According to the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association, March construction equipment shipments amounted to 244.7 billion yen ($2.24 billion). This was down 9 percent from March of the previous year and represented an eighth consecutive month of decline. Domestic demand amounted to 118.2 billion yen, up 2 percent year on year, while overseas demand fell 18 percent year on year...
During the Edo Period (1603-1867), shippers and wholesalers dealing in local specialties from various countries concentrated in the Horidomecho area of Tokyo’s Nihombashi district. Also home to Suginomori Shrine and its famed raffles, Horidomecho today looks set to develop a reputation for commodity futures trading as well. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange, where dealers trade in everything from Middle Eastern oil...
Japan’s largest condom manufacturer, Okamoto Industries Inc. (TYO:5122), enjoyed strong sales and profit growth for the financial year ending March 2016. Condom sales increased significantly due to the launching of new lines, overseas market expansion and active demand from overseas visitors to Japan. The company’s gross sales were 88.38 billion yen ($810.26 million) for a 9.3 percent increase over the...
According to data on individual company performance concerning industrial rubber products, from 2014 to 2015 Tokyo-based Bridgestone Diversified Products Japan Co. Ltd. posted net sales of approximately 85.3 billion yen ($780.92 million), the highest in Japan. The company was formed on January 1, 2015, when Bridgestone Diversified Products East Co. Ltd. and Bridgestone Diversified Products West Co. Ltd. merged to...
The downturn in Japan’s automotive industry has had widespread impact among related manufacturing industries. The rubber manufacturing industry, centering on automotive tires, is also greatly influenced by strong or weak performance in the automobile manufacturing industry. However, a look at business performance by wholesalers of industrial rubber products across Japan from 2014 through 2015 shows that aggregate total sales by...
JSR BST Elastomer Co. Ltd. (JBE) plans to begin commercial operations of its phase-two plant in the second half of current fiscal year (April-October 2016). JBE, a joint venture between JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) and Thailand’s Bangkok Synthetics Co. Ltd., manufactures solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) in Thailand. The new facility is located adjacent to the phase-one plant. Its annual production...
