Gates Unitta Asia Co. has launched the U-550, a new product in its lineup of sonic belt tension meters. The U-550 employs a microphone to perceive the natural-frequency sound waves generated by belts, then analyzes these waves using a computer. The process here makes it possible for anyone to easily and accurately measure a belt’s tension without the need for...
Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) recently announced its development of Smart Insoles, a new type of shoe insole that incorporates the company’s e-Rubber sensors to obtain data on foot pressure as the wearer moves. The company has now also started shipping samples of these insoles to a golf school operated by Mizuno Corp (TYO:8022). A next-gen rubber that moves when...
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) has begun working to develop a market for a new heat-sealable film that enables selective high gas permeability. This ability for selective high permeation of a specific gas is what makes this film stand out. Meanwhile, it can form a heat seal at a lower temperature than other resin films. Other films have also allowed high...
Bridgestone Americas Inc. has announced that subsidiary Firestone Industrial Products LLC (FSIP) is set to boost its production capacity for air springs at a plant in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Total investment in this expansion is slated to come to $51 million, with construction to begin in the second quarter of this year and wrap up by the end of 2022. The...
Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) has seen its Finesulight series of thin films with high thermal insulation functionality get picked up for use in the BioBox Freezer, a dry ice-compatible, ultrahigh-performance thermal insulation box offered by Sugiyama-Gen Co. Ltd. Allowing for storage at below minus 70 degrees Celsius without the need for electricity, this freezer box is expected to find...
Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) recently posted its business results for fiscal 2020. The company revealed 397.94 billion yen ($3.66 billion) in sales revenue, down 10.6 percent year-on-year; 7.86 billion yen in business profit, down 30.6 percent; and a net loss of 4.96 billion yen, down from a net profit of 881 million yen in fiscal 2019. While sales for...
