Klean Industries Inc announced that it has partnered with City Circle Group (CCG) to build a fully integrated, continuous tyre pyrolysis plant to recover carbon black and biofuel in Melbourne, Australia. Klean Industries provides technologies and solutions for resource recovery, waste recycling and the production of clean energy from waste. As for City Circle Group, it is a provider in demolition, decommissioning, remediation, excavation and recycling in Australia.

It is known that Australia has a waste problem with disposal fees that are continuing to rise. Klean further claims that end-of-life tyres and end-of-life plastics are piling up and being dumped in landfills all over the country. Through their partnership, Klean and CCG aim to solve this environmental crisis by putting their combined skillsets together to create meaningful change that will help Australia develop a low-carbon, circular economy while reinforcing the goal of zero waste to landfill. According to Klean, both parties see significant opportunities for creating hundreds of new and highly skilled cleantech jobs with enough project opportunities in Australia to invest billions of dollars into the Australian economy over the next decade.

Sharing his views on the partnership, Matt Skidmore, CEO, City Circle Group, said, “It is with great excitement that we announce this project and partnership with Klean Industries. The concept of waste-to-commodity recycling is something that fits within our vision to become a truly circular economy business that provides real and positive outcomes to our communities.”

Adding to this, Jesse Klinkhamer, CEO, Klean Industries, commented, “We are thrilled to be taking resource recovery to a whole new level in Australia. With CCG as our partner, we are going to define a new era in what it means to develop clean industries. Our industry partnerships speak to our credibility, and it is these relationships that support and enable our team to build world-class facilities that set the global standard in Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) but will also enhance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to a level not seen before in Australia.”

Klean states that the two have been engaged in the final analysis of a Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) to design and build a fully integrated tyre pyrolysis plant. The result thus far has illustrated a significant opportunity. As per Klean, the parties are now in the final phases of contract negotiations with feedstock providers and offtake parties for all the project output products which are being pre-sold. Klean claims that the parties plan to complete the DFS by the end of December 2022 and anticipate the project being financed before the end of the first quarter of 2023, with construction taking place in 2023 and operations starting in 2024.

A project site is already secured and planning permission and permitting are underway. According to Klean, the project is centrally located 45 kilometres northwest of Melbourne, Victoria. It has access to a highly skilled workforce. Given the ease of establishing and conducting business in Melbourne, Klean states that the decision to locate a tyre carbonisation facility is compelling and logical. This offers numerous short-term and long-term benefits to the area.

As per Klean, the Melbourne project includes Klean’s commercial scale, environmental-friendly scrap tyre carbonisation technology with a planned initial capacity of up to 120 metric tonnes per day (TPD). This is approximately 12,000 tyres per day and equates to approximately 40,000 metric tonnes per annum (TPA). Klean claims that the project is designed to convert the waste tyres into highly valuable recovered carbon black (rCB) and recovered fuel oil (rFO). This plant will be fully integrated with Klean’s proprietary tyre char upgrading technologies that enable the transformation of low-value tyre char into high-value carbon black replacements which can replace Virgin Carbon Black (vCB) by volumes of 10 percent up to 100 percent, depending on the specific application.

The CCG plant will also include recovered fuel oil upgrading technologies for the conversion of the recovered pyrolysis oil. The CCG facility will be ISO 9001, 14001 certified and all products will also be ISCC certified as circular raw materials, according to Klean. 

The resulting products from the Melbourne project will then re-enter the virgin raw material supply chain through the local marine fuel market, new tyre, rubber compounding and virgin carbon black manufacturing industries. Klean states that this enables these industries to create product circularity by re-integrating recovered resources back into the marketplace, enabling them to improve environmental performance and lower raw material product costs while also offsetting emissions associated with their respective industries.

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Titan International, Inc. is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Titan Strong Seller Associate Dealer Program, a decade defined by partnership, expansion and mutual achievement with its Associate Dealers and Master Distributors. What began as a dealer engagement initiative has grown into a central pillar of the company’s strategy, now counting hundreds of additional Associate Dealers and more than double the participation seen in its first full year. Over 30 percent of current members have remained with the programme since its early days, underscoring its success in retention, consistency and lasting value.

Associate Dealers in the programme consistently deliver strong results, supported by a broad set of benefits built to drive business growth and operational excellence. These include uncapped earning potential through volume incentives, priority access to new products and pre-order opportunities that offer a critical time-to-market edge and ongoing training and education. Hundreds of dealers receive instruction through Titan University and Advanced TIA Tire Service Training, while marketing support and sales tools are available via Titan’s dealer portal, THE HUB. Members also gain access to hundreds of products across multiple segments, opening new revenue streams and customer opportunities. Together, these elements form an ecosystem connecting dealers to Titan’s expertise, innovation and support network.

Titan’s industry partners demonstrate proper demounting techniques during the 2024 Advanced TIA Ag and OTR Tire Service Training.

Adaptability has been central to the programme’s longevity. Instead of remaining static, Titan has continually refined the initiative to keep it competitive, relevant and valuable amid rapid market change. To mark the milestone, the company unveiled a new ‘Decade of Strength’ emblem and updated marketing materials. Anniversary initiatives include a lowered first-tier incentive threshold, allowing dealers to begin earning rewards earlier in the year, special recognition for founding Associate Dealers and exclusive events such as a dedicated Associate Dealer and leadership dinner during Titan University in January and an upcoming event at the Farm Progress Show.

Looking ahead, Titan remains committed to strengthening its dealer network through continued investment in training, product innovation and programme improvements. The Titan Strong Seller Associate Dealer Program will keep serving as a strategic growth platform, helping dealers expand into new segments, seize emerging opportunities and stay competitive in a shifting marketplace.

Kendra Mann, Director of Aftermarket Sales, said, “For the past decade, the Titan Strong Seller Associate Dealer Program has reflected our unwavering commitment to our dealers’ success. This is not a transactional programme; it is a true growth partnership. By continuously investing in training, expanding product access and refining incentives, we’ve built a model that empowers dealers to grow their businesses while staying closely connected to Titan.”

Sam Morrison, Sales Programs and Promotions Manager, said, “What makes this programme unique is the combination of direct access to Titan and the strong partnerships we’ve built with our Master Distributors. Together, we’re able to provide Associate Dealers with the support, expertise and resources they need to succeed in their local markets.”

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Michelin-backed Biotech Open Platform has commenced operations at its new facility in France, with its first advanced fermentation projects now underway. The EUR-20-million site is located in the Sustainable Materials Centre within the Michelin Innovation Park – Cataroux in Clermont-Ferrand.

The platform supports start-ups, industrial companies and R&D organisations in developing, optimising, scaling up and validating fermentation-based processes, aiming to ensure more innovations progress from laboratory scale to conditions representative of industrial production. It offers integrated fermentation, purification and bioprocess development capabilities, including a complete fermentation line with a capacity of up to 15m³ and semi-industrial purification systems that remain rare in Europe. These capabilities meet the most stringent standards, particularly those applicable to food production, and enable production of sufficient volumes for application testing and validation stages preceding potential commercial production.

As scrutiny of fossil-based ingredients and resources grows, industrial biotechnology and advanced fermentation are opening opportunities to produce molecules, ingredients and materials from renewable resources. Advanced fermentation, including precision fermentation, uses microorganisms such as yeasts, bacteria, microalgae and fungi as ‘microfactories’ capable of producing proteins, enzymes, food ingredients, cosmetic actives and bio-based materials for sectors including food and beverages, cosmetics, agriculture, chemicals and biomaterials.

Announced in 2024, the platform was born from a joint initiative by Danone, Michelin, DMC Biotechnologies, Crédit Agricole Centre France, Clermont Auvergne Innovation and Greentech. Dedicated teams and its own infrastructure guarantee strict project confidentiality and intellectual property protection, while Clermont Auvergne Métropole and the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund, have supported creation of this strategic biotechnology infrastructure.

Florent Menegaux, Chairman, Michelin Group, said, “With the inauguration of Biotech Open Platform, we are turning a strong conviction into an industrial reality: biotechnology will play a major role in the sustainable transformation of many sectors. By providing companies with an open infrastructure and leading expertise, we want to accelerate the transition from research to industry. For Michelin, this is an opportunity to explore new ways of replacing certain molecules currently derived from petrochemicals with more sustainable, bio-based alternatives. More broadly, this platform aims to become a catalyst for innovation in support of European competitiveness.”

Khadidja Romari, Chief Executive Officer, Biotech Open Platform, said, “Biotech Open Platform was created to address a very concrete challenge in biotechnology: how to move from a promising process at laboratory scale to a robust process that can work at industrial scale. The infrastructure is important, but equipment alone is not enough. Scale-up requires experience, technical know-how and the ability to solve the issues that appear as the process moves from one scale to another. Confidentiality and protection of intellectual property are also essential for the companies we work with. Our role is to help them move faster and more securely towards industrialisation.”

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Maxam Tire has broadened its range of solid skid steer tyres by launching the MS705 NM, a non-marking iteration of its current MS705 model. The new tyre targets construction machinery operated indoors or on surfaces where leaving marks is undesirable.

By pairing the resilience of a solid tyre with a non-marking tread compound, the MS705 NM suits jobs that demand protection for finished flooring and other delicate surfaces. Its solid design removes the risk of punctures and sidewall failures while also doing away with regular air pressure checks, which helps lower maintenance demands.

The tyre incorporates a three-stage, all-rubber build and an aperture sidewall that together produce a gentler ride. Steel ring reinforcement internally works to prevent wheel slip, while a heat-resistant cushion centre compound adds durability for tough applications. With this non-marking option, Maxam now gives customers greater flexibility in matching skid steer tyres to specific jobsite needs.

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Evonik, a global speciality chemicals company, has outlined a three-year strategy to sharpen its focus and accelerate growth, assigning distinct roles across its business portfolio and setting specific tasks for its major German sites. Targeted growth projects are also intended to improve the group's geostrategic balance. To fund these investments, the company is relying on its Evonik Tailor Made restructuring programme to further reduce its cost base. The plan involves cutting 3,200 jobs worldwide, with roughly 2,150 of those losses falling in Germany.

At the annual strategy meeting, the executive and supervisory boards reviewed plans through 2030. Interim CEO Claus Rettig said the industry faces a structural and economic crisis, and Evonik will use this polycrisis to reshape old structures and improve its positioning. Many parts of the business are still growing, so efforts will concentrate on strengths, future topics and lucrative markets, with better cost positions creating room to manoeuvre.

Transformation will proceed at every level. Healthcare and biotechnology projects in Canada and Slovakia, worth several hundred million euros, will strengthen the portfolio, while business units are aligned by role as growth drivers or cash generators. A new business line, Designed Polymer Solutions, bundles growth areas in aerospace, automotive and gas separation, including biogas and hydrogen. Asia and America offer strong opportunities, and further investments there are under review. Each of the six major German sites will receive a clear profile, with implementation starting shortly.

Evonik is also exiting activities with no internal prospects. Rettig said long-term leadership requires leading in what the company does, and volatility demands flexible responses. Closures of smaller sites fit this approach, and divestments of C4 chemicals and infrastructure are progressing as planned. Tailor Made's second phase begins in 2027 and runs to 2029. Measures will be finalised by late 2026, including unfilled vacancies, early retirements and voluntary severance departures. Chief Human Resources Officer Thomas Wessel said Evonik has long lived social responsibility and maintained intensive dialogue with employee representatives, and this transformation will be completed together.

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