Bridgestone Launches Development Project Aimed at Driverless Tire Noise Tests Jul. 20, 2018. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) recently announced that it has started a development project targeting the use of driverless vehicles in tire noise tests. Such tests are one of several types conducted using vehicles. By implementing tire noise tests that deploy a self-driving vehicle rather than rely on human skills and know-how, Bridgestone aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of its […]Sumitomo Rubber to Launch New Studless Winter Tires Under Falken Brand Jul. 19, 2018. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) is set to begin rolling out Espia W-Ace, a new series of studless winter tires for passenger cars, under the Falken brand starting from Aug. 1. Aside from excellent performance on ice and snow surfaces, the Espia W-Ace offers high-level performance in wet conditions and safe handling at high speeds. The series will launch with […]
Zeon Subsidiary Tokyo Zairyo Sees Profit Rise for Ninth Straight Year Jul. 9, 2018. - Tokyo Zairyo Co. Ltd., a Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) subsidiary focused on the trading of raw materials, has shown strong financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2018. Fiscal 2017 saw the company generate 93.28 billion yen ($844.28 million) in sales, up 7 percent year-on-year; 1.99 billion yen in ordinary profit, up 2.6 percent; and 1.54 billion yen in net […]
Japan’s Footwear Market Sees Supply Rise for First Time in Four Years Jul. 5, 2018. - Japan’s market for footwear saw its overall supply rise by 1.7 percent year-on-year for 2017, reaching a total of 704.06 million pairs of shoes for the year. This represents the first increase to the figure in four years, as well as the country’s first time in three years to break through the 700 million mark. Total domestic production – including […]
Bridgestone Launches Development Project Aimed at Driverless Tire Noise Tests Jul. 20, 2018. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) recently announced that it has started a development project targeting the use of driverless vehicles in tire noise tests. Such tests are one of several types conducted using vehicles. By implementing tire noise tests that deploy a self-driving vehicle rather than rely on human skills and know-how, Bridgestone aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of its […]Sumitomo Rubber to Launch New Studless Winter Tires Under Falken Brand Jul. 19, 2018. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) is set to begin rolling out Espia W-Ace, a new series of studless winter tires for passenger cars, under the Falken brand starting from Aug. 1. Aside from excellent performance on ice and snow surfaces, the Espia W-Ace offers high-level performance in wet conditions and safe handling at high speeds. The series will launch with […]
Sumitomo Riko to Exhibit Refleshine Window Film for First Time at Chinese Expo Jul. 13, 2018. - Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) is set to exhibit Refleshine, a highly transparent film for shielding and insulating windows, for the first time at an event in China. The company will be bringing this material to the Shanghai International Green Architecture and Construction Materials Expo 2018, which opens on July 18. A transparent, nano-hybrid, multilayered film, Refleshine can be applied […]
Inoac’s Thermax PIR Boards Show High Thermal Insulation on Global Stage Jul. 11, 2018. - Inoac Corp.’s Thermax series of polyisocyanurate (PIR) boards is showing strong performance in the long-standing market for energy conservation via thermal insulation. This comes against the background of an industry constantly pursuing increased performance, with thermal insulation materials for construction held in particularly high regard due to their ability to unite both economical and environmental friendliness. Thermax offers high insulation […]
Zeon Subsidiary Tokyo Zairyo Sees Profit Rise for Ninth Straight Year Jul. 9, 2018. - Tokyo Zairyo Co. Ltd., a Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) subsidiary focused on the trading of raw materials, has shown strong financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2018. Fiscal 2017 saw the company generate 93.28 billion yen ($844.28 million) in sales, up 7 percent year-on-year; 1.99 billion yen in ordinary profit, up 2.6 percent; and 1.54 billion yen in net […]
Asahi Kasei Plans S-SBR Capacity Increase in Response to Steady Demand Jun. 28, 2018. - Asahi Kasei Corp. (TYO:3407) is planning an increase to production capacity for its solution-polymerized styrene–butadiene rubber (S-SBR) business, which has continued to achieve a high level of sales. The company’s facilities here are currently operating at full capacity. Moving forward, Asahi Kasei projects that sales under the business will continue growing steadily for fiscal 2018. As S-SBR is now used […]
Interview: Toyoda Gosei President Highlights Plans for Lighter, Quieter EVs Feb. 15, 2018. - Sitting down for a recent interview with Japan Rubber Weekly, Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) President Naoki Miyazaki said that the automotive industry is entering a massive, once-in-a-century turning point. Such a shake-up to business is an opportunity for growth, he said. Miyazaki spoke on the impact of electrification and Toyoda Gosei’s strategy to deal with it, saying that although […]Tigers Polymer President Kentaro Watanabe Eyes Increased Sales, Production for 2018 Feb. 9, 2018. - Tigers Polymer Corp. (TYO:4231) President Kentaro Watanabe recently sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly to talk about his company’s overseas operations for 2017 and where he expects to see things go here moving forward. Sales for the industrial rubber and resin products manufacturer are generally in good shape across the Americas, Southeast Asia and China, Watanabe said, particularly in China. […]
Nitta Develops New Pressure Sensor Sheets For Use in High Temperatures Jul. 4, 2018. - Nitta Corp. (TYO:5186) plans to launch sales in September for a new series of heat-resistant pressure sensor sheets. The company sees these sheets as being used in measurement systems for surface pressure distribution. Made using a proprietary manufacturing method, the new sheets are able to function in high-temperature environments of up to 200 degrees Celsius. The series will be available […]
Inoac to Roll Out High-Performance Elastomer Developed by US-Based Cooper Standard Jun. 15, 2018. - Inoac Corp. is poised to launch the new material Fortrex in Japan within this year. A high-performance elastomer developed by Inoac’s global partner U.S.-based Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc., Fortrex combines the advantages of thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), and will be sold as Japan’s first superelastomer of its kind. In the U.S., Fortrex is used in automotive […]Japan’s Construction of New Earthquake-Resistant Buildings Slows for 2016 Jun. 11, 2018. - The total number of large buildings in Japan employing seismic isolation technology reached 4,345 as of December 2016, according to a recent report from the Japan Society of Seismic Isolation (JSSI). This includes projects currently in planning, consists of 853 government buildings and 3,492 private sector buildings, and marks an increase of 160 buildings over the previous year’s total of […]
Nitta Unveils New Phase for Management Plan, Targets 100B Yen in Sales for 2020 May. 24, 2018. - Nitta Corp. (TYO:5186) President Motonobu Nitta has revealed Phase 3 of his company’s V2020 medium- to long-term management plan. Starting in fiscal 2018, Phase 3 is set to cover a three-year span ending in fiscal 2020. By this point, the plan aims to achieve annual sales of 100 billion yen ($913 million), up from 72.9 billion yen in fiscal 2017, […]