Lanxess AG recently announced that it signed an agreement on Aug. 8 to sell its 50 percent stake in Arlanxeo, a manufacturer of synthetic rubber, to state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co. The German-based specialty chemicals manufacturer first established Arlanxeo in 2016 as a 50–50 joint venture with the Saudi firm, which is also known as Saudi Aramco. The sale is...
Industry
First-Half Rubber Belt Production Down 2% Year-on-Year
Japan’s total production of rubber belts for January–June declined 2 percent year-on-year to 13,169 tons, according to a set of rubber and resin belt statistics recently released by the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association. Factors behind this included a fall in domestic demand for conveyor belts and flat demand, both domestically and in exports, for transmission belts. Looking specifically at rubber...
China Issues Preliminary Ruling on NBR Anti-Dumping Duty: Zeon Faces 30%, JSR 18.1%
China has issued a preliminary ruling on an anti-dumping duty targeting nitrile rubber (NBR) imports from Japan and South Korea. This follows the country’s Ministry of Commerce having announced this duty on July 16. Under the new anti-dumping duty, Japan’s Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) is required to pay a deposit of 30 percent on its NBR exports to China, with this...
Food Industry: A Very Appealing Market for Belt Manufacturers
Belt manufacturers are strengthening their marketing efforts in the food industry. A look at sales performance among buyers of resin conveyor belts indicates that food-related companies are the largest customer category, accounting for more than 30 percent of demand. Given the stability of demand expected in this market, manufacturers across the board are focusing their efforts on new product offerings...
JATMA Releases Midyear Update to 2018 Tire Demand Forecast
The Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA) has revised its forecast of tire demand for the business year through next March. Total domestic demand in the updated forecast – covering four-wheel vehicles, two-wheel vehicles and non-four-wheel specialty vehicles – was upwardly revised by 75,000 tires. But with higher figures having been confirmed for 2017 since the previous forecast, this still...
Zeon Subsidiary Tokyo Zairyo Sees Profit Rise for Ninth Straight Year
Tokyo Zairyo Co. Ltd., a Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) subsidiary focused on the trading of raw materials, has shown strong financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2018. Fiscal 2017 saw the company generate 93.28 billion yen ($844.28 million) in sales, up 7 percent year-on-year; 1.99 billion yen in ordinary profit, up 2.6 percent; and 1.54 billion yen in net...