Nihon Michelin Tire Co. Ltd. is targeting spring 2020 to begin a gradual rollout of the Michelin City Grip 2 scooter tire, which possesses excellent resistance to both slippage and uneven wear. The tire will be available in 31 sizes with no set pricing. The new tire marks an upgrade over the original Michelin City Grip, which was launched in...
Shin-Etsu Polymer Co. Ltd. (TYO:7970) has taken a hit to its sales and profit performance over the first three quarters of fiscal 2019. Business results recently released by the company show that its sales fell 6.9 percent year-on-year for the period, totaling 60.72 billion yen ($556.72 million) for the first three quarters. Operating profit was down 9.2 percent to 5.84...
Facing a tough market and a need for innovation, Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) has been making a range of moves to solidify its business foundations and pave the path for future growth. Company president Naoki Miyazaki recently sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly to give some insight into these plans. To begin with, Miyazaki noted that 2019 saw Toyoda...
Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) recently held a ceremony to mark the end of construction for a new manufacturing line at its optical film plant in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. Set to produce ZeonorFilm retardation film for use in large-screen televisions, the line is slated to begin full-scale operations in April. The ceremony was held at the Tsuruga base of Zeon production subsidiary...
The Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA) recently published a forecast on rubber consumption for 2020 as part of its 19th executive meeting. As its baseline, this forecast estimates Japan’s new rubber consumption as having risen 0.8 percent for 2019, reaching 1,343,700 tons to make for a third consecutive year of growth. But for 2020, the JRMA is estimating that consumption...
Nihon Michelin Tire Co. Ltd. is planning a Feb. 3 launch for the Michelin XDR3, a new tire for use with mining equipment. The tire will be offered in the size of 27.00R49. Since stopping mining equipment means putting a halt to work, the industry has a need for long-life tires that rarely break down. Companies are also calling for...
