Interviews

Zeon President Discusses Growth Strategy in Increasingly EV-Centric Market

Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) President Kimiaki Tanaka recently spoke with Japan Rubber Weekly about how the accelerating trend toward electric vehicles (EVs) will impact his company. Tanaka said that specialty rubber, which is used in parts around automotive engines and is central to the company’s earnings, will be used less and less as the industry continues its march toward EVs. Zeon...

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JSR President Talks Initiative to Advance Elastomer Operations Beyond Asia

JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) President Mitsunobu Koshiba is hoping to see stable earnings for his company’s elastomer business. But to achieve this, he recently told Japan Rubber Weekly, JSR will need to take its marketing efforts for the sector onto the global stage. Koshiba said that his company’s elastomer business still has its sales largely directed at the Japanese domestic tire...

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Mitsuboshi Belt President Talks EV Impact on Automotive Belt Market

The Japanese market is witnessing a decline in demand for automotive belts, says Hajime Kakiuchi, president of major automotive belts and parts manufacturer Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd. (TYO:5192). Sitting down recently for an interview with Japan Rubber Weekly, Kakiuchi said that the drop-off comes as a consequence of not only the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) but also with the expanded...

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Bando Chemical President Details Plans in Preparation for EV Shift

Mitsutaka Yoshii, president of rubber belt and functional parts manufacturer Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195), sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly ahead of the new year to discuss his company’s plans for 2018. Noting that Bando’s new businesses have finally taken shape, he stressed that placing them on a sound growth footing is the key task in the second stage...

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Nichirin Prepares for Auto Industry’s Shift to Electric Vehicles

Nichirin Co. Ltd. (TYO:5184), a manufacturer specializing in automotive hoses, has set up a production technology center within the company’s Himeji Factory. In a recent interview with Japan Rubber Weekly, Nichirin President Ryuichi Maeda said that the company will use the center to tackle innovative manufacturing and develop new production methods. In addition, he said, Nichirin will focus on bolstering...

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Sumitomo Riko President Talks Electric Vehicles and Adaptation

The auto industry’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is picking up pace. However, Toru Matsui, president of major rubber part manufacturer Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191), says the trend is not having as much of an impact on the company as public discussion would imply. That being said, Sumitomo Riko has responded to the wave of EV innovation by setting...

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