Yokohama Rubber Chosen Once Again for Pair of ESG-Based Stock Indexes Feb. 21, 2020. - Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) recently announced that it has once again been selected as part of the FTSE4Good Index Series and FTSE Blossom Japan Index, two global stock indexes that are focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments. This marks the 15th consecutive year that Yokohama Rubber has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series, with the company […]
Yokohama Rubber’s Tire Division Posts Decline in Sales, Profits for 2019 Despite Company Breaking Overall Records Feb. 20, 2020. - Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) recently posted its business results for calendar 2019. While the company’s tire division struggled for the year, overall sales revenue was up marginally year-on-year to 650.46 billion yen ($5.85 billion), with business profit down 15.4 percent to 50.13 billion yen and net profit up 17.8 percent to 41.97 billion yen. This marks a new record […]
Coronavirus Outbreak Raises Major Concerns Over Supply of Raw Materials From China Feb. 18, 2020. - With the spread of the novel coronavirus showing no signs of letting up, companies in the rubber sector are seeing increasingly serious effects on business. Problems are piling up with regard to securing employees, carrying out logistics, operating supply chains and more. Issues on the production side of business have spread to regions outside of China, including Japan. And with […]
Japan’s Total Carbon Black Demand Expected to Fall 0.6% for 2020 Feb. 12, 2020. - Japan’s total demand for carbon black is expected to drop for a second consecutive year, according to a recent forecast from the country’s Carbon Black Association. Including exports, demand here is estimated at 775,218 tons for 2020, which would mark a year-on-year decline of 0.6 percent. Demand for rubber applications – this being calculated based on forecasts of customer sectors […]
Yokohama Rubber Chosen Once Again for Pair of ESG-Based Stock Indexes Feb. 21, 2020. - Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) recently announced that it has once again been selected as part of the FTSE4Good Index Series and FTSE Blossom Japan Index, two global stock indexes that are focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments. This marks the 15th consecutive year that Yokohama Rubber has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series, with the company […]
Yokohama Rubber’s Tire Division Posts Decline in Sales, Profits for 2019 Despite Company Breaking Overall Records Feb. 20, 2020. - Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) recently posted its business results for calendar 2019. While the company’s tire division struggled for the year, overall sales revenue was up marginally year-on-year to 650.46 billion yen ($5.85 billion), with business profit down 15.4 percent to 50.13 billion yen and net profit up 17.8 percent to 41.97 billion yen. This marks a new record […]
Fuji Latex Posts Decline to Sales, Profits Despite Strong Performance for New Condom Line Feb. 14, 2020. - Fuji Latex Co. Ltd. (TYO:5199) recently posted its business results for April–December 2019, showing a drop in both sales and profits. The company’s sales for the three quarters came to 5.42 billion yen ($49.34 million) for a 14.1 percent year-on-year drop, while operating profit was down 95.6 percent to 22 million yen, ordinary profit was down 94.3 percent to 27 […]
Zeon Completes Construction of New Production Line for Retardation Film at Tsuruga Plant Jan. 29, 2020. - Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) recently held a ceremony to mark the end of construction for a new manufacturing line at its optical film plant in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. Set to produce ZeonorFilm retardation film for use in large-screen televisions, the line is slated to begin full-scale operations in April. The ceremony was held at the Tsuruga base of Zeon production subsidiary […]Sumitomo Rubber Targets 1T Yen Sales Revenue for 2025 in New Medium-Term Plan Feb. 19, 2020. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) President Satoru Yamamoto has revealed a new medium-term management plan set to run through to fiscal 2025. The plan’s goals for that final year are to achieve 1 trillion yen ($9.1 billion) in sales revenue, 100 billion yen in business profit, a return on equity of at least 10 percent and a debt-to-equity ratio of […]
Japan’s Total Carbon Black Demand Expected to Fall 0.6% for 2020 Feb. 12, 2020. - Japan’s total demand for carbon black is expected to drop for a second consecutive year, according to a recent forecast from the country’s Carbon Black Association. Including exports, demand here is estimated at 775,218 tons for 2020, which would mark a year-on-year decline of 0.6 percent. Demand for rubber applications – this being calculated based on forecasts of customer sectors […]
Interview: Toyoda Gosei President Naoki Miyazaki Explains Plans to Boost Revenue in 2020 Jan. 30, 2020. - Facing a tough market and a need for innovation, Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) has been making a range of moves to solidify its business foundations and pave the path for future growth. Company president Naoki Miyazaki recently sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly to give some insight into these plans. To begin with, Miyazaki noted that 2019 saw Toyoda […]
Interview: Gates Unitta Asia VP Shuji Miyamoto Details Plans for Sales Growth Jan. 21, 2020. - Gates Unitta Asia Co. is making a number of efforts to improve its sales of V-belts, auto tensioners and more across the Asian market. Shuji Miyamoto, who serves as VP at the company, recently took some time out to sit down for an interview with Japan Rubber Weekly and talk about Gates Unitta Asia’s efforts toward this. 2020 is expected […]
Denka Subsidiary Moves to Develop Coronavirus Test Kit Feb. 17, 2020. - Chemical manufacturer Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) announced on Feb. 13 that consolidated subsidiary Denka Seiken Co. Ltd. has started development of a diagnostic test kit for China’s novel coronavirus. Making use of the immunochromatography method for coronavirus antigens, the kit can be used quickly and simply even at general medical facilities. Since its establishment in 1950, Denka Seiken has been […]
Denka Develops New Acrylic Elastomer With Heat Resistance at up to 190 Degrees Celsius Jan. 22, 2020. - Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) has developed a new line of special acrylic elastomer with the ability to withstand temperatures of up to around 190 degrees Celsius. The material is currently undergoing user evaluations and is slated to hit the market at some point in fiscal 2020. Plans are to produce the new elastomer at Denka’s Chiba Plant in Ichihara, Chiba […]Sumitomo Rubber Calculates 18.2B Yen Impairment Loss for 2019, Lowers Profit Projections Feb. 6, 2020. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) has made a revision to its earnings forecast for calendar 2019, driven in large part by the company factoring in expenses of 18.2 billion yen ($165.74 million) in impairment losses. These impairment losses relate both to fixed assets as well as to goodwill, which represents the discrepancy between fair market value and purchase price in […]
Japan’s Rubber Belt Production Falls 7% in 2019 Despite Strong Domestic Demand for Conveyor Belts Feb. 5, 2020. - Japan’s production of rubber belts has fallen 7 percent year-on-year to end at 24,575 tons for 2019, according to figures from the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association. Making up a large proportion of overall rubber belt production, that for conveyor belts fell 8 percent year-on-year to 13,633 tons. While domestic demand for such belts was strong enough to outshine 2018 figures […]
