Kiyohiko Moto, head of the Japan Glove Manufacturers Association, recently sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly to reflect on domestic glove sales against statistics for 2017, discussing both current conditions for his industry and where he sees things heading. Looking firstly at household gloves, Moto said that sales have been quite robust with 93.71 million pairs – 102 percent against...
Demand for synthetic rubber is projected to keep up a strong performance for the second half of fiscal 2018, spanning October–March. While the first half of the fiscal year saw raw material cost trends drive falling profits in some areas, demand itself has been stable on the whole, with some product types continuing to see tightness in the supply–demand balance....
Japan has seen strong performance in rubber production and revenue over the first three quarters of calendar 2018, according to figures from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Shipments over the period generated approximately 1.71 trillion yen ($15.14 billion) in total revenue, METI found – marking an increase of 4.8 percent over the same period last year. Looking...
Kyokuto Sangyo Co. Ltd., a major producer of rubber and resin linings, has worked with semi-major general contractor Hazama Ando Corp. (TYO:1719) to develop a paint that uses low-energy neutrons to suppress radioactivation. The new paint utilizes a hydrogen component that it contains to slow down neutrons, then sees these neutrons absorbed by a boron compound to suppress radioactivation. Tests...
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) recently announced that it is participating in the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) as a founding member. At the same time, the company revealed that it has formulated its own Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy to use throughout its group – this being aimed at ensuring the sustainability of natural rubber as a resource...
Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) and Mitsubishi Materials Corp. (TYO:5711) have reached an agreement to co-develop new ceramic substrates, targeting these toward power modules in the motors of EVs and other such environmentally friendly vehicles. Following development, the companies plan to pursue efforts aimed at full-scale mass production. With the surging need for automotive electrification in recent years, there has been...
