In October, the number of automobiles produced in Japan fell 0.5 percent compared to the same month the previous year, to 813,110 units, marking the sixteenth straight monthly decline. The slump in automobile manufacturing has led to an across-the-board drop in production of automotive rubber products. According to statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), total production...
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2015 was a year of numerous new materials and material development technologies from tire companies. Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), which makes Dunlop tires, came out with its Advanced 4D Nano Design new materials development technology. Advanced 4D Nano Design is able to accurate analyse and simulate the internal structures and molecular behaviour of rubber, making possible significant, simultaneous improvements...
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Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042) president Kenichi Udagawa said his company’s strategy is to concentrate on developing new applications for chloroprene rubber (CR) and chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSM). Looking ahead, although current low naphtha prices and a weakening yen are in Tosoh’s favor, the environment affecting the company’s various businesses—which includes raw fuel prices, exchange rates, overseas markets and the supply-demand balance—is susceptible...
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The palpable economic slowdown that has continued in China since last year is impacting the rubber industry with increasing severity, both directly and indirectly. With China’s economic situation seen as being more severe than is generally portrayed in news reports, grim views on its future are overwhelmingly prevalent. In the rubber industry, for instance, there has been a slump in...
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Yujiro Kanahara has been named president of Nippon Goodyear Ltd. Kanahara succeeds Dale Brackin, who successfully served as interim president during the transition period since October 2015 when Nippon Goodyear and Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) ended their alliance. Kanahara joined Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) in 1978, where over the years he held positions in product planning, sales and marketing and...
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The light automobile market in Japan is growing even larger as manufacturers add yet more advanced features to the vehicles. Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has responded to this trend by putting a new line of tires on the market. The Regno GR-Leggera tires, available in three sizes, are the Regno brand’s first that are designed specifically for light automobiles. Regna is...
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