Kuala Lampur, March 27 -- Tyre making takes up around 70 per cent of the world's natural rubber, NR, production. It is the biggest single user of NR. It is no wonder that tyre demand has a big influence on NR pricing. The irony of it all is that most of the big tyre companies in the world are not from the major NR producing countries. Most are from the industrialised West, especially those which are big manufacturers of motor vehicles. There have been attempts to lure such companies to set up shops here, with limited success. In Malaysia, a major tyre brand, Goodyear, recently pulled out. Some say this may have to do with our declining NR production. Like most industries, the tyre business is not spared from the impact of the global push ...