Bridgestone Launches New Motorcycle Tire for Hard Enduro Racing Nov. 13, 2019. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has begun sales of the Battlecross E50 Extreme, a new tire for motorcycle enduro racing. Launched on Nov. 1, this new offering has been made available as a rear tire with the size of 140/80-18 70M. It is made specifically for competitive racing specs, and so cannot be used on public roads. The Battlecross E50 Extreme is […]
Zeon Sees First-Half Elastomer Sales Fall 8.3% Amid Weakening Demand Nov. 12, 2019. - Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) recently posted its business results for the first half of fiscal 2019, showing sales from the company’s elastomer business as falling 8.3 percent year-on-year to 91.92 billion yen ($842.35 million). Meanwhile, operating income from Zeon’s elastomer business fell 37.5 percent for the first half, declining 3.6 billion yen year-on-year to end at to 5.97 billion yen. Negative […]
Concern Around Market Slowdown for Rubber Products After Shipments Fall 4.6% in August Oct. 28, 2019. - Concerning signs are appearing in the market for rubber products, which had until recently been trending well in terms of shipments. According to August shipment and production figures compiled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan’s shipments of rubber products came to a total value of 166.77 billion yen ($1.53 billion) for the month, falling 4.6 percent […]
Michelin, Continental, Smag Form JV for Rubberway Smartphone App Oct. 15, 2019. - Michelin, Continental AG and agricultural software developer Smag are forming a joint venture for Rubberway, a smartphone application aimed at mapping the supply chain for natural rubber. The new JV is slated to begin operations by the end of 2019 and will focus on bolstering the app’s technological development and rollout. The Rubberway app has been designed to comply with […]
Bridgestone Launches New Motorcycle Tire for Hard Enduro Racing Nov. 13, 2019. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has begun sales of the Battlecross E50 Extreme, a new tire for motorcycle enduro racing. Launched on Nov. 1, this new offering has been made available as a rear tire with the size of 140/80-18 70M. It is made specifically for competitive racing specs, and so cannot be used on public roads. The Battlecross E50 Extreme is […]
Bridgestone Holds Opening Ceremony at New Thai Plant for Construction and Mining Vehicle Tires Nov. 11, 2019. - Bridgestone Specialty Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108), held an opening ceremony on Oct. 24 to commemorate the opening of a new plant set to produce radial tires for construction and mining vehicles. The ceremony was attended by various officials involved in the project, including members of the Thai Board of Investment, the Rayong Province […]Midori Anzen Launches New Gloves Offering Protection From Insulin Needles Oct. 17, 2019. - Midori Anzen Co. Ltd. has begun sales of the Insulin Guard and the Sus-K Grip, two new lines of gloves resistant to being pierced by the insulin needles. Developed and produced by Porute Ltd., these new gloves are available from a number of online stores. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of patients administering insulin […]
Sumitomo Rubber’s Anti-Vibration Dampers Installed at Kumamoto Castle Oct. 2, 2019. - Four anti-vibration dampers provided by Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) have been installed at a small tower attached to the main keep of Kumamoto Castle, which suffered major damage as part of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. This follows the company’s anti-vibration dampers having already been fitted to the main keep last year. With restoration work on the main keep’s exterior […]Achilles Develops New Polyurethane With Improved Rebound Resilience, Versatility Nov. 1, 2019. - Achilles Corp. (TYO:5142), a manufacturer of rubber and resin products, has developed a new polyurethane material named Acrofoam. The material exhibits excellent rebound resilience – around 60 percent higher than that of general-purpose polyurethane – as well as the ability to be molded into various shapes. Noting the frequency with which runners injure their feet, Achilles has previously targeted sports […]
Lanxess Starts up Plastic Production Plant in Changshu Oct. 29, 2019. - Lanxess AG has started up operations at a new plant in Changshu, China, for the production of high-performance plastics. The plant will be used to manufacture the company’s Durethan and Pocan brands of high-performance plastics for use in the automotive, electrical and electronics sectors. The new plant specializes in intelligent manufacturing. As part of this, it has been designed with […]
Shin-Etsu Polymer Posts Increased Sales, Profits for Fiscal 2018 May. 7, 2019. - Shin-Etsu Polymer Co. Ltd. (TYO:7970) has posted year-on-year increases to both sales and profits as part of its results for fiscal 2018. The company recorded sales of 85.46 billion yen ($770.76 million) for the year, up by 7.7 percent; operating profit of 8.15 billion yen, up by 13.1 percent; ordinary profit of 8.03 billion yen, up by 10.3 percent; and […]
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 […]
Nitta Launches New Series of Body Pressure Measurement Systems to Help Prevent Bedsores Nov. 6, 2019. - Nitta Corp. (TYO:5186) has launched a new series of products for measuring and mapping the distribution of body pressure on a given surface. Sales for this series began at the end of October. In recent years, it has become common practice in the nursing and medical care sectors to change a patient’s posture once every two hours, helping to prevent […]Midori Anzen Launches New Gloves Offering Protection From Insulin Needles Oct. 17, 2019. - Midori Anzen Co. Ltd. has begun sales of the Insulin Guard and the Sus-K Grip, two new lines of gloves resistant to being pierced by the insulin needles. Developed and produced by Porute Ltd., these new gloves are available from a number of online stores. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of patients administering insulin […]
Zeon Sees First-Half Elastomer Sales Fall 8.3% Amid Weakening Demand Nov. 12, 2019. - Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) recently posted its business results for the first half of fiscal 2019, showing sales from the company’s elastomer business as falling 8.3 percent year-on-year to 91.92 billion yen ($842.35 million). Meanwhile, operating income from Zeon’s elastomer business fell 37.5 percent for the first half, declining 3.6 billion yen year-on-year to end at to 5.97 billion yen. Negative […]
Tokai Carbon Sees Strong Sales for January–September Following M&A Efforts Nov. 8, 2019. - Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. (TYO:5301) recently posted its business results for the first three quarters of calendar 2019, showing sales growth of 27.8 percent year-on-year to reach 198.62 billion yen ($1.76 billion). Operating profit fell 1.5 percent to 49.42 billion yen, while ordinary profit fell 3.9 percent to 48.99 billion yen and net profit fell 47.2 percent to 31.05 billion […]
