Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has appointed Grégory Boucharlat as senior vice president of Global Commercial, the company announced today. In this newly created position, Boucharlat will join Goodyear’s senior leadership team, which will strategically coordinate the company’s worldwide commercial tyre business.

Boucharlat, who will report directly to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart, will continue to lead Goodyear’s Tires-as-a-Service (TaaS) organisation as part of his expanded responsibilities.

The appointment comes as part of the American tyre manufacturer’s efforts to create what it describes as “a unified and aligned global company” following its recent streamlining of operations, which included the sale of its off-the-road tyre business to Japan’s Yokohama Rubber earlier this year.

With more than thirty years at Goodyear, Boucharlat has built extensive experience in the company’s commercial tyre operations. He started in truck tyre sales before progressing through various leadership positions in Europe, including vice president of Commercial EU. His most recent role was vice president of TaaS, where he gained broader global commercial experience beyond the European market.

“Grégory brings to this new role proven abilities to drive innovation in our business and expand his leadership responsibility. He is well-positioned to have a fast start and ensure a seamless transition for our Commercial business,” said Stewart. “I have enormous confidence in his ability to lead our Commercial business on a global scale as our next step in creating a unified and aligned global company.”

The appointment takes effect immediately, with Boucharlat continuing to be based in Brussels, Belgium.

The move comes as Goodyear focuses on strengthening its commercial vehicle operations after divesting its mining and construction tyre division to Yokohama in a $919 million deal that closed in February 2025.

ARLANXEO, one of the world's largest synthetic rubber producers and a wholly owned subsidiary of leading energy and chemicals producer Saudi Aramco, and TSRC have inaugurated their newly relocated and expanded joint venture NBR (nitrile-butadiene rubber) plant in Nantong, Jiangsu Province.

Stephan van Santbrink, CEO of ARLANXEO; Joseph Chai, CEO of TSRC and Chaoyang Jiang, Chairman of the ARLANXEO-TSRC joint venture, addressed the inauguration event. Customers, JV firm officials and senior leadership from ARLANXEO and TSRC also attended the ceremony. With a planned capacity expansion to 40,000 tonnes annually, the new facility produces a wider range of high-quality NBR products to meet China's long-term market demand development and fortify the worldwide NBR supply chain.

ARLANXEO-TSRC (Nantong) Chemical Industrial Co. Ltd. was founded in 2010 and is a 50:50 joint venture that is ultimately controlled by TSRC Corporation and ARLANXEO. In December 2021, ARLANXEO and TSRC announced that the joint venture company would be moving from the northern to the southern section of the Nantong Economy and Technology Development Area (NETDA) Chemical Park, Jiangsu Province, in order to support the government's agenda for environmental protection along the Yangtze River.

The new JV facility has continuously maintained high standards for safe operations with enhanced performance in resource efficiency, energy consumption and environmental protection since moving in and starting up. While continuing to produce Krynac and Taipol NBR products, the joint venture company has further enhanced its business competitiveness in response to the increasing demand for premium synthetic rubber by introducing Perbunan, a fast-cure NBR grade that is well-suited for specialised applications in automotive, aviation, oil and gas and food contact materials.

Stephan van Santbrink, CEO, ARLANXEO, said, "The new JV plant underscores our commitment to strategic growth in the China market and the sustainable development of the rubber industry. Built on a decade-long partnership and deep engineering expertise, this new JV plant strengthens our production capabilities, ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality NBR products to our customers.”

Joseph Chai, CEO, TSRC, said, “This project marks yet another successful collaboration with ARLANXEO to support the NBR customers. We remain confident in the long-term growth of the China chemical market and this new JV plant to capture new industry opportunities and deliver sustainable growth leveraging on ARLANXEO’s global leading position in NBR and the JV’s strong local operation.”

Pyrum Innovations AG, a technological pioneer in the field of pyrolysis, focusing on the recycling of end-of-life tyres and composite materials, has announced that football legend Felix Magath has joined the company as brand ambassador and investor with immediate effect.

Pascal Klein, CEO, Pyrum Innovations AG, said, “The fact that such a well-known personality as Felix Magath has chosen to actively support a young company like Pyrum is a great sign of confidence for us – and also a leap of faith. We hope that his charisma as a brand will help to bring our vision and technology closer to a broad public and decisively advance Pyrum.”

“I am convinced by the combination of technological pioneering spirit, entrepreneurial consistency and social relevance. I am looking forward to contributing my experience and my network to make Pyrum even better known – among investors, in industry and among political decision-makers. It is about making a real contribution to our country’s green tech offensive. We need companies like this to get back to the top of the world,” said Magath.

Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd., a leading Indian speciality chemicals manufacturer, is reinforcing its market position with significant expansions in carbon black production, a strategic entry into speciality tyre manufacturing, and ambitious diversification into EV battery materials.

The company reported robust financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2025, with profit after tax jumping 36 percent to INR 5.58 billion, setting the stage for its expansion plans.

In a major development for its core business, Himadri is expanding its speciality carbon black operations at Singur from 60,000 to 130,000 metric tonnes annually, with operations expected to begin by Q3 FY26. This expansion will boost total capacity to 250,000 metric tonnes, making it “the single largest site for speciality carbon black facility in the world," according to Managing Director Anurag Choudhary.

The INR 2.2 billion investment is projected to generate annual revenue of INR 4.4 billion, with impressive margins ranging from INR 20,000 to 50,000 per tonne, depending on grades. The expansion targets growing demand across specialty fibre blacks, conductive black, inks, plastics, coatings, and battery segments.

Unlike competitors facing market pressures, Himadri's strategic focus on specialty products has created resilience in its business model. “We are largely protected. Our very minimum volume goes to the tyre industry," Choudhary noted, with less than 25 per cent of its carbon black sales going to tyre manufacturers.

Following its acquisition of Birla Tyres alongside resolution applicant Dalmia Bharat Refractories, Himadri is strategically entering specialty tyre manufacturing. The company will focus on off-highway and electric vehicle segments, with operations beginning in phases starting from the end of Q1 FY26.

Initial production will be 10-20 tonnes, gradually increasing quarterly. Products initially include agricultural and mining tyres and bias tyres for commercial vehicles before expanding into passenger car radials and EV tyres. The company is currently awaiting Bureau of Indian Standards approval, which is expected within 30 days.

Himadri is also establishing a 200,000 metric tonne annual capacity plant for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode active material, with the initial 40,000 metric tonne capacity phase operational by Q3 FY27. "We’ll be the first manufacturing plant in the world other than China for electric commissioning,” Choudhary said.

The company aims to boost profit to over INR 8 billion ($96 million) by fiscal 2027, representing a 43 percent increase from current levels. “By FY ’27, we expect a PAT of 800-plus crores," said Choudhary. “Our PAT will be INR 8 billion-plus, so that lays down the road map for growth, and it will be coming from all around the business, from our existing business to the new businesses that we are entering and the capacities that are setting up."

Export sales accounted for 27 percent of total revenue in FY25, with carbon black exports representing 35-40 percent of that segment's sales. The company sees "very bright” export opportunities for its coal tar pitch business in Middle Eastern and Southeast Asia.

"Battery breakthroughs won't just come from one component, but from a holistic mastery of the ecosystem," Choudhary told analysts, highlighting the company's strategic push into clean energy materials amid booming electric vehicle adoption.

Leading global tyre manufacturer NEXEN TIRE has signed a long-term supply agreement with LD Carbon (LDC) for recovered carbon black (rCB) with an aim to boost the adoption of sustainable materials. This partnership is in line with the company's commitment to improving worldwide sustainable management standards.

In order to significantly reduce carbon emissions and encourage resource cycle, LD Carbon produces its recovered carbon black by pyrolysing end-of-life tyres in an oxygen-free atmosphere. Using recycled carbon black instead of petroleum-based carbon black is a smart move that preserves product performance and promotes environmental sustainability. The company has been using more recovered carbon black over time, and this agreement aims to hasten the shift to more ecologically friendly raw materials.

Recovered carbon black from manufacturing sites worldwide, such as those in China, the Czech Republic and Korea, will be used by NEXEN TIRE. In order to increase its global competitiveness, NEXEN TIRE is creating a circular resource structure that will provide a steady supply of recycled materials and integrate them into its global manufacturing chain. The use of sustainable materials in tyre manufacturing will be required under the European Union's proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and NEXEN TIRE is in a strong position to increase its competitiveness by proactively creating a sustainable raw material supply chain, especially in Europe, where it accounts for almost 40 percent of total sales.

John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim, CEO, NEXEN TIRE, said, “Expanding the usage of recovered carbon black is a strategic step that demonstrates our commitment to ESG management and proactive response to global environmental concerns. We will continue to accelerate the transition to eco-friendly materials and establish a tire manufacturing system that has a low environmental effect from production to disposal.”