Japan Rubber Weekly recently had the opportunity to talk with Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA) Chairman Tadanobu Nagumo about the outlook for the Japanese rubber industry. Nagumo, who is also chairman and CEO of Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101), said that as M&A activities progress globally, disparities between companies are becoming increasingly clear. Furthermore, the more innovation is progressing, the...
Industry
Japan’s Rubber Technology Forum Celebrates 30th Anniversary
The Rubber Technology Forum, an engineering group dedicated to research related to the intersection between leading-edge industries and new developments in the rubber industry, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Since its founding in 1986, the Rubber Technology Forum has offered a number of sound recommendations related to the promotion of rubber industry research and development. The forum achieves this by...
Zeon, Sumitomo Chemical to Merge S-SBR Operations in New Venture
Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) have entered into a partnership contract to integrate their solution-styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) business operations under a joint venture firm to be established on Dec. 8. According to the contract, ZS Elastomers Co. Ltd. (ZSE) will be established as a wholly owned Zeon subsidiary using a capital investment of 450 million...
Acquisition by Dow Chemical Creates Synergies, Complements Business: Dow Corning Toray CEO Sakurai
Dow Chemical Co.’s (TYO:4850) chemical technologies will complement Dow Corning Corp.’s high-growth silicone business sector, a point of pride in the company, and other segments in which demand is expected to grow in future, said Dow Corning Toray Co. Ltd. CEO Eriko Sakurai at a recent press seminar held on Nov. 29. Talking about Dow Chemical’s full acquisition of Dow...
Japanese Rubber Firms Report Mixed Earnings for June–August
Twenty-four listed rubber companies, including two synthetic rubber firms, have released earnings for the June–August quarter of fiscal 2016. Of the 24, only seven companies reported higher earnings, while 14 reported higher operating income. Eleven reported higher ordinary income, and five reported higher net income. Only three companies reported higher earnings for all three categories (operating income, ordinary income and...
Japanese Manufacturers, Arlanxeo Increase Prices for Chloroprene Rubber
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...