Both production volume and shipment value of rubber hoses was down year on year for the month of April, according to records collated by the Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association. Based on statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the records reveal that production volume of hoses for April was 2,700 tons in terms of new-rubber volume, which...
Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) has opened a new training facility at its main automotive hose production center in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture. Known as “Matsusaka Shikokan,” the training facility was established in order to improve the skills of the personnel who will support future growth for Sumitomo Riko. It includes an “F Lab” for implementation of the “F-Ken” foreman-training program,...
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) recently provided 775 saplings for the Kakegawa Shiosai Tree-planting Festival, held on June 11 in the city of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture. Fifty-eight employees of the company also volunteered their time to help out. This is the second year in a row that Yokohama Rubber has offered saplings as a form of reforestation assistance to prevent...
Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195) will release an optical transparent adhesive sheet in August. The company developed the product, called Free Crystal, to apply to components of touchscreen displays. With the increased use of touchscreens, the needs for optical transparent adhesive sheets are diversifying. This demand is particularly strong for products like car navigation systems, where manufacturers want to turn...
Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042), a chemical manufacturer that makes synthetic rubber, has established a new on-the-job training and research facility at its Nanyo factory complex in Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The training facility was built to provide manufacturing operators and technical staff with real experience in both normal and emergency plant operations and control methods. It will be used for real-life training...
Japan’s largest manufacturer of synthetic rubber, JSR Corp. (TYO:4185), is doing well with its solution styrene butadiene rubber (S–SBR) for fuel-efficient tires. The company has increased sales of S–SBR for eco tires by just short of 120 percent over that of the previous term. Such sales expansion has been a point of focus for the company, coming amid a dip...
