Ube Industries (TYO:4208) announced results for the first nine months of the fiscal year ending March 2016, showing sales of 482 billion yen ($4.28 billion), increasing 2 percent. Profit on operations was 31.3 billion yen, an increase of 118 percent. Ordinary income was 30.1 billion yen, up 117 percent. Net profit grew substantially by 275 percent to 19.2 billion yen.
Industry
Auto Production Declines 5% in 2015, First Decline in 2 Years
According to automobile production numbers for 2015 compiled by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), total production for four-wheel vehicles was 9.28 million units, a 5-percent year-on-year decline that marked the first drop in two years. 5.05 million vehicles were produced to serve domestic demand, down 9 percent and marking the first fall in four years.
Construction Machinery Shipments Down 5% in 2015
The value of construction machinery shipments during calendar 2015 totaled 2.3129 trillion yen ($19.27 billion), down 5 percent from the previous year as the annual figure turned negative after an increase in 2014, according to a report compiled by the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA; 69 member companies).
Sumitomo Riko Reports 3Q Results, Strong Profit Growth From Automotive Products
Sumitomo Riko’s (TYO:5191) results for the first nine months of the fiscal year ending March 2016 show sales of 316.4 billion yen ($2.7 billion), up 8 percent. Operating profit increased 75 percent to 8.7 billion yen, while net profit was 1 billion yen against a loss of 323 million yen in the same period of the previous year.
JSR Announces 3Q Results, Decreased Sales and Profits in Elastomers
JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) announced its financial results for the first three quarters of the fiscal year ending March 2016 (April–December 2015). Net sales were down 4 percent to 294.5 billion yen ($2.52 billion), operating income down 3 percent to 29.5 billion yen and net income down 14 percent to 19.8 billion yen.
JRMA’s IRSG Liaison Committee Takes On Range of Rubber Industry Issues
In 2015, the JRMA established a committee to study the impact that a current IRSG project aimed at sustainable development in the rubber industry is likely to have on its members. Now, the JRMA believes that in addition to liaising with the IRSG, the committee can deal in a wide range of areas covering raw materials as a whole.

