According to statistics released by the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries, natural rubber output in 2011 from its members reached 10.13 million tons, up 6.7% over 2010. The ANRPC has 11 members: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The ANRPC says its members account for about 92% of the global production of natural rubber, which is used in the manufacture of latex mattresses and sleep accessories, among other products.
Vietnam’s rubber production increased at the highest rate, rising 8% over 2010 to 811,600 tons, according to ANRPC statistics, which were released earlier this year.
Major latex companies in Vietnam include latex mattress producer Kymdan, which was established in 1954 by Nguyen Van Dan, who holds two related patents—one for latex mattress production and another for “absorbing (the) body’s heat from latex mattresses” and Vạn Thành, which began in 1982 by producing rubber shoes, rope and other products. It started manufacturing latex mattresses in the 1990s. Lien A, which was established in the 1970s, has a 20 hectare facility in Ho Chi Minh City. The company says it had the first Vietnamese-made latex mattress to pass durability tests performed by LGA Furniture Testing Laboratory in Germany. Lien A sells products in Asia and Europe and recently entered the U.S. market.
Most rubber plantations in Vietnam are run by state-owned corporations. This year, Vietnam is projected to expand its plantation area to 800,000 hectares, enough to produce 1.2 million tons of rubber for domestic and international demand by 2015.
