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...
Hiroshima Kasei Ltd.’s overseas production operations are thriving. Recently Japan Rubber Weekly sat down with Tomohiro Tamura, director of Hiroshima Kasei’s Industrial Materials Division, to discuss the company’s current state and overseas business expansion. When asked about Hiroshima Kasei’s current state of business, Tamura said that the company is focused on developing products based on the key concepts of safety...
Nishikawa Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5161), a large manufacturer of rubber parts for the automotive industry, inaugurated Yoshitomo Fukuoka as its new CEO three months ago. Unlike most in the automotive parts industry, Fukuoka’s prior work has been based around shipbuilding, and his switch between these highly divergent industries has drawn attention over recent months. Japan Rubber Weekly recently sat down...
Tokyo Zairyo Co. Ltd., a raw material trading company and a subsidiary of Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205), achieved record profits for the seventh year in a row in the fiscal year ending March 2017. Now starting this fiscal term, the company has implemented a new medium-term management plan. Sitting down recently with Japan Rubber Weekly, President Shuichi Kakinuma said that the...
Toshikazu Takata, Tokyo Institute of Technology professor and new chairman of the Society of Rubber Science and Technology Japan (SRIJ) for fiscal 2017–18, recently spoke of his aspirations to establish an open innovation center in the form of a general laboratory for rubber technology. Takata said that the world recognizes the Japanese rubber industry’s world-class technology, such as tires and...
The new president of Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101), Masataka Yamaishi, assumed office on March 30. This year is a milestone for Yokohama Rubber, marking the 100th anniversary of the company’s founding. President Yamaishi recently sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly to discuss his thoughts on being named president of Yokohama Rubber and a variety of other topics. On being...
