Market and product

SINGAPORE (Commodity Online): Will rubber prices rebound amidst a weak global economic outlook? What are the trends in emerging economies, tyre industry and the key challenges to increasing production ?

The World Rubber Summit 2012 organised by International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) to be held from May 22 to 24 here, is expected to deliberate on these issues. Leading figures from Michelin, Bridgestone and Volkswagen to headline event.

“The main goal of the conference is to provide rubber decision makers, being C-level executives as well as related business leaders, with the knowledge and the connections they need in order to make valid business decisions in terms of the growth and sustainability of the rubber industry over the coming years,“ the organizers said.

Agenda

-Michel Rollier, Managing Partner, Michelin Group, Shoshi Arakawa, Chairman, Bridgestone Group, Ralf Barndstatter, Volkswagen Group Purchasing will address the concerns on the outlook and sustainability of rubber industry.

Forecasting challenges and opportunities in the synthetic rubber segment will be Ron Commander, Global Head of Butyl Rubber Business at Lanxess; and Rafael Cayuela, Commercial Director of Styron.

-Get a handle on the financial markets perspective from Magnus Bocker, CEO, Singapore Commodity Exchange; and Jean-Francois Lambert, Global Head of Commodities, HSBC.

-Mary Xu, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Rubber Industry Association will shed light on China’s inexhaustible demand and the impact of recycling. She will also share her views on whether potential new environmental legislation will impact the growth of the vehicle, tyre and downstream rubber product industries, IRSG said.

Global Natural Rubber market

Rubber markets worldwide are witnessing weakening trends with China automobile demand to decline on slowdown in GDP growth while production of natural rubber by key growing regions is expected to drop for the first time in three years on concerns about global growth.

The Association of Natural Rubber Production Countries (ANRPC) said that production by its members would fall 0.1% to 10.297 mn metric tons as against 10.305 mn tons recored in 2011 showing a gain of 8.6% over 2010. ANRPC members constitute 93% of global supply of natural rubber.

Reflecting the global weakness in demand for rubber, TOCOM futures have eased in April extending the decline that started in March as uncertainty over Europe debt crisis and economic recovery persists, analysts said.