Bridgestone, in collaboration with Tohoku University, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and the University of Shiga Prefecture, has begun research aimed at establishing material recycling technology for polyolefin, a type of plastic typified by polyethylene and polypropylene. The research aims to establish guidelines for the development of new resource-recycling polyolefin materials that can be recycled...
Industry
Rubber Hose Demand Forecast: No Significant Upturn in Sight
The Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association has released its demand forecasts for rubber hoses for 2024 and 2025. According to the forecast, 2024 demand for automotive hoses, which account for 70% of the total, will stagnate due to the suspension of production and shipments following the certification fraud scandal involving some automakers. In 2025, demand for automotive hoses is expected...
Japan Society of Seismic Isolation Holds Forum
The Japan Society of Seismic Isolation held on November 22 its 20th Forum on Seismic Isolation at the Nihon University College of Science and Technology. Ninety-three people, including members, non-members, and students, attended the forum. The theme of this year’s forum was Considering Japan as an Earthquake Archipelago. The association believes that, as major earthquakes occur in various parts of...
Yokohama Rubber Develops Image Processing Method for Rubber Material Electron Microscope Images
Yokohama Rubber, the University of Tsukuba, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) have developed a new image processing method to clearly visualize the internal nanoscale structure of rubber materials. Conventional electron microscope images are noisy and obscure the outline of the interior of rubber, but the new method clearly captures the network structure of reticular molecules and quantifies...
Bando Chemical Enters Strategic Partnership with Canadian Startup
Bando Chemical has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Canadian based Inmotive in two-speed transmissions for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers. Inmotive’s vision is to accelerate the global evolution of affordable zero-emission mobility and play a key role in mitigating climate change. The company is a start-up company developing the two-speed transmission Ingear, which is expected to extend cruising range through...
Influx of Low-priced Asian Tires Affects North American Market: Report
Bridgestone, Sumitomo Rubber, Yokohama Rubber and Toyo Tires have released their nine months (January-September) financial results for fiscal 2024. While some companies achieved record-high performance in the same period, partly due to the effect of yen depreciation, the North American market, which is in a sense a dollar box for Japanese, European, and U.S. tire makers, was affected by the...