Synthetic Rubber Sales and Profit Rise on Higher Shipments: Zeon FY 2023 Results May. 1, 2024. - Zeon reported net sales of 382.28 billion yen ($2.42 billion), down 1.6% year-on-year, operating income of 20.50 billion yen, down 24.6%, ordinary income of 26.91 billion yen, down 14.3%, and net income of 31.10 billion yen, up 194.3% for the year ended March 2024. In the elastomer materials business segment, sales declined 3.1% to 215.29 billion yen, and operating profit […]
Shin-Etsu Polymer Reports FY Results, Silicone Rubber Molded Products Sluggish May. 1, 2024. - Shin-Etsu Polymer posted sales of 104.38 billion yen ($668.25 million), down 3.6% year-on-year, operating income of 11.05 billion yen, down 13.3%, ordinary income of 11.53 billion yen, down 11.2%, and net income of 8.67 billion yen, up 1.7% for the fiscal year ended March 2024. In the precision molded products segment, sales declined 4.8% to 47.61 billion yen, and operating […]
Valqua Launches AI-Powered Equipment Abnormality Detection System Apr. 29, 2024. - Valqua and Ridgeye, an AI and deep learning technology consulting and development company, have developed an equipment abnormality detection system that is equipped with a jointly developed AI technology that can handle vibration and ultrasonic sensing of rotating equipment in general. Marketed a Vherme, the system can flexibly respond to on-site needs for equipment abnormality detection by combining Valqua’s abnormality […]
Zeon Forms Alliance With SiAT to Produce Single-wall Carbon Nanotube Conductive Paste Apr. 24, 2024. - Zeon has formed a strategic alliance with Sino Applied Technology (SiAT), a Taiwanese manufacturer of advanced nanomaterials for batteries. The partnership relates to single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) conductive paste. The product can replace or combine with carbon black as a conductive aid in the cathode/anode formulation of lithium-ion batteries, and can be widely applied to transparent films and EMI shielding. […]
Toyo Tires Adds New Sizes to Open Country SUV Tire Series Apr. 23, 2024. - Toyo Tires will add one size to two tires of its Open Country series SUV tire brand, specifically the Open Country A/T Ⅲ all-terrain tire and the Open Country M/T off-road tire lineup. Both products are priced at an open price. The Open Country A/T Ⅲ is an all-terrain type product that is well-balanced for driving in a variety of […]Sumitomo Rubber and Murata Manufacturing Develop Tire Wear Detection System Apr. 19, 2024. - Sumitomo Rubber and Murata Manufacturing have jointly developed a tire wear detection system that detects tire wear by capturing the shape of the tire in three dimensions and providing data feedback to users. By combining Sumitomo Rubber’s expertise in tire maintenance and tire development with Murata Manufacturing’s sensing technology based on three-dimensional measurement cultivated in the telecommunications market and its […]
Shin-Etsu Polymer Reports FY Results, Silicone Rubber Molded Products Sluggish May. 1, 2024. - Shin-Etsu Polymer posted sales of 104.38 billion yen ($668.25 million), down 3.6% year-on-year, operating income of 11.05 billion yen, down 13.3%, ordinary income of 11.53 billion yen, down 11.2%, and net income of 8.67 billion yen, up 1.7% for the fiscal year ended March 2024. In the precision molded products segment, sales declined 4.8% to 47.61 billion yen, and operating […]
Seal Launches Sneakers Made from Discarded Tire Tubes Apr. 25, 2024. - Seal, a brand that upcycles discarded tires, began on April 16 limited-quantity pre-order sales of the Sneaker 501 Vibram Sole, Japan’s only high-performance sneakers made from discarded tire tubes. The product is made from discarded tire tubes from large trucks, which are not crushed or processed in any other special way, but are reused as a part of the upper […]
Synthetic Rubber Sales and Profit Rise on Higher Shipments: Zeon FY 2023 Results May. 1, 2024. - Zeon reported net sales of 382.28 billion yen ($2.42 billion), down 1.6% year-on-year, operating income of 20.50 billion yen, down 24.6%, ordinary income of 26.91 billion yen, down 14.3%, and net income of 31.10 billion yen, up 194.3% for the year ended March 2024. In the elastomer materials business segment, sales declined 3.1% to 215.29 billion yen, and operating profit […]
Tosoh Raises Prices of Chloroprene Rubber Apr. 30, 2024. - Tosoh said that it will raise the prices of all Skyprene chloroprene rubber products for shipments from May 20. The price increase is 57 yen ($0.36) or more per kilogram for sulfur modified grades and 47 yen or more per kilogram for other grades. Regarding the price increase, the company said, “We have been implementing various measures to reduce costs, […]
Interview With Rengo Chairman Nobuhiro Sato on Coming Spring Campaign Feb. 28, 2024. - Japan Rubber Weekly sat down with Nobuhiro Sato, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of Gomu Rengo, the Japanese Rubber Workers’ Union Confederation, talking about the spring campaign for the current fiscal year that is about to get underway. Sato sees this as “a critical moment to determine whether the trend of wage increases will be sustained,” and is determined […]Interview With Nichirin President Hiroyuki Soga Feb. 8, 2024. - Japan Rubber Weekly sat down with President Hiroyuki Soga of Nichirin, a manufacturer of automotive hoses and piping. Soga, who assumed the position of president in April 2023, was posted to the United States at the age of 26 and has since then worked overseas for a total of 26 years. He has also served as president of overseas subsidiaries […]
Valqua Launches AI-Powered Equipment Abnormality Detection System Apr. 29, 2024. - Valqua and Ridgeye, an AI and deep learning technology consulting and development company, have developed an equipment abnormality detection system that is equipped with a jointly developed AI technology that can handle vibration and ultrasonic sensing of rotating equipment in general. Marketed a Vherme, the system can flexibly respond to on-site needs for equipment abnormality detection by combining Valqua’s abnormality […]
Bando Chemical to Sell Double Cog Belt for Heavy Duty Use Apr. 10, 2024. - Bando Chemical has developed the world’s first cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-compounded rubber double cog belt for high-load applications as a new lineup of speed change belts for use in large baby carriages and scooters. In the course of designing formulations that combine reinforcement materials such as carbon black and fiber materials with rubber, the company has focused on CNF, a new […]
Yokohama Rubber Donates 40 Tires to Mie Prefecture for Use on Vaccine Transport Vehicles Jun. 18, 2021. - Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.’s (TYO:5101) Mie Plant has donated 40 tires for vaccine transport vehicles to Mie Prefecture, providing these on June 1. This comes as part of the plant’s efforts to help out the local community and support medical countermeasures against COVID-19. The donated tires have been fitted to official vehicles used for transporting COVID-19 vaccines to hospitals, health […]Bando Chemical Offers Employees Paid Leave for COVID-19 Vaccination Jun. 10, 2021. - Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195) is bringing in special paid leave days for its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. By providing this paid leave, the transportation and conveyor belts manufacturer aims to reduce health risks from COVID-19 and help prevent its spread. However, the company will only recommend vaccination rather than require it, leaving it up to each individual […]
Special Report: Signs of Recovery in Demand for Rubber Sheets Apr. 26, 2024. - Signs of recovery have emerged in demand for fluorine rubber sheets, which had been in a slump. With the elimination of the oversupply of semiconductors, there has been movement in the production of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which had been undergoing production adjustments, and this has led to an upturn in current demand. Demand for silicone rubber sheets is also increasing […]
Review: Japanese Conveyor Belt Market in 2023 Apr. 5, 2024. - According to statistics compiled by the Japan Belting Industry Association, Japanese conveyor belt production in 2023 was 9,073 tons, down 5% from the previous year, marking the second consecutive year of decline and the second year in a row that production has fallen below 10,000 tons. Japanese domestic demand was boosted by an increase in automobile production due to the […]
