Bridgestone Moves to Expand EV Charging Infrastructure in Europe Sep. 17, 2021. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) recently announced that subsidiary Bridgestone EMIA has formed a long-term partnership with electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions company EVBox Group and its partner TSG Group. The companies will work to expand Europe’s EV charging infrastructure by utilizing the Bridgestone Group’s retail and service network. Established in 2010, EVBox is a leading provider of EV charging solutions, with […]
Bridgestone Tops Ordinary Profit Ranking in Japan’s Rubber Sector Sep. 16, 2021. - Japan Rubber Weekly has conducted a study into the fiscal 2020 business results of 135 rubber-related manufacturing companies in Japan, allowing it to then rank these companies by their ordinary profit. Under the ranking, the top 96 companies had a combined ordinary profit of 274.19 billion yen ($2.51 billion) for fiscal 2020, while those 97th and below were not included […]
Bridgestone Moves to Expand EV Charging Infrastructure in Europe Sep. 17, 2021. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) recently announced that subsidiary Bridgestone EMIA has formed a long-term partnership with electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions company EVBox Group and its partner TSG Group. The companies will work to expand Europe’s EV charging infrastructure by utilizing the Bridgestone Group’s retail and service network. Established in 2010, EVBox is a leading provider of EV charging solutions, with […]
Bridgestone Tops Ordinary Profit Ranking in Japan’s Rubber Sector Sep. 16, 2021. - Japan Rubber Weekly has conducted a study into the fiscal 2020 business results of 135 rubber-related manufacturing companies in Japan, allowing it to then rank these companies by their ordinary profit. Under the ranking, the top 96 companies had a combined ordinary profit of 274.19 billion yen ($2.51 billion) for fiscal 2020, while those 97th and below were not included […]
Bridgestone Completes Azuga Acquisition Sep. 13, 2021. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has completed its acquisition of Azuga Holdings Inc., a U.S.-based provider of fleet management solutions. The tire manufacturer has already received regulatory approval and carried out the relevant proceedings for this deal. Azuga has been valued here at $391 million, with adjustments then being made based on its working capital and the like to get the total […]
Sumitomo Rubber Creates New Design Technique to Boost Visibility, Designability of Tire Sidewalls Sep. 7, 2021. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) recently announced its establishment of Nano Black, a new design technique able to improve the visibility of lettering and patterns on tire sidewalls. In creating Nano Black, Sumitomo Rubber focused on the idea that the more times light strikes a light-absorbing surface, the blacker the resulting material looks. This then saw the company adopt a […]NOK Plans Price Hike on Seal Products Starting October Sep. 14, 2021. - NOK Corp. (TYO:7240) recently announced that it has decided to raise prices on products sold via domestic distributors to the likes of the general industrial machinery industry. The price revision here is set to apply to oil seals, O-rings and other such seal products listed in NOK’s catalog, albeit with a number of exceptions. Set to come into effect starting […]
Toyoda Gosei to Launch High-Speed Surface Disinfector Based on UV-C LEDs Sep. 6, 2021. - Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) recently announced that it is planning a November launch for a high-speed surface disinfector that uses deep-UV (UV-C) LEDs to effectively eliminate viruses and bacteria. The product went up for preorder via the company’s site on Sept. 1. Looking to respond to the recent heightened awareness around preventing infections, Toyoda Gosei is marketing various products […]
Sumitomo Rubber Updates Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy to Reflect GPSNR Policy Framework Sep. 9, 2021. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) recently announced that it has updated the corporate group’s Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy. The move comes as an effort to bring this policy in line with updated requirements for members of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), which were decided at the Second GPSNR General Assembly held last September. Having long touted its […]
Showa Denko to Increase Chloroprene Rubber Prices Aug. 27, 2021. - Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) announced on Aug. 20 that it intends to increase the selling price of its chloroprene rubber by 42 yen ($0.38) per kilogram, starting with shipments made on Sept. 10. Explaining the price hike, Showa Denko said that the business environment around its chloroprene rubber business has rapidly worsened of late. The company pointed here to tight […]
Interview: Toyoda Gosei President Toru Koyama Discusses Efforts to Balance New Initiatives With Existing Businesses Apr. 23, 2021. - Inaugurated as president of Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) last June, Toru Koyama stepped into the role amid a raft of major changes in the business environment – including COVID-19 as well as the accelerating trend in automotive electrification. Speaking recently with Japan Rubber Weekly, Koyama said for fiscal 2021 that he aims to see the company land a proper […]
Zeon President Kimiaki Tanaka Sees Promising Market for Specialty Elastomers Jan. 15, 2021. - Speaking recently about the future of his company’s business for elastomer materials, Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) President Kimiaki Tanaka said COVID-19 has made it clear that there is strong global demand for specialty elastomers. This can also be interpreted, he said, to mean that elastomers without specialized characteristics will have to be offered at a low price if they are to […]
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 […]
Toyoda Gosei Develops New Airbag Compatible With Increasingly Strict US Safety Ratings Aug. 2, 2021. - Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) has developed a new driver-side airbag with an innovative structure able to more safely protect the occupant. The airbag is fitted in the new Honda Civic, which launched in the U.S. market this June. In order to better protect the driver from angled head-on collisions, the new product makes use of an innovative structure. A […]Hayakawa Rubber Develops New Rooftop Waterproofing Method, Making Repairs More Convenient Jul. 2, 2021. - Hayakawa Rubber Co. Ltd. has developed a primer that enables the adhesion-based repair of conventional thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) sheets, which are used as a rooftop waterproofing material in large buildings such as factories, warehouses and commercial facilities. The company has then also started selling a new rooftop waterproofing method in the form of a soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet using […]
Zeon Posts Sales Decline for Elastomer Business in FY2020 Results May. 11, 2021. - Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) has posted its business results for fiscal 2020, revealing sales revenue of 301.96 billion yen ($2.77 billion), down 6.2 percent year on year, and an operating income of 33.41 billion yen, up 28 percent. Speaking at the results briefing, company director Kazuyoshi Matsuura said that with customer industries having made a recovery in recent months, the January–April […]
Toyoda Gosei Projects Revenue Growth for 2021 Following Mixed Bag of Results for 2020 May. 7, 2021. - Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) has reported its business results for fiscal 2020 and announced its projections for fiscal 2021. The company’s results for last fiscal year saw sales revenue fall 11.2 percent year-on-year to 721.5 billion yen ($6.61 billion), while operating profit rose 103.9 percent to 36.48 billion yen and net profit rose 213.6 percent to 35.21 billion yen. […]
