Guayule offers opportunity for rubber growth close to market - Bridgestone starts pilot US project

摘要

Only a week after Cooper Tire & Rubber announced its intention on 29 February to partner with Yulex Corporation on the development and evaluation of guayule as a source of natural rubber, Bridgestone Corporation shared it is setting up its own project to develop the plant into a commercially viable alternative to the hevea tree. Unlike Cooper, Bridgestone will not collaborate with anyone for this latest research project; it will be conducted in the United States as a joint collaboration between Bridgestone Corporation and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations; the Japanese parent company will provide funding and strategic input, while the American subsidiary will be responsible for finding the suitable location and operating the pilot farm and process research facility. Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations will also leverage the resources of the Bridgestone Americas Center for Research and Technology and its Akron Technical Center to provide technical and research expertise.