Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) announced on March 14 that it would be stopping its production of tires in Russia, as well as its tire exports to the country. On the production front, Bridgestone is suspending operations at its Russian plant for passenger car tires – located in Ulyanovsk – and freezing all new capital investment in the country. The company decided...
New findings from a collaborative research project involving Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) could lead to an improved supply of natural rubber. Working in collaboration here with Tohoku University, Kanazawa University and the Riken SPring-8 Center, Sumitomo Rubber has managed to elucidate the structure and modify the functionality of cis-prenyltransferase NDPS1, a tomato-derived enzyme with a structure similar to that...
Achilles Corp. (TYO:5142) recently announced that a conductive surface material it offers has been picked up by Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) for use in a special-edition Toyota Corolla launched last November. By incorporating the conductive surface material into the driver’s seat, static electricity built up in the driver and their surroundings can be dispersed throughout their entire body, reducing electric...
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised its risk level for Russia – including Moscow – to Level 3 on March 7, constituting a recommendation to stop travel to the country. And against this backdrop, tire manufacturers with local subsidiaries in Russia are now pursuing measures such as pulling locally stationed employees out of the country. Bridgestone is approving special temporary...
Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042) has announced that it is set to raise prices on all of its polyethylene products by at least 40 yen ($0.34) per kilogram starting with shipments supplied from April 1 onward. The price hike will apply to Petrothene, a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) product; Nipolon-L and Nipolon-Z, both linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) products; Lumitac, an ultralow-density polyethylene (ULDPE)...
There are concerns that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could impact the business operations of tire-focused rubber companies. There are two Japanese tire manufacturers who have production bases in Russia: Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) and Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101). Both of these bases operate on a local-production-for-local-consumption approach, focusing on domestic Russian demand. More broadly, tires make up the bulk of...
