Bridgestone CEO Masaaki Tsuya Sees Service Networks as Key to Success in Shifting Tire Market Dec. 13, 2018. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) CEO Masaaki Tsuya recently sat down for an interview with Japan Rubber Weekly. Talking about the importance of service networks in the tire industry, Tsuya said that these will be crucial going forward as lifestyle changes exert an influence on the market. As a general rule, Tsuya said, customers buy tires not because they want to but […]
Toyo Tires President Sees Upcoming Name Change as Pivot Point Into Mobility Dec. 12, 2018. - Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5105) President Takashi Shimizu has reasserted his company’s path to specializing in mobility through tires and auto parts. Shimizu pointed to the background leading up to Toyo Tires’ capital tie-up with Mitsubishi Corp. (TYO:8058) that was announced on Nov. 1, the aims from this, and how his company will be changing its name to […]
Japanese Glove Sales Stand Firm, Increasing Steadily Over Last Two Years Dec. 5, 2018. - Kiyohiko Moto, head of the Japan Glove Manufacturers Association, recently sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly to reflect on domestic glove sales against statistics for 2017, discussing both current conditions for his industry and where he sees things heading. Looking firstly at household gloves, Moto said that sales have been quite robust with 93.71 million pairs – 102 percent against […]
Synthetic Rubber Demand Expected to Remain Strong Globally for Second Half Nov. 30, 2018. - Demand for synthetic rubber is projected to keep up a strong performance for the second half of fiscal 2018, spanning October–March. While the first half of the fiscal year saw raw material cost trends drive falling profits in some areas, demand itself has been stable on the whole, with some product types continuing to see tightness in the supply–demand balance. […]
Bridgestone CEO Masaaki Tsuya Sees Service Networks as Key to Success in Shifting Tire Market Dec. 13, 2018. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) CEO Masaaki Tsuya recently sat down for an interview with Japan Rubber Weekly. Talking about the importance of service networks in the tire industry, Tsuya said that these will be crucial going forward as lifestyle changes exert an influence on the market. As a general rule, Tsuya said, customers buy tires not because they want to but […]
Toyo Tires President Sees Upcoming Name Change as Pivot Point Into Mobility Dec. 12, 2018. - Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5105) President Takashi Shimizu has reasserted his company’s path to specializing in mobility through tires and auto parts. Shimizu pointed to the background leading up to Toyo Tires’ capital tie-up with Mitsubishi Corp. (TYO:8058) that was announced on Nov. 1, the aims from this, and how his company will be changing its name to […]
Fujikura Rubber Acquires ISO Certification for Medical Device Quality Management Systems Dec. 3, 2018. - Major industrial rubber manufacturer Fujikura Rubber Ltd. (TYO:5121) recently obtained ISO 13485:2016 certification, the international standard for quality management systems of medical devices. In contrast to the ISO 9001:2015 standard, ISO 13485:2016 comes chiefly aimed at medical device manufacturers. It seeks conformity with regulatory requirements these devices, adding in risk management, cleanliness, pollution control and other such requirements specific to […]
Bando Chemical Reports Rising Sales, Profits on Back of Strong Auto Parts Business Nov. 29, 2018. - Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195) has reported a year-on-year increase to both sales and profits for the first half of fiscal 2018. Sales for the half increased 5.3 percent over the same period last year to reach 48.2 billion yen, with operating profit up 23.4 percent to 3.81 billion yen, ordinary profit up 34.2 percent to 4.55 billion yen and […]
Yokohama Rubber to Increase Hamatite Building Materials by 5–15% Dec. 6, 2018. - Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) plans to raise ex-manufacturer prices on Hamatite building products for shipments from Jan. 1, 2019. Products under the Hamatite line set for the price hike include building sealants, urethane waterproofing materials and other related products. The price increase on these products will range between 5–15 percent. Yokohama Rubber said that the price hike comes on […]
Advanced Technologies Poised to Drive Growth for S-SBR in Fuel-Efficient Tires Nov. 28, 2018. - Looking at the market for synthetic rubber, solution-polymerized styrene–butadiene rubber (S-SBR) would appear to be on the road to significant growth. Demand for fuel-efficient tires is playing a central role in guiding this rubber down its promising path, creating an expectation that global S-SBR demand will grow by 6–7 percent per year going forward. And Japanese manufacturers, who are technological […]
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. […]
Kyokuto Sangyo, Hazama Ando Develop Paint Able to Suppress Radioactivation Using Low-Energy Neutrons Nov. 20, 2018. - Kyokuto Sangyo Co. Ltd., a major producer of rubber and resin linings, has worked with semi-major general contractor Hazama Ando Corp. (TYO:1719) to develop a paint that uses low-energy neutrons to suppress radioactivation. The new paint utilizes a hydrogen component that it contains to slow down neutrons, then sees these neutrons absorbed by a boron compound to suppress radioactivation. Tests […]
Bridgestone Develops New and Improved Series of Seismic Isolation Bearings Oct. 12, 2018. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) is set to launch its ST series of low-friction elastic sliding bearings, which help to reduce the effects of earthquakes by slowing the shaking of buildings. The series is fit for use in a wide variety of applications, ranging from low-rise buildings to skyscrapers. Elastic sliding bearings are primarily composed of a multilayered rubber component and a […]Rubber Hose Production up 5.4% for First Half on Back of Strong Demand for High-Pressure Hoses Sep. 7, 2018. - Rubber hose operations in Japan have achieved growth in both production volume and revenues for the first half of calendar 2018, according to new results compiled by the Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association. In terms of the volume of new rubber, production was up 5.4 percent year-on-year to end at 19,111 tons for the half, while shipment value rose 2.8 […]
Revenue From Construction Equipment Shipments Projected to Rise 1% for 2019 Sep. 3, 2018. - Japan’s construction equipment industry is expected to achieve healthy performance for fiscal 2018–2019, according to a demand forecast recently compiled by the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA). This continues a trend from both fiscal 2017 and early fiscal 2018 wherein sluggish domestic demand has been offset by stronger demand overseas, leading to higher revenues on the whole. Alongside this […]
