The Skill Meet organised by Rubber, Chemical and Petrochemical Skill Development Council (RCPSDC) elicited keen interest from the participating industries in fulfilling the requirements of skilled individuals across all three verticals. 

RCPSDC said in a statement that it has conceived the Skill Meet as a platform to sensitise the industry on the benefits of several schemes including the government schemes available for skill training of the existing workforce and for accessing skilled individuals. More than 30 top managers of industries from Delhi, NCR, attended the Skill Meet at Faridabad. 

Dr Ashrita Tripathi, Head Training & QA at RCPSDC provided an overview of the role of RCPSDC as a sector skill council in terms of skilling and upskilling. She apprised the attending delegates on projects involving Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and CSR projects where the industry has benefitted to a large extent. 

Deepmala Moorjani, who leads the Industry Engagements at RCPSDC, said, "So far over 7,000 apprentices have been enrolled in nearly 600 rubber establishments in the country. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Karnataka are the five leading states where rubber manufacturing units have hired the maximum number of apprentices. Some of the key job roles for which apprentices have been engaged by the rubber industry include Rubber Compression Moulding Operator, Rubber Mill Operator, Rubber Internal Mixer Operator and Material Handling & Storage Operator.” 

Moorjani encouraged the industries to engage with RCPSDC for Industry paid RPL programs and CSR projects. She also described the flagship programmes of RCPSDC. Firstly, the RPL project ‘Saamarth’ which has been a trailblazer of sorts. Over one lakh people have been reskilled under the Saamarth project in the job role of “Tyre Service and Maintenance” leading to unique outcomes. Another flagship programme, ‘Utthaan’, which aims at upskilling the workforce in plastic waste segregation, processing and recycling job roles through Mobile Skill Vans. This training programme will help the unorganised trainees working as rag pickers to perform their jobs more effectively, enhance their productivity and raise their dignity in the society. 

Jan Ebben, Apprenticeship Advisor, NSDC, advocated strongly in favour of apprenticeship as an effective employment pathway for employers and employees alike. According to him, apprenticeship establishes an internal pool of skilled candidates, reduces the cost of external recruitment and results in high productivity and high retention. Moreover, apprenticeship training offers the flexibility advantage since apprenticeships can be structured according to company and industry needs known as optional trades. Since the cost of an apprenticeship is covered under CSR, it offers a huge cost advantage too, he said. 

So far five lakh apprentices have been engaged across different sectors. MSDE is targeting one million new contracts under Mission 1 Million. 

Dr A K Mathur, Vice Chairman at Indian Rubber Institute and a veteran of the rubber industry, said, “Shortage of technically skilled manpower is being faced in the industry. Provision of skills at various levels is required to increase the productivity of this workforce. RCPSDC is playing an important role by helping the candidates to get trained and certified in the appropriate skills, leading to employment opportunities in the rubber or allied industry. Also, the placement portal launched by RCPSDC is a much required tool at this hour which will benefit the entire Rubber & Plastic ecosystem.” 

The Skill Meet at Faridabad was done in association with the Prerna Group. During the meet, RCPSDC also exchanged an MoU with Prerna Engineering Education Group Pvt Ltd for the training of candidates under RPL Paid programs for various job roles of the Rubber & Plastic sector across the country. 

This Skill Meet offered a better understanding to the Rubber and plastic industries on various skilling initiatives of RCPSDC and how industries can be benefitted from the association of RCPSDC, the release added. (TT)

As part of a strategic effort to increase its presence in the region's premium original equipment (OE) market, Kumho Tire has confirmed its plans to establish its first tyre production facility in Europe by 2027.

The company has shortlisted Poland, Serbia and Portugal as possible locations for the plant, which is projected to need an investment of more than KRW1 trillion (USD 705 million). The decision is closely linked to Kumho’s ambition to strengthen its partnerships with European automakers and was revealed by Kumho Tire CEO during the South Korean premiere of Kumho's new Ecsta Sport tyre line.

Kumho has recently secured OE supply contracts with major brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen Group. At the moment, Kumho runs eight tyre production plants in China, Vietnam, South Korea and the US. Its capacity to compete in the premium OE market, however, has come to be perceived as being constrained by the absence of a European production base. Through the benefits of local production, the new facility will improve response to European client requests, save freight costs and shorten delivery times, all of which will strengthen the company's partnerships.

Sentury Tire USA has opened pre-enrolment for its two associate dealer programmes (ADPs), the Delinte HYPERDRIVE Associate Dealer Program and the Landsail Elyte Associate Dealer Program, underscoring the company’s commitment to rewarding dedication and partnership to the Landsail and Delinte brands.

The ADPs, which are customised for each brand and intended to encourage dealers, will formally start on 1 June 2025. Both programmes give dealers access to special benefits, incentives and strong tools to help them expand their businesses. This involves dependable customer service, effective marketing and worthwhile financial incentives to promote dealers' success at every stage.

Beginning in Q3, dealers may earn up to USD three per tyre through the Delinte HYPERDRIVE Associate Dealer Program. Dealers can receive retroactive benefits for purchases completed in Q2 if they register before 1 June. The awards are available for all Delinte PTR, LTR and the new DV3 LMD AS last-mile delivery tyres. For all Landsail PTR and LTR tyres, independent dealers that sign up for the Landsail Elyte Associate Dealer Program can also earn up to USD three per tyre. For customers who sign up by June 1, the new LMD 100 AS last-mile delivery is also eligible for the benefits and will get the same early bird incentive for Q2 2025.

No initial order is necessary. Dealers only need to register to begin making money. According to the monthly programme rewards structure, 48 tyre purchases each month are eligible for a reward of USD one per tyre, 120 tyres are eligible for a reward of USD two per tyre and 240 or more tyres are eligible for a reward of USD three per tyre.

ENSO, a London-based tyre manufacturer engaged in the production of sustainable tyres specially designed for electric vehicles (EVs), has launched its new ENSO Premium range of EV-specific ultra-high-performance (UHP) tyres aimed at drivers of high-performance EVs such as the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Specifically designed for electric passenger vehicles, the ENSO Premium range comes with A/A EU-label ratings for both energy efficiency and wet grip. The tyres are designed to provide safety, increased range and a reduced total cost of ownership. Conventional tyre designs frequently fall short of the special performance needs of electric vehicles, which include greater vehicle weight, regenerative braking and higher torque loads. By lowering tyre wear and rolling resistance, ENSO Premium takes care of these issues.

The company is an authorised provider of replacement tyres for LEVC's electric taxis and has partnered with Uber to install its tyres in high-mileage metropolitan areas. The company now plans to grow throughout Europe and North America, and with ENSO Premium, it is now offering its services to individual EV owners throughout the United Kingdom. According to ENSO, the range offers advantages including longer tyre life and fewer replacements, lower energy usage, fewer charging stops and lower CO₂ emissions and tyre particle pollution.

Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, CEO and Co-Founder, ENSO, said, “We’re plugging a long-standing gap in the tyre market by offering EV drivers a purpose-built, affordable, premium EV tyre alternative that matches the innovation of their EV.”

Kraton Corporation, a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value bio-based products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, has announced a general price hike in North America for its SBS, SIS and HSBC product lines with effect from 1 May 2025.

Following a careful analysis of the effects of recently implemented tariffs, related cost increases and a conclusion that the company cannot independently absorb these repercussions, Kraton is adopting these pricing hikes, according to a company statement. The company further said that it will keep an eye on the scene and reassess these measures promptly in the event that conditions and US import tariffs alter.