Ikuji Ikeda, president of the Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA) and Chairman of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), gave his thoughts recently on the state of Japan’s rubber industry and what opportunities lie ahead for domestic players. While companies have had to change as a result of the pandemic, Ikeda noted, this has then made it possible to turn difficult...
Industry
Toyoda Gosei Invests in Tohoku University Startup for Chemical Sensors
Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) recently announced that it has invested in Ball Wave Inc., a Tohoku University startup company engaged in the development and sale of chemical sensors. By using surface acoustic waves (SAWs) – a physical phenomenon discovered by Tohoku University researchers – Ball Wave is working to commercialize what are called ball SAW sensors. Such sensors are...
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Rubber Hose Market Expected to Fall Short of Full Recovery Next Year
The Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association recently released a forecast of Japan’s rubber hose demand for 2021. According to the figures here, domestic rubber hose production for the year is slated to come to 32,340 tons, up 11.9 percent year-on-year. But while this represents a significant increase, it does not quite get the sector back to where it was before...
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Michelin Partners With Canadian Startup Pyrowave to Work on Plastic Waste Recycling
The Michelin Group recently announced that it has formed a partnership with Canadian startup company Pyrowave Inc. Through this partnership, Michelin will look to make a speedy entry into the market for plastic waste recycling technology. A total of more than 20 million euros ($24.53 million) is set to be invested into joint development here, with an industrial demonstrator slated...
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JATMA Expects Japan’s Automotive Tire Demand to Grow 5% Next Year
Japanese demand for automotive tires is expected to improve year-on-year across all product categories next year, totaling 174.75 million tires. This would mark a 5 percent increase over demand levels seen in 2020, though a 9 percent decrease when compared to 2019. These figures come from a tire demand forecast put together by the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA)....
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Demand for Japanese Rubber Belts Expected to Grow 1% Next Year
Demand for Japanese-made rubber belts is expected to reach 19,668 tons in 2021, which would mark a 1 percent year-on-year increase. This figure comes from the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association, which recently put together a 2021 demand forecast for rubber and plastic belts. The logistics sector, as well as the sector for packaging and paper production, are set to continue...
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