industry trends

Industry Trends: Signs of Recovery in Automotive Rubber Parts Performance

Are we on the way toward a full-fledged recovery in demand? As rubber and plastic product manufacturers continue to announce their first half (April-September) earnings results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, a recovery trend becomes visible in the automobile industry, the main source of demand. With the global economic outlook uncertain, it remains to be seen whether...

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Rubber Sector Slumps Over January–March in Wake of Slow Automotive Production

An industry organization for rubber products has finished putting together a range of statistics for January–March. The results reflect what has been a significant impact to the Japanese economy over the quarter – a period that has seen the COVID-19 Omicron variant surge throughout the country, with semi-emergency measures then being put in place in various regions. Providing a broad...

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Special Report: Prices Rise on Flood of Rubber-Related Products & Raw Materials

With raw material prices, logistics expenses, utility costs and more continuing to surge, companies are going about hiking prices on a range of rubber-related products and raw materials. Various price rises reported by Japan Rubber Weekly from January through early April – as well as the subsequent increases in all sorts of costs – are impacting not only broader society...

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Tire Manufactures With Russian Subsidiaries Look to Evacuate Locally Stationed Employees

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised its risk level for Russia – including Moscow – to Level 3 on March 7, constituting a recommendation to stop travel to the country. And against this backdrop, tire manufacturers with local subsidiaries in Russia are now pursuing measures such as pulling locally stationed employees out of the country. Bridgestone is approving special temporary...

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Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Sparks Concern Over Potential Impact on Rubber Industry

There are concerns that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could impact the business operations of tire-focused rubber companies. There are two Japanese tire manufacturers who have production bases in Russia: Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) and Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101). Both of these bases operate on a local-production-for-local-consumption approach, focusing on domestic Russian demand. More broadly, tires make up the bulk of...

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Japanese Tire Manufacturers Face Surging Costs Despite Results Recovery for 2021

Japan’s major tire manufacturers have now all released their business results for calendar 2021 – showing a significant recovery compared to 2020, when COVID-related production restrictions and other such factors caused business to slump significantly. For 2022, however, these companies are expecting a rough year, with projections that the surging costs of raw materials and marine freight will make for...

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