Rubber Industry

The rubber industry of Kottayam is one of its most important industries, accounting for the major amount of rubber production in Kerala. Rubber is the major agricultural products of Kottayam and almost 90% of the total rubber production in India is accounted by the state of Kerala. The rubber industry in Kottayam also provides employment to a large number of people of this region. Almost 15% of the total industrial units are engaged with the production of rubber in Kottayam.

Changanassery is home to a training center, common facility service center and a field testing laboratory for the rubber and plastic industries. The chief aim behind this project is to improve the techniques and methods that are adopted for rubber production and processing in Kottayam. Ettumanoor is the base of a rubber production cum training center of the central government.

The manufacturing industries of rubber in Kottayam are in turn of two kinds, based on the types of raw materials that are used by the industries:

• One set of industries that are engaged with the processing of rubber and include mostly the centrifugal factories, the crumb rubber industries and industries engaged with creaming of rubber. These industries are mainly known as the capital intensive industries and produce tubes and tyres, erasers, automobile parts and molded goods.
• The other groups of industries are engaged with the manufacturing of rubber. These industries base themselves on dry rubber or latex.

Apart from these, the manufacturing based industries are further divided into two categories based on the type of raw materials used by them. One section depends on latex, for the production of balloons, gloves, rubber band and latex foam. The other section uses dry rubber sheets, for the production of tubes and tyres, erasers, automobile parts and molded goods.

The World Bank has conceived of a project by which it would finance these manufacturing industries. A total of 35,000 products could possibly be made by the manufacturing industries of rubber.

For the purpose of rubber processing in Kottayam, some of the latest techniques are utilized. The establishment of the rubber tyre industry in Kottayam has resulted in the growth of the rubber industry as a whole and has also increased the rubber production. The Rubber Board, which is a research institute owned by the central government, is situated at Kottayam. Apart from being a major rubber producer, Kottayam is also one of the most important traders of rubber and rubber products.

There are some major rubber industries in Kottayam, which form the basis of Kottayam rubber industry. These rubber units are listed below:

• Rubco
• Midas Rubber Pvt. Ltd.
• Intermix Factory
• MRF Ltd

Last Updated on 09/05/2013