A string of price hikes is taking place with chloroprene rubber (CR) in the international market. Japanese companies Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061), Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042) and Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) each have announced price increases, as has Netherlands-based Arlanxeo. The companies say that the reason for the price hikes is to ensure a stable product supply, as there is no...
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New Rubber Bearings for Bridges Feature 5,000 Times Higher Ozone Resistance Than Conventional Bearings
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) has developed a bridge-purposed ultra durability rubber bearing in collaboration with Central-Nexco Technical Marketing Co. Ltd. and Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061). The new rubber bearing achieves a high degree of ozone resistance, employing a chloroprene rubber (CR) composition to make it 5,000 times more resistant than conventional natural rubber compounds. While Sumitomo Rubber is already...
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)....
Showa Denko’s CR Sales Boosted by US Business Despite Yen’s Rise
Showa Denko K.K. (TYO:4004) enjoyed strong chloroprene rubber (CR) business during the January-June half of 2016 despite a rise in the yen’s value against other currencies. Although the business verged on stagnation in Japan, South Korea and China, performance was solid in the U.S., Europe and Southeast Asia. In the U.S. in particular, products for automotive, construction and adhesive applications sold...
Denka Continues Market Development in China Despite Unresolved Anti-dumping Duty
China’s ministry of commerce has announced that it will reopen its examination of the anti-dumping duty on chloroprene rubber (CR), prompted by a complaint that was filed by a Chinese CR manufacturer. On the other side of the equation, with local users comprised largely of businesses that rely on CR imports, numerous CR manufacturers are seeking an impartial judgment. For...
Synthetic Rubber Production Volume in Japan Down 12% for March
Synthetic rubber production volume in Japan dropped to 102,196 tons for March, down about 12 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the Synthetic Rubber Industry Association of Japan. The total production volume between January and March was 388,573 tons, a 4 percent year-on-year decline. Meanwhile, the production volume of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) for March plummeted to...