Market Background

Nitta Celebrates 131 Years of Business

Nitta Corp. (TYO:5186) held ceremonies on March 18 at its head office in Osaka and plant in Nara to celebrate 131 years in business, followed by awards for its long-service employees. In his ceremony speech, President and Representative Director Motonobu Nitta said that the company has survived through the generations by responding to whatever challenges have come its way and...

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Shipping Volume for Synthetic Rubber Falls to 1.63 Million Tons in 2015

Shipping volume for Japan’s synthetic rubber in 2015 (January–December) dropped by about 5 percent year-on-year to slightly over 1.632 million tons, according to the Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA). Domestic shipping volume excluding chloroprene rubber (CR) and butyl rubber (IIR), whose figures weren’t released, fell about 5 percent from the previous year to around 890,000 tons. Export volume also declined...

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Two Rubber Companies Win ‘Nadeshiko Meigara’ Award

Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) and synthetic rubber manufacturer JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) have been selected as winners of the 2015 Nadeshiko Meigara award, which recognizes companies that excel in providing women with career opportunities. The prize program is organized by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In the Nadeshiko Meigara selection process, the review panel...

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Japan’s Rubber Unions Scale Back Spring Offensive Wage Demands

The Japanese Rubber Workers Union Confederation (JRWUC) has largely completed its spring labor offensive, and unions have submitted wage demands at most large rubber manufacturers. According to the JRWUC, 45 out of 58 unions have submitted their wage demands, and despite discrepancies between sectors such as tires, automobile parts, and industrial goods, wage increase demands are trending downward from the...

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Ultra-thin Rubber Sheets

Firm Demand for Rubber Sheets – Market Report

Production and shipping volumes of general rubber sheets in Japan are each trending at an annual scale of 20,000 tons. Although market conditions have slumped for the fields of construction and civil engineering, which were major sources of demand for 2015, there still remains a firm undertone in demand with the return of domestic manufacturing. This is owing to a...

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Conveyor Belt Demand for Blast Furnaces Fell 29% in 2015

According to statistics by the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association on demand for conveyor belts and plastic belts in 2015, the total value of conveyor belt sales was flat from the previous year. Domestic demand accounted for 61 percent of total sales in monetary terms. Exports accounted for 39 percent of sales, a drop of 19 percent from the year prior....

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