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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Sri Trang Group has been recognised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its efforts to promote financial and investment literacy among employees. Pacharin Anuwongwattanachai, Company Secretary of Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Limited (STA), and Thanawan Sa-ngiamsak, Chief Financial Officer of Sri Trang Gloves (Thailand) Public Company Limited (STGT), accepted the ‘Organization Promoting Financial and Investment Literacy for Employees’ certificates on behalf of their respective companies. The ceremony, held under the SEC's Financial Well-being in Workplace project, took place at the Royal Thai Army Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Bangkok on 9 October 2026.

The SEC accolade underscores Sri Trang Group's dedication to sustainable business practices, especially the social pillar of sustainability that prioritises comprehensive care for employees' quality of life and well-being. STA advances financial, investment and savings literacy through structured and ongoing financial education programmes. All eight categories of the SEC's online financial and investment lessons have been integrated into the companies' self-learning platforms, allowing staff to build skills independently. Training sessions with SEC experts cover financial and investment planning for salaried employees as well as retirement planning for those aged 50 and above and investment planning tailored to individual needs.

Disciplined saving is further encouraged through income and expense tracking, financial health check-ups and discussion groups in which employees exchange insights on managing provident fund investments with expert guidance. These measures help staff strengthen financial security, ease financial worries and sustainably improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. The approach reflects the Group's care for its people alongside its commitment to good corporate governance, aligning with annual reporting disclosures and the corporate governance assessment criteria for Thai listed companies.

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Pirelli's 23-season run as sole official tyre supplier to the FIM Superbike World Championship ended at Jerez de la Frontera during the Pirelli Spanish Round. The Italian manufacturer helped shape the technical identity of the premier production-derived series through continuous product development and innovation while emphasising tyre safety and reliability and cooperating closely with organisers, the federation, manufacturers and teams.

The firm's connection to production-based motorcycle world championship racing dates back to 1989, when it debuted with the Rumi team's Honda RC30 ridden by reigning world champion Fred Merkel. The American narrowly missed the podium at Donington Park but took pole and won both Hungaroring rounds, putting him on course to defend his crown. After withdrawing from major motorcycle racing championships in the 1990s, Pirelli returned in 2004, when the WorldSBK promoter chose it as sole official tyre supplier under an arrangement that marked a turning point in international motorsport.

The company's strategy was straightforward: turning racing into a genuine development laboratory for motorcyclists. In a championship built on production-derived machines, that meant supplying tyres closely resembling products available to the public rather than solutions created exclusively for competition. Pirelli pursued innovation that progressively redefined racing tyre performance and then fed track knowledge back into its road products.

The DIABLO Superbike, launched in 2005, became a benchmark in the racing slick range, and the DIABLO Supercorsa followed in 2007 for support classes, leading in 2008 to the DIABLO Supercorsa SP road tyre. The SC0 compound arrived for the DIABLO Superbike in 2012 and reached the road range a year later. Rims changed from 16.5 to 17 inches in 2013, and 125/70 front and 200/65 rear sizes were introduced in 2018, followed by the SCX supersoft compound in 2019 and the SCQ extrasoft compound in 2022. From 2020, every class ran on slicks.

Across those 23 seasons, Pirelli's role grew into a proactive partnership supporting the championship's development, producing close relationships first with Infront and later with Dorna that extended to marketing and communication. Initiatives originally conceived for Pirelli's guests were gradually opened to the entire paddock, making the championship more attractive for supporters and a wider audience.

The 2026 season underlined that approach, with Pirelli offering riders 17 front and rear solutions combining standard range products with development specifications. The effort brought constant performance gains and fresh milestones, including 10 all-time lap records and 11 race lap records alongside significant race distance improvements. The journey spanned from James Toseland, the first world champion of the Pirelli era in 2004 aboard the Ducati 999 F04, to Nicolò Bulega, who dominated 2026 on the Ducati Panigale V4 R with wins in 36 races. As this chapter closes, the accumulated knowledge will continue to drive Pirelli's tyre development and its commitment to the highest racing levels.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Director, said, “We have developed racing and road tyres for more than two decades. Although our journey in WorldSBK is coming to an end, we will continue to innovate our racing products to boost on-the-road technology and performance. For more than two decades, we turned WorldSBK into an innovation lab and helped organisers, the federation, manufacturers and teams in its evolution. By constantly creating and fine-tuning new compounds, structures and solutions, we have boosted performance and set new records year after year while also generating technology and expertise that went on to be transferred to road tyres. We pursued this quest right through the final season, and it does not end here: the experience gained in WorldSBK will continue to drive Pirelli's leading edge both in motorsport and on the road.

“Despite operating under a single-tyre supplier system and always providing competitive products, our goal has consistently been to improve our game, year after year, by offering state-of-the-art products while paying extremely close attention to market demands. This was especially true in the early years, when end users wanted and needed a pure racing product they could use on the track. We recognised that need, by continuing to develop increasingly better products, and, most of all, by introducing new race-to-road sizes, which became the new benchmark for the sports motorcycles on the market.”

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Birla Carbon has released its 14th annual Sustainability Report, titled ‘Sustainable – Work in Progress’, highlighting ongoing advancements under its ‘Share the Future’ strategy and its ambition to lead the industry.

The company secured an EcoVadis Platinum rating, ranking within the top one percent of over 150,000 assessed firms globally, and achieved a B score in both Climate and Water from CDP – the highest possible for a privately disclosing company. Its Continua SCM reached industrial scale at facilities in Europe and Asia, expanding access to circular material solutions with consistent quality and a quantified carbon footprint reduction.

Additionally, Birla Carbon’s supplier due diligence now spans all 18,171 active vendors, with continuous screening via the NAVEX RiskRate platform and no labour incidents reported to date. The company continues prioritising innovation, operational efficiency, carbon footprint reduction and stakeholder collaboration.

John Loudermilk, President and Chief Executive Officer, Birla Carbon, said, “The transition to a more sustainable future will require our industry to continually rethink how we operate, innovate and collaborate across the value chain. At Birla Carbon, we have remained steadfast in our sustainability aspirations and in supporting our customers as they advance their own sustainability goals. Even amid a year of heightened supply chain disruption and global uncertainty, we continued to move forward with our vision to ‘be the clear leader in the industry’, particularly in sustainability. Sustainability is central to how we grow and create long-term value. This is a journey of continuous progress, and while we are encouraged by how far we have come, we remain equally focused on the work still ahead.”

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Prinx Chengshan took part in the SHACMAN Group Worldwide Partnership Conference in Xi'an on 15–16 October, where dealers, key accounts and industry partners from across the globe gathered. The company attended as a core strategic partner of SHACMAN and acted as exclusive tyre sponsor of the vehicle stunt show, joining domestic and international customers to examine fresh opportunities in the global commercial vehicle sector and help shape a new model of collaborative industry growth.

Cooperation between the two firms has deepened since 2024, centring on original equipment fitment for flagship high-end models including the Delong X5000 and X6000, with products offered domestically and overseas. Dependable product quality and supply chain assurance have enabled Prinx Chengshan to grow into a core tyre supplier to SHACMAN, consistently furnishing tyre solutions for its flagship ranges.

A dedicated stunt driving segment formed part of the conference, with Prinx Chengshan as sole tyre exhibitor backing the performance vehicles. Cars fitted with Chengshan XSTANCE PRO S10 and CDR621 tyres carried out sustained drifts, high-speed turns and other demanding manoeuvres, remaining stable even under extreme conditions such as tyre burnouts and showing strong wear resistance.

Li Wenli, a three-time national truck racing annual finals champion known as China's top heavy truck driver, rated the tyres highly for grip, durability and handling stability. Live demonstration in place of specification presentations made technical strengths tangible, letting partners observe stability under extreme friction and high-torque loads.

The conference allowed the company to strengthen mutual trust and communication with SHACMAN and to showcase its commercial vehicle tyre capabilities; at its 50th anniversary milestone, Prinx Chengshan reiterated its commitment to keep improving its global service network, advance alongside SHACMAN on a new globalisation journey and help build an industrial ecosystem defined by mutual benefit and collaborative development.

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