Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) announced on Feb. 28 that it has won a patent rights infringement lawsuit against Chinese tire manufacturer Fangxing Rubber Co. Ltd. in the Shanghai High People’s Court. Bridgestone first filed the lawsuit with the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court in September 2017, claiming that Fangxing had infringed on its patent rights by manufacturing and selling tires with a...
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Denka Finishes Construction of Omuta Innovation Hub
Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) has announced that it recently finished construction of the Omuta Innovation Hub, a new integrated office located at the company’s Omuta Plant in Fukuoka Prefecture. Established in 1916, the Omuta Plant began operations as an inorganic chemicals factory within an Omuta coal complex zone, producing carbide and lime nitrogen fertilizer. The plant later developed high-temperature processing...
AIST, Tokyo University Codevelop Rubber Composite Material With Heat Conductivity Similar to Metal
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has worked with the University of Tokyo to develop a rubber composite material that offers heat conductivity on par with that of metal. This was achieved by dispersing two kinds of carbon fiber – specifically carbon nanofiber (CNF) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) – as fillers throughout polyrotaxane, a type of...
Japanese Rubber Hose Industry Sees Third Consecutive Year of Declining Production, Shipment Value
The Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association has used statistics from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to compile results for Japan’s rubber hose sector in 2019. Figures here show that the sector’s production volume using new rubber fell 10.9 percent year-on-year to 34,593 tons, with shipment value down 1.4 percent to 142.53 billion yen ($1.33 billion). This marks...
Rubber Industry Rushes to Counter Coronavirus Threat
Efforts in Japan to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus infection are moving forward at a rapid pace. On Feb. 25, Japan’s central government issued its basic policy on novel coronavirus countermeasures, with large-scale events postponed or canceled the following day. JRW has compiled the following report on concurrent efforts being undertaken in rubber-related industries. Many companies have instituted staggered...
Japanese Tire Manufacturers Struggle to Predict How Coronavirus Will Impact 2020 Business Results
Japan’s four major tire manufacturers – Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108), Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) and Toyo Tires Corp. (TYO:5105) – are all forecasting improvements at the operating profit level for calendar 2020. Bridgestone is using adjusted operating profit here, while Sumitomo Rubber and Yokohama Rubber use business profit. However, with Bridgestone noting that it is...
