Shipment values of construction equipment are forecast at 1.855 trillion yen ($18.283 billion) in fiscal 2017, on a par with the previous year, according to the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA). This includes a forecast 822 billion yen in the domestic market, up 2 percent year-on-year, the first rise in two years. The forecast for exports is 1.033 trillion...
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Bando Chemical Aims to Become Number One in Asia: President Yoshii
Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195), a major industrial belt manufacturer, welcomed its 110th anniversary this April. According to Bando Chemical’s President, Mitsutaka Yoshii, the company has grown by producing belts that meet the needs of leading industries in each age. Yoshii said that Bando Chemical will continue using a variety of materials to manufacture high quality products while adapting to...
Synthetic Rubber Production Down 5.6% to 774,000 Tons in First Half
Synthetic rubber production fell 5.6 percent year-on-year to 773,584 tons in the first half of 2016, according to the Synthetic Rubber Industry Association of Japan. Production was down for all categories year-on-year, including a 6.1 percent decline for styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), a 2.8 percent decline for polybutadiene rubber (BR) and a 2.2 percent decline for ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPT)....

Toyox Develops Tetrafluororesin Hoses for Chemical and Food Applications
Toyox Co. Ltd., a major manufacturer of resin hoses, will launch its Toyofusso S Hose line of fluorine hoses for chemical and food applications along with its Toyoconnector TC3-SS couplings, especially designed for the company’s Toyosilicone Hose line of heat resistant hoses for food applications. To date, Toyox has sold its Toyofusso Hose products for applications involving fluids such as...

Yokohama Rubber’s Masaki Noro on Harnessing Motorsports Technology for Commercial Tires
One of the premier players in the global tire industry, Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) is also involved in racing events such as the Japanese Super Formula Championship. In addition to finding out about Yokohama Rubber’s engagement in such motorsports, Japan Rubber Weekly learnt how this carries over to the commercial business, sitting down for an interview with Masaki Noro,...
Sumitomo Rubber Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Miyazaki Plant
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the opening of its Miyazaki plant. Beginning operations in 1976, the plant now produces high-performance tires for passenger cars, trucks and buses with a monthly production volume of 9,354 tons. It manufactures more products for overseas export than any of the company’s other domestic plants. Among the roughly 2,000...