Mitsufuku Industry Sees Growth With Fluororubber Compounds Business Jan. 17, 2019. - Carbon masterbatch (CMB) manufacturer Mitsufuku Industry Co. Ltd. has seen favorable conditions for its compounds business in fiscal 2018. A number of trends continuing from the previous year – such as a downsizing of automotive engines, high semiconductor-related demand and growth for fluororubber sponge – have led to an increase in Mitsufuku Industry’s production levels, particularly for fluororubber compounds. As […]
Sumitomo Rubber to Appoint Satoru Yamamoto as New President Jan. 16, 2019. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) plans to appoint Satoru Yamamoto, currently a director and senior executive officer at the company, to the role of President and CEO, effective March 26. Current CEO and president Ikuji Ikeda will then move into the role of chairman and representative director. Yamamoto has a long history of working with domestic tire replacements. Following this, […]
New Year’s Interview: JRMA President Ikuji Ikeda Discusses Priorities for 2019 – Part 2 Jan. 9, 2019. - Following his inauguration as president of the Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA) last May, Ikuji Ikeda has been giving significant thought to where Japan’s rubber industry is headed. After hearing what Ikeda had to say on his role at the JRMA and the hidden potential of rubber, Japan Rubber Weekly found out his thoughts on development trends heading into this […]
New Year’s Interview: JRMA President Ikuji Ikeda Discusses Priorities for 2019 – Part 1 Jan. 8, 2019. - Ikuji Ikeda, president and CEO at Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), was inaugurated last May as the 15th president of the Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA). Japan Rubber Weekly recently sat down with Ikeda to hear his thoughts on the association and the industry heading into 2019. Defining his role with the JRMA, Ikeda said that he sees his job […] Sumitomo Rubber to Appoint Satoru Yamamoto as New President Jan. 16, 2019. - Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) plans to appoint Satoru Yamamoto, currently a director and senior executive officer at the company, to the role of President and CEO, effective March 26. Current CEO and president Ikuji Ikeda will then move into the role of chairman and representative director. Yamamoto has a long history of working with domestic tire replacements. Following this, […]Bridgestone Works to Improve Marketing for Studless Winter Tires Jan. 10, 2019. - Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) is looking to boost sales of its Blizzak VRX and Blizzak VRX2 lines of passenger car studless tires. While the company managed strong sales for its VRX2 line last year, a representative said that this was largely due to the appeal of it being a new product at the time, adding that the plan this season is […]
Gates Unitta Asia Pushes Product Applications in EV-Related Equipment Jan. 7, 2019. - Gates Unitta Asia Co. forecasts its domestic sales for general-purpose industrial belts for December 2018 will increase by around 5 percent year-on-year. In addition to the strong sales of its mainstay products for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, machine tools and industrial robots, demand for new electric vehicle (EV)-related applications also expanded. Sales for products used in food and packaging manufacturing equipment […]
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 […]
Mitsufuku Industry Sees Growth With Fluororubber Compounds Business Jan. 17, 2019. - Carbon masterbatch (CMB) manufacturer Mitsufuku Industry Co. Ltd. has seen favorable conditions for its compounds business in fiscal 2018. A number of trends continuing from the previous year – such as a downsizing of automotive engines, high semiconductor-related demand and growth for fluororubber sponge – have led to an increase in Mitsufuku Industry’s production levels, particularly for fluororubber compounds. As […]
Interview: Sumitomo Riko President Tetsu Matsui Notes Chinese Auto Sales as Point of Concern for 2019 Jan. 15, 2019. - Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) is keeping a close eye on trends in the automotive industry as it continues to make strides with its 2022V medium-term management plan. Japan Rubber Weekly recently sat down with company president Tetsu Matsui to hear his thoughts on these trends and their direction as the company gears up for 2019. Predicting how market trends […]
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 […]
