Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) CEO Masaaki Tsuya recently offered comments regarding the series of problems this year that some say has shaken confidence in Japanese manufacturing. Speaking at a year-end press conference, Tsuya said that he does not believe that confidence in Japanese manufacturing has been undermined. He maintained that the earnestness and strong work ethic of Japanese people has not...
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The robotics industry is booming as manufacturers cut personnel costs and supplement scarce human resources through production line automation and workforce reduction. According to statistics reported by the Japan Robot Association (JARA), 55,998 robotic devices were produced during the July-September quarter, up 44.9 percent from the same quarter of the previous year. Shipment value amounted to 195.95 billion yen ($1.73...
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Production and shipments for rubber and resin hoses are on an upward trend. Automotive and high-pressure rubber hoses have been solid performers on the back of a recovery in domestic automotive production volume and robust demand for construction equipment and machine tools. Resin hoses and tubes have also been going strong, supported by firm demand from the semiconductor industry. This...
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Japan’s domestic sales volumes of glove products remained firm in 2016, up slightly from the year before, according to a report by the Japan Glove Manufacturers Association. Domestic sales of household gloves totaled 91.84 million pairs during 2016, up 0.2 percent from the previous year, while sales for surgical gloves increased 1.5 percent to 79.02 million pairs. Ultra-thin disposable gloves...
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Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205), a major manufacturer of specialty synthetic rubber, has reported that net sales for the company’s elastomer materials business declined by 5 percent year on year to 178.9 billion yen ($1.61 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 2016. Meanwhile, operating profit for the segment climbed 23 percent to 20.7 billion yen. Sales volume for synthetic rubber rose...
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