ERJ: Top-10 stories in 2025: Consolidation

This year saw significant consolidation across the global tire & rubber industry, led largely by major Western producers, as elevated production costs, tariff-related uncertainty and subdued consumer demand ratched up pressure on margins.

The 10 most viewed consolidation-related announcements in 2025:

1. Goodyear closing South Africa tire production plant 
Goodyear has announced plans to close its tire manufacturing facility in Kariega, South Africa, as part of a wider transformation of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations. (Read more)

2. Yokohama Rubber to close US off-road tire plant 
Yokohama Rubber Co. is to close its 90-employee, agricultural tire plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, an 18 Feb notification filed under the US WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retaining Notification) act shows. (Read more)

3. Denka "bringing down" US chloroprene plant amid regulatory, cost pressures
Denka Co. has confirmed that its US chloroprene rubber unit, Denka Performance Elastomer LLC (DPE) in Louisiana, remains under indefinite production suspension and is being systematically dismantled. (Read more) 

4. Arlanxeo to close French synthetic rubber production site 
Arlanxeo Elastomeres France has announced plans to cease operations at its synthetic rubber production site in Port Jerome, northern France. (Read more)

5. ContiTech plant closures in response to market declines 
ContiTech has announced a major restructuring programme which involves the closure of four manufacturing sites in Germany and changes across other locations. (Read more)

6. Apollo to end tire production at Dutch plant
Apollo Tyres NL BV will discontinue tire production and related activities at its plant in Enschede by summer 2026, parent group Apollo has announced. (Read more)

7. Eni pushing ahead with cracker closures at loss-making Versalis
Versalis has progressed its restructuring programme with the shutdown of a steam cracker in Brindisi, south east Italy, in March, parent group Eni has reported. (Read more)

8. Zeon confirms plans to withdraw from ‘low-profitability’ rubber products 
Zeon Corp. has confirmed plans to exit what it describes as “low-profitability” products and shift focus to non-rubber investments, as part of a broader effort to improve profitability. (Read more)

9. Bridgestone announces job cuts at two Spanish tire factories
Bridgestone Hispania Manufacturing has announced that it has formally notified employee representatives of its intention to initiate a collective dismissal procedure. (Read more)

10. Orion 'rationalising' carbon black production in Americas, EMEA 
Orion SA has announced plans to discontinue production at "three to five" carbon black lines at multiple sites in the Americas and EMEA by the end of 2025. (Read more)

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