More than three-quarters of Japan’s top 100 rubber companies saw their sales rise year-on-year in fiscal 2017, an independent study by Japan Rubber Weekly has found. According to the results of this study, 79 of Japan’s top 100 firms operating in the industry reported year-on-year increases to sales, up from 48 in fiscal 2016. Double-digit sales growth was posted by...
Industry
Toyo Tires to Transfer Flexible Urethane Business to Toyo Quality One
Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5105) is looking to transfer its flexible urethane business, which targets the market for automotive seat cushions, to Toyo Quality One Corp. This comes as part of a plan from Toyo Tires to strengthen its management around a core of tires and automotive anti-vibration rubber, having already moved to divest its operations for chemical...
Carbon Black Association Makes Upward Revision to 2018 Demand Forecast
The Carbon Black Association has upwardly revised its demand forecast for carbon black in a midyear revision. Under the association’s new estimates, total demand for domestic product this year – including exports – is now set to hit 765,050 tons. Previously, this figure was projected at 759,049 tons, which would have represented a flat growth rate based on non-finalized demand...
Lanxess Agrees to Sell 50% Stake in Arlanxeo to JV Partner Saudi Aramco
Lanxess AG recently announced that it signed an agreement on Aug. 8 to sell its 50 percent stake in Arlanxeo, a manufacturer of synthetic rubber, to state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co. The German-based specialty chemicals manufacturer first established Arlanxeo in 2016 as a 50–50 joint venture with the Saudi firm, which is also known as Saudi Aramco. The sale is...
First-Half Rubber Belt Production Down 2% Year-on-Year
Japan’s total production of rubber belts for January–June declined 2 percent year-on-year to 13,169 tons, according to a set of rubber and resin belt statistics recently released by the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association. Factors behind this included a fall in domestic demand for conveyor belts and flat demand, both domestically and in exports, for transmission belts. Looking specifically at rubber...
China Issues Preliminary Ruling on NBR Anti-Dumping Duty: Zeon Faces 30%, JSR 18.1%
China has issued a preliminary ruling on an anti-dumping duty targeting nitrile rubber (NBR) imports from Japan and South Korea. This follows the country’s Ministry of Commerce having announced this duty on July 16. Under the new anti-dumping duty, Japan’s Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) is required to pay a deposit of 30 percent on its NBR exports to China, with this...