Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) is working to expand sales overseas of its Multiple Business (MB) Group, which handles products such as hydraulic hoses, conveyor belts, marine hoses and vehicle fender materials. In September 2014, Yokohama Rubber acquired Parker MHP S.r.l., an Italian marine hose manufacturing subsidiary of Parker Hannifin Corp. of the United States. With a production volume of...
Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd. (TYO:5192) is enjoying strong sales of conveyor belts for light transport, particularly the “white” belts used for food products. Sales are on the increase in the processed food market, particularly of convenience store items such as packed lunches, “onigiri” stuffed rice balls and prepared side-dishes. Safety and hygiene management standards in the food production workplace have grown...
The domestic revenue for the conveyor belt business of Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) moved almost sideways last year from the prior year. Meanwhile, the global sales for the segment fell, pushed down by a decline in global commodity prices. Although the segment’s domestic sales volume slightly increased, the profit was squeezed by price competition. While the demand for steelmakers,...
The period since the 1960s has seen a spurt of overseas expansion from Japanese companies involved in the rubber industry. This expansion has followed through from moving into Korea and Southeast Asia, centering on Taiwan, in the 1970s to North America in the 1980s and, since 2000, through into China and the ASEAN region. Recently, momentum has been gaining also...
Mitsutaka Yoshii, president of Kobe-based Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195), presided over a ceremony on April 14 to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the business’s foundation, where he and around 200 people including executives, managers and other employees were in attendance for the special occasion. The ceremony was broadcast live to 23 locations in nine countries. Yoshii kicked off the...
A magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck at 9.26 p.m. Japan Standard Time on April 14, with its epicenter near the city of Kumamoto in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. At Bridgestone Corp.’s (TYO:5108) Kumamoto Plant in Tamana City, Kumamoto Prefecture, the earthquake was recorded on the Japan Meteorological Agency’s seismic intensity scale as 6-lower, and the plant ceased operations immediately after the earthquake struck....
