While demand for automotive-related products has declined, demand for civil engineering and construction has remained strong. Steady progress in civil engineering and other construction work, which began to move in the second half of 2021, has led to demand for upper-level building-related projects. Demand was concentrated in the fourth quarter (January-March 2022), as construction work started moving quickly, especially in...
Industry
Rubber Sheets: Market Trends, Industry Voices – Part 1
Shipment volume of rubber sheets (plates) is declining. According to statistics compiled by the Japan Rubber Industry Association, shipments from January to May 2022 totaled 6,908 tons, down 7.3 percent from the same period last year. In 2021, the market recovered from the decline caused by the coronavirus pandemic and remained generally firm throughout the year. However, the recovery trend...
EPDM Rubber Trends: Mitsui Chemicals
Mitsui Chemicals’ ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) plant operations remained at a high level in fiscal 2021. In the first half of the year, from April to September, the supply-demand situation remained tight. Sales remained steady, however, in the second half from October to March, despite being affected to a small extent by the shortage of semiconductors and reduced car production. The...
Michelin Promotes Sustainable Natural Rubber Cultivation and Forest Conservation
Michelin has become the sole owner of Royal Lestari Utama (RLU) after purchasing the 51 percent of the joint venture previously held by Barito Pacific Group. RLU is a project initiated in 2015 by Michelin and Indonesian partners that aims to combine sustainable natural rubber cultivation and forest conservation on approximately 70,000 hectares in Jambi, Sumatra, and 18,000 hectares in...
Denka Says Demand for Chloroprene Rubber to Remain High in FY2022
Denka’s chloroprene rubber (CR) business saw full production and sales in fiscal 2021. Demand inquiries remained strong, and sales for automotive, industrial, and adhesive applications were all favorable. Although Denka Performance Elastomer, the company’s U.S. base, was forced to suspend production in September and October as a raw material supplier sustained damages by a hurricane, it started up in November...
Sumitomo Rubber Succeeds in Experiment to Improve Natural Rubber
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, in collaboration with partners including Tohoku University, Kanazawa University and Saitama University, has succeeded in an experiment leading to the improvement of natural rubber varieties. The experiment identified the section of a natural rubber synthesizing enzyme that is important for controlling the chain length of natural rubber. By incorporating the section into an enzyme derived from tomatoes,...
