Eastman notes lower Asian demand for additives

ERJ staff report (PR)

Kingsport, Texas – De-stocking amongst customers in Asia Pacific has led to a significant dip in demand for rubber additives, Eastman Chemical Co. has reported in its first quarter results.

Rubber additives are part of Eastman's additives and functional products business unit, which also reported lower earnings for the first three months of 2014. The group linked this to higher energy and raw materials, particularly propane.

Eastman's rubber additives portfolio includes aliphatic olefin resins used to modify properties such as compatibility, adhesion and thermal resistance of natural and synthetic rubber materials.