The Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA) appointed a new chairman and vice chairman at its annual general meeting on May 26, 2020. Masahiro Higashi of Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has replaced Takashi Shimizu of Toyo Tire Corp. (TYO:5105) as chairman, while Masataka Yamaishi of Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) has taken over from Bridgestone’s Akihiro Eto as vice chairman. This...
Industry
JSR Forms Comprehensive Tie-up With Tokyo University’s Department of Physics
JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) recently announced that it has formed a comprehensive collaboration with the Department of Physics at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Science. Joint research here started up on April 1. The first initiative under the tie-up is to establish a collaborative research base for bringing together physics and chemistry. Named the “JSR–UTokyo Collaboration Hub, CURIE,” this...
Mitsui Chemicals, Nagoya University Begin Joint Development of Reusable 3D-Printed Mask
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) has teamed up with Professor Katsutoshi Hori of the Graduate School of Engineering at Nagoya University and Friend Microbe Inc., a venture stemming from Nagoya University, to start development for a reusable 3D-printed mask. The greatest feature of this new mask promises to be virus-blocking capabilities while also offering reusability. This is achieved with a reusable...
Bridgestone Looks to Expand European Sales Network by Acquiring Germany’s Reiff
Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) subsidiary Bridgestone Europe NV/SA recently announced that it has concluded a final agreement to acquire Reiff Reifen und Autotechnik GmbH, a supplier of automotive services including tire sales in southern Germany. The agreement was concluded on May 1; the amount paid for the acquisition has not yet been revealed. Reiff controls a retail network of 42 tire...
Michelin Partners With Swedish Company to Develop Recycling Technology for Used Tires
The Michelin Group is partnering with Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (Enviro), a Swedish-based tire recycling company, on a large-scale project to develop and commercialize pyrolysis technology for the recycling of used tires. Pyrolysis is a method of chemically breaking down organic compounds through rapid heating. This then allows for the formation of new products which the treated organic compound did...
Rubber Industry Speeds up Efforts to Transition to Online Meetings and Announcements Amid Coronavirus
With most events being canceled amid the impact of COVID-19, industry players are increasingly looking at efforts to utilize online meeting systems. While many companies in the rubber sector have already been using such technology for the likes of in-house meetings and new employee training, a recent initiative has seen these systems beginning to find use for press conferences as...