Sumitomo Riko Launches New Energy-Saving Window Film Jun. 6, 2025. - Sumitomo Riko has released a new window insulation film, Refleshine SEF25, with enhanced heat-blocking and insulating properties compared to its predecessor. The SEF25 film builds on Sumitomo Riko’s expertise in polymer materials, using uniformly coated and layered optical thin films to ensure durability, heat rejection, and insulation. Compared to the previous TW36A model, the shading coefficient, a measure of heat-blocking […]
Sumitomo Rubber Develops Sustainable Office Equipment Rubber Rollers Jun. 5, 2025. - Sumitomo Rubber and Sumitomo Osaka Cement have successfully developed rubber rollers for office automation (OA) equipment using CO2-recycled artificial limestone. The product incorporates a synthetic rubber compound that replaces conventional limestone with CO2-recycled artificial limestone, produced by mineralizing CO2 into calcium sources from waste materials. This marks the first joint effort by Sumitomo Rubber Industries and Sumitomo Osaka Cement to […]
Sumitomo Riko Launches New Energy-Saving Window Film Jun. 6, 2025. - Sumitomo Riko has released a new window insulation film, Refleshine SEF25, with enhanced heat-blocking and insulating properties compared to its predecessor. The SEF25 film builds on Sumitomo Riko’s expertise in polymer materials, using uniformly coated and layered optical thin films to ensure durability, heat rejection, and insulation. Compared to the previous TW36A model, the shading coefficient, a measure of heat-blocking […]
Sumitomo Rubber Develops Sustainable Office Equipment Rubber Rollers Jun. 5, 2025. - Sumitomo Rubber and Sumitomo Osaka Cement have successfully developed rubber rollers for office automation (OA) equipment using CO2-recycled artificial limestone. The product incorporates a synthetic rubber compound that replaces conventional limestone with CO2-recycled artificial limestone, produced by mineralizing CO2 into calcium sources from waste materials. This marks the first joint effort by Sumitomo Rubber Industries and Sumitomo Osaka Cement to […]
Sumitomo Rubber Receives Rubber Society of Japan Award May. 27, 2025. - Sumitomo Rubber has been awarded the 37th Rubber Society of Japan Award for its Active Tread Technology, a groundbreaking material innovation that allows tire performance to adapt to changing road conditions. The Rubber Society of Japan Award is presented to society members who have made distinguished contributions to the advancement of science, technology, or industry in the field of rubber […]
Yokohama Rubber Acquires Assets in Romania to Expand Off-Highway Tire Production Capacity May. 26, 2025. - Yokohama Rubber has acquired fixed assets, including land, buildings, and production facilities, in Romania through its subsidiary Yokohama TWS Romania. The move aims to enhance the company’s production capacity for off-highway tires (OHT), including tires for agricultural machinery, in Europe. The acquired land spans approximately 200,000 square meters, with the acquisition cost amounting to $35 million. This acquisition follows Yokohama […]
Bando Chemical Posts Record-High Sales Revenue, Core Operating Profit May. 30, 2025. - Bando Chemical, a manufacturer of conveyor and transmission belts, reported its performance under IFRS for the fical year ended March 31, 2025, with sales revenue of 115.59 billion yen ($793.23 million), up 6.8% from the previous year, core operating profit of 7.74 billion yen, up 2.1%, and net profit of 1.50 billion yen, down 75.8%. “Sales revenue and core operating […]
Sagami Rubber Reports 7% Decline in Sales, Net Profit Up: FY Results May. 28, 2025. - Sagami Rubber Industries’ performance for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 (April 2024 to March 2025) recorded net sales of 5.69 billion yen ($39.55 million), a 6.9% decrease from the previous year, an operating loss of 33 million yen (compared to an operating profit of 436 million yen in the prior year), an ordinary profit of 522 million yen, […]
Ube Provides Update on 2030 Plan, Launches Bio-Based Butadiene Rubber Supply This Year May. 29, 2025. - Ube held a briefing on its medium-term management plan, “Ube Vision 2030 Transformation-2nd Stage,” covering fiscal years 2025 to 2030. “Considering the promotion of basic business structure reforms, specialization, digital transformation (DX), and corporate culture reform, we need to establish a solid six-year plan and execute it steadily,” Ube said, extending the plan’s duration from the previous three years to […]
Mitsui Chemicals to Raise Price of Admer May. 27, 2025. - Mitsui Chemicals announced on May 19 that it will raise the price of Admer by 25 yen ($0.17) per kilogram for deliveries starting July 1. The company stated that the price hike is due to significant increases in costs for certain raw materials, labor, logistics, and equipment maintenance. “Despite efforts to reduce costs, the situation has exceeded our ability to […]
Interview: Hideki Ogawa, President of Nishikawa Rubber Jan. 27, 2025. - Japan Rubber Weekly recently sat down for an interview with Hideki Ogawa, president of Nishikawa Rubber, to discuss the year ahead. “In 2025, we will continue to take on any challenge with elastic ideas,” Ogawa said. Also actively promoting the use of AI and automation, the company is on track to develop new products and technologies that are expected to […]
Interview: Toyohiro Hagiwara, Vice President, Gates Unitta Asia Jan. 24, 2025. - Japan Rubber Weekly sat down for an interview with Toyohiro Hagiwara, vice president of Gates Unitta Asia (GUA), to talk about business and the year ahead. “In the automotive field, we will expand the use of our products in commercial vehicles and respond to new types of mobility, such as EVs and electric motorcycles. In general industrial applications, we see […]
Molten Develops High Damping Laminated Rubber for Construction Apr. 25, 2025. - Molten Corporation, a manufacturer of rubber parts for athletic balls and automobiles, has developed a high-damping laminated rubber bearing for use in seismic isolation construction, and has obtained ministerial approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for designated building materials under Article 37 of the Building Standards Law. Molten’s MHR1500 high-damping laminated rubber bearing, which was […]
Sumitomo Riko Targets 2020s Deployment of Battery Cooling Plates and Inter-Cell Insulation Apr. 4, 2025. - With the anticipated increase in demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the future, Sumitomo Riko is advancing the development of battery-related products. The company is proposing battery cooling plates and inter-cell thermal insulation materials to automakers, aiming for practical application in the 2020s. The battery cooling plate, named the Cool Fit Plate, is a developmental product that contributes to […]
Japan Glove Manufacturers Association Publishes 2024 Glove Sales Volumes Apr. 18, 2025. - According to the 2024 Japanese domestic glove sales volume statistics compiled by the Japan Glove Manufacturers Association, household glove sales reached 73.253 million pairs, down 1% year-on-year, nearly flat. Nitrile gloves alone grew by 14%, but cautious buying due to a sluggish market continued to suppress demand post-COVID. Ultra-thin gloves (excluding medical use) totaled 5.405 billion pieces, up 6% and […]
CEMA Publishes Construction Machinery Demand Forecasts for Fiscal 2024 and 2025 Mar. 7, 2025. - The Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) recently released its construction machinery demand forecasts for fiscal 2024 (April 2024-March 2025) and fiscal 2025 (April 2025-March 2026). The forecasts were compiled based on a questionnaire survey conducted in January among 61 construction equipment manufacturers that are regular members of the association. According to the survey, in fiscal 2024, Japanese domestic shipments […]
