Rubber is far from redundant

摘要

One of the first stories I reported on when I joined the European Rubber Journal in January 2011 was the insolvency of German sealing manufacturer SaarGummi, which had run into trouble the year previous. New to the rubber business, I felt I had been thrust into an industry that seemed to have fallen from a great height. The once mighty and highly-respected traditional rubber manufacturers in Europe were suffering and as I delved into the sealing industry, I discovered more and more worrying signs - European companies rocked by the economic crisis and desperately seeking a way out; seeking a buyer to save them from extinction and return them to something of their former glory.