBR.

8) Source: european-rubber-journal.com Date: 10th January 2023 Article: Datwyler Advances Elastomers Technology For Electric Vehicles Swiss group focuses on new materials, technology to address requirements of EV industry Altdorf, Switzerland – Datwyler Group is increasing its focus on elastomers technology for electric vehicles (EVs) to support OEMs and other players in developing epowertrains. Activities are being directed particularly on applications requiring “highly advanced multi-functional materials”, the Swiss group said in report issued 14 Dec 2022. “For example, for thermal and filtration systems we are in the process of discussing the use of electroactive polymer (EAP) technology in sensors or actuators,” stated Datwyler. Furthermore, the Altdorf-based group is working on introducing ‘thermal interface materials’ (TIMs) for use in rubber thermal pads to conduct heat from vehicle electronics to a cooling plate. Datwyler has also developed electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials to protect sensitive electronics and sensors frim high voltages in the system and signal turbulence. Signal turbulence, the statement explained, can be very noticeable, especially when a system is switched on or off under high voltage. Electric conductive material can therefore help minimise corrosion of an assembly caused by the static that occurs as a result of high-speed rotation. In this arena, Datwyler pointed to the progress of its ETEMI project in the development of ‘electrically and thermally conductive & EMI shielding materials.” These material matrixes, it noted, mainly comprise of elastomers that can be both electrically and thermally conductive or thermally conductive while being electrically insulating. In terms of sealing systems for e-powertrains, Datwyler said it was "carefully analysing" a range of solutions for multiple surfaces that must be sealed effectively. These include gaskets made from rubber, edge-bond and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) as well as two-component (2K) solutions. Furthermore, the supplier said it offers “a large selection of elastomers” for O-rings to seal practically all liquid and gaseous media, covering system-critical applications within e-powertrains.

9) Source: european-rubber-journal.com Date: 9 th January 2023 Article: Sargomma Taking Creative Route To Rubber Sustainability Italian manufacturer leads EU-backed project to use silicone rubber waste in exterior & interior design Brussels – An innovative design project led by Sargomma Srl has gained funding under and EU programme to foster transnational collaborations between designers, creative people, SMEs, craftspeople and technology firms. Italian rubber components maker was among a select group of successful applicants for funding under the WORTH II Partnership Projects scheme, according to a recent posting on the European Commission website. For its Outside-In project, Sargomma , which specialises mostly in the automotive industry, collaborated with Italy-based XXI Silico’s Alessandro Ciffo, an artist who has been working with silicone rubber for the past 20 years. The partnership led to the creation of a sustainability-based concept called SKIN, which employs silicone rubber not just as a technical material for making gaskets or hoses, but also in interior and exterior design. According to the EC report, SKIN prototypes, which have already been shown in Dubai and Milan, contain a percentage of reused ground components derived from rubber waste. The partners, it added, also met Daria Biryukova from Studio Mixtura in Austria, a designer who was already experimenting with the fabrication of novel materials composed of waste and secondary raw materials. Biryukova recognised many possibilities in combining Sargomma's rubber waste with Alessandro Ciffo's virgin silicone before the partners joined WORTH with the aim of creating a scalable and sustainable manufacturing process for interior and outdoor applications. Outside-in is said to be highly scalable and to offer a wide range of application possibilities, including interior and exterior design items, such as curtains, space dividers and wall coverings, fashion items, electronics accessories, playground carpets and toys. The next step for the project partners is to enhance the industrialisation process through developing a more efficient production process and supply-chain for the materials and pigments used in end-products. The Sargomma-led team also aims to send a message to “all rubber industries to introduce and standardise the reuse of rubber and rubber waste” and increase levels of innovation and sustainability in this area.

10) Source: european-rubber-journal.com Date: 10th January 2023 Article: Natural Rubber Market 'Set For Uptrend' In First Half International Rubber Consortium expects supply to remain tight as demand recovers Bangkok – Global economic recovery and a continued tightness in supply will buoy natural rubber (NR) prices in the first half of 2023, according to the International Rubber Consortium (IRCo). In a 14 Dec 2022 report analysing NR market trends, IRCo said production may not increase “at a large scale” in the coming months in the three major producing countries of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. This, it said, was due mainly to the spread of the leaf disease, erratic weather conditions, increasing climate temperatures as well as low fertiliser-input caused by elevated costs. A drought situation in the region and an early departure of tappers from plantations because of low NR prices are further impacting output, continued IRCo. Citing the latest statistics from the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), the report forecast 2022 production to reach 14.343 million tonnes. And with consumption expected to come in at 14.805 million tonnes, the global market is set for a deficit of 462,000 tonnes for last year. Furthermore, NR production in Thailand is expected to be lower during the wintering periods in April, May and June 2023. This, according to IRCo, will likely also apply to Indonesia and Malaysia, affecting the overall NR output in the region by around 10% in the first half of 2023. IRCo went on to forecast an improvement in the global economy and a de-escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war over the next 12 months.