Net sales in Japan for the hoses and couplings business of Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. dropped year-on-year in the first half of 2015 (January–June). Although the company began full-fledged sales of high-pressure hydrogen gas hoses for hydrogen filling stations and received a boost in sales from new automobile hose products, hydraulic hose sales shrank due to lower output by construction...
Industry
Former JSR President Yoshida Honored by Japanese Cabinet
On Nov. 3, 2015, former JSR Corp. President Yoshinori Yoshida received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from the Cabinet Office of the government of Japan. The Cabinet was conferring its autumn decorations and medals of honor. Yoshida was cited for accomplishments including spearheading global diversification that restructured JSR’s business and led to growth; contributing to...
Denka Completes Acquisition of Dupont’s Chloroprene Rubber Business
Denka Company Limited completed it acquisition of the chloroprene rubber (CR) business of E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company (Dupont) on Oct. 31, 2015. In December 2014, the companies announced that Dupont would sell its CR business to Denka Performance Elastomer (DPE; capital: $62 million), a joint venture between Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and Denka, for between 10 and 14...
Yokohama Rubber Consolidates Nagano Production Facilities
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for new buildings at its Nagano Toyooka Plant (Nagano Prefecture) as the company consolidates its Nagano production facilities with the aim of strengthening its hoses and couplings business. Construction is set for completion in November 2016, after which equipment will be moved from the current Nagano Takamori Plant to Toyooka. Consolidation...
JAMA: Automobile Production Drops in September
Japan’s domestic automobile production dropped in September according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (JAMA). The number of cars (4-wheelers) produced was approximately 830,000, down 3 percent over September 2014 and marking the 15th consecutive month that the figure had fallen year-on-year. The number of all vehicle types produced fell year-on-year. Passenger car production was just over 700,000 units, down 2...
Tokai Carbon’s Operating Income Up 44% Despite Lower Sales
Major Japanese carbon black manufacturer Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. recorded sales of approximately 80.5 billion yen ($653.4 million) in the first three quarters of 2015 (January-September), down 5 percent over the same period of the previous year. Operating income was up 44 percent to 3.5 billion yen ($28.4 million) and recurring profit was up 37 percent to 3.6 billion yen...