NOK and Eneos Jointly Develop Self-Lubricating Rubber May. 14, 2024. - NOK and Eneos have jointly developed “self-lubricating rubber,” a rubber material that reduces friction in oil seals and other sealing products by up to 40% compared to conventional products and maintains the same sealing performance as before even in poorly lubricated environments. In industries where sealing products are in demand, the amount of lubricating oil used is being reduced and […]
Strategies of Summer Tire Makers: Goodyear Japan May. 13, 2024. - Goodyear Japan is pursuing a premium strategy that includes higher-inch tires and tires for SUVs. Since last year’s summer tire season, the company has been promoting its all-season tire series Vector 4Seasons to expand sales. The series is one of the company’s strengths and sales volume has been increasing every year. “In previous years, we have been promoting the series […]
NOK and Eneos Jointly Develop Self-Lubricating Rubber May. 14, 2024. - NOK and Eneos have jointly developed “self-lubricating rubber,” a rubber material that reduces friction in oil seals and other sealing products by up to 40% compared to conventional products and maintains the same sealing performance as before even in poorly lubricated environments. In industries where sealing products are in demand, the amount of lubricating oil used is being reduced and […]
Special Report: Rubber Compounders Facing Uphill Battle May. 7, 2024. - Current carbon masterbatch demand is sluggish, lacking momentum both domestically in Japan and internationally, and the outlook for recovery is uncertain. In addition, manufacturers are facing a number of challenges, including aging facilities, aging employees and rising costs. Although the industry is indispensable in supporting rubber products, the environment in which it operates appears to be difficult. Carbon masterbatch production […]
Strategies of Summer Tire Makers: Goodyear Japan May. 13, 2024. - Goodyear Japan is pursuing a premium strategy that includes higher-inch tires and tires for SUVs. Since last year’s summer tire season, the company has been promoting its all-season tire series Vector 4Seasons to expand sales. The series is one of the company’s strengths and sales volume has been increasing every year. “In previous years, we have been promoting the series […]
Strategies of Summer Tire Makers: Yokohama Rubber May. 10, 2024. - This summer tire season, Yokohama Rubber is focusing on the Advan dB V553, which went on sale in February this year. The concept of this tire is a premium comfort tire that provides excellent quietness not only when new, but also when worn. In addition, the tire features handling and wet performance, and offers quietness and safety that lasts longer. […]
Shin-Etsu Polymer Reports FY Results, Silicone Rubber Molded Products Sluggish May. 1, 2024. - Shin-Etsu Polymer posted sales of 104.38 billion yen ($668.25 million), down 3.6% year-on-year, operating income of 11.05 billion yen, down 13.3%, ordinary income of 11.53 billion yen, down 11.2%, and net income of 8.67 billion yen, up 1.7% for the fiscal year ended March 2024. In the precision molded products segment, sales declined 4.8% to 47.61 billion yen, and operating […]
Seal Launches Sneakers Made from Discarded Tire Tubes Apr. 25, 2024. - Seal, a brand that upcycles discarded tires, began on April 16 limited-quantity pre-order sales of the Sneaker 501 Vibram Sole, Japan’s only high-performance sneakers made from discarded tire tubes. The product is made from discarded tire tubes from large trucks, which are not crushed or processed in any other special way, but are reused as a part of the upper […]
Synthetic Rubber Sales and Profit Rise on Higher Shipments: Zeon FY 2023 Results May. 1, 2024. - Zeon reported net sales of 382.28 billion yen ($2.42 billion), down 1.6% year-on-year, operating income of 20.50 billion yen, down 24.6%, ordinary income of 26.91 billion yen, down 14.3%, and net income of 31.10 billion yen, up 194.3% for the year ended March 2024. In the elastomer materials business segment, sales declined 3.1% to 215.29 billion yen, and operating profit […]
Tosoh Raises Prices of Chloroprene Rubber Apr. 30, 2024. - Tosoh said that it will raise the prices of all Skyprene chloroprene rubber products for shipments from May 20. The price increase is 57 yen ($0.36) or more per kilogram for sulfur modified grades and 47 yen or more per kilogram for other grades. Regarding the price increase, the company said, “We have been implementing various measures to reduce costs, […]
Interview With Rengo Chairman Nobuhiro Sato on Coming Spring Campaign Feb. 28, 2024. - Japan Rubber Weekly sat down with Nobuhiro Sato, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of Gomu Rengo, the Japanese Rubber Workers’ Union Confederation, talking about the spring campaign for the current fiscal year that is about to get underway. Sato sees this as “a critical moment to determine whether the trend of wage increases will be sustained,” and is determined […]Interview With Nichirin President Hiroyuki Soga Feb. 8, 2024. - Japan Rubber Weekly sat down with President Hiroyuki Soga of Nichirin, a manufacturer of automotive hoses and piping. Soga, who assumed the position of president in April 2023, was posted to the United States at the age of 26 and has since then worked overseas for a total of 26 years. He has also served as president of overseas subsidiaries […]
NOK and Eneos Jointly Develop Self-Lubricating Rubber May. 14, 2024. - NOK and Eneos have jointly developed “self-lubricating rubber,” a rubber material that reduces friction in oil seals and other sealing products by up to 40% compared to conventional products and maintains the same sealing performance as before even in poorly lubricated environments. In industries where sealing products are in demand, the amount of lubricating oil used is being reduced and […]
Valqua Launches AI-Powered Equipment Abnormality Detection System Apr. 29, 2024. - Valqua and Ridgeye, an AI and deep learning technology consulting and development company, have developed an equipment abnormality detection system that is equipped with a jointly developed AI technology that can handle vibration and ultrasonic sensing of rotating equipment in general. Marketed a Vherme, the system can flexibly respond to on-site needs for equipment abnormality detection by combining Valqua’s abnormality […]
Special Report: Signs of Recovery in Demand for Rubber Sheets Apr. 26, 2024. - Signs of recovery have emerged in demand for fluorine rubber sheets, which had been in a slump. With the elimination of the oversupply of semiconductors, there has been movement in the production of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which had been undergoing production adjustments, and this has led to an upturn in current demand. Demand for silicone rubber sheets is also increasing […]
Review: Japanese Conveyor Belt Market in 2023 Apr. 5, 2024. - According to statistics compiled by the Japan Belting Industry Association, Japanese conveyor belt production in 2023 was 9,073 tons, down 5% from the previous year, marking the second consecutive year of decline and the second year in a row that production has fallen below 10,000 tons. Japanese domestic demand was boosted by an increase in automobile production due to the […]
