Due to the recent rise in environmental awareness around the world, as well as labeling regulations of tires in Europe and elsewhere, S-SBR for use in fuel-efficient tires has surged quickly for the past few years. As S-SBR is lighter with higher durability, it is considered a next-generation tire material. As the material can maintain the same elasticity at low temperature, it has excellent properties such as braking and handling on wet surface.
In order to keep its leading position, Kumho Petrochemical plans to expand its S-SBR capacity by early next year. The company's current S-SBR capacity is 84,000 tons and is competing heads-on with Lanxess of Germany and Sinopec of China. According to the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers, the world's S-SBR market is estimated at 1.39 million tons and is forecast to increase up to 1.84 million tons by 2016, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 10 percent.
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