Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) President and CEO Satoru Yamamoto recently laid out a set of three initiatives for his company to pursue heading into 2020, positioning these as a first step to bringing about the ideal organization. The first of these initiatives is for Sumitomo Rubber to establish a strong profit foundation, which will help the company to achieve...
Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has developed new sensor technology for measuring tire load and wear. This comes in the form of the Smart Strain Sensor, a device that can be attached to the interior of tires to measure the change in strain that occurs as the tires of a moving vehicle make contact with the road. This feature in Bridgestone’s Smart...
The Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA) has put together a forecast of domestic automotive tire demand in Japan for 2020. According to this forecast, major product categories are expected to show lower demand across the board compared to 2019, with total demand for the year falling 1 percent to just under 116.27 million tires. For OE tires, JATMA is...
Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) is faced with a rather unfavorable business environment for its studless winter tires at present, impacted by this fiscal year’s reduction in new car sales and a relatively mild winter. Still, the company is making efforts to grow sales for these tires, focusing its efforts on the Blizzak VRX2 and Blizzak VRX lines in particular. As part...
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) recently announced that it is planning a full-scale Japanese market launch for a new all-season tire, the BluEarth-4S AW21. Designed with the concept of excellent snow performance and year-round usability, the tire takes techniques developed from Yokohama Rubber’s IceGuard studless winter tires and combines them with the summertime technology behind the BluEarth line. The company...
Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) announced plans on Dec. 13 for a reshuffle of its top leadership, with Vice Chair Shuichi Ishibashi slated to become CEO next year. Ishibashi will be inaugurated following approval at a Board of Directors meeting that is scheduled for after the company’s annual shareholders meeting in late March. Masaaki Tsuya, who currently serves as CEO and representative...
