Standard Oil Built 51 Hidden Factories in 2 Years — To Replace Every Ounce of Rubber America Lost скачать в хорошем качестве

Standard Oil Built 51 Hidden Factories in 2 Years — To Replace Every Ounce of Rubber America Lost

In the spring of 1942, the United States faced an unprecedented crisis: nearly all of its natural rubber sources were under Japanese control, and total dependence on Hevea trees in Southeast Asia threatened to halt both the war machine and everyday life. Earlier attempts to produce domestic rubber, such as Fordlândia or the use of guayule, had failed. The only solution was synthetic rubber, and using petroleum chemistry and German knowledge, the U.S. government, in collaboration with companies like Standard Oil, Firestone, and Goodyear, built 51 factories in just two years, rapidly scaling up the production of GR-S (Government Rubber-Styrene). Despite being inferior to natural rubber, it supplied military equipment, vehicles, aircraft, and naval fleets, not only averting disaster but also laying the foundation for the global synthetic rubber industry, demonstrating that in war, unforeseen shortages can be decisive.