Japan Rubber Weekly recently sat down for an interview with Hideki Ogawa, president of Nishikawa Rubber, to discuss the year ahead. “In 2025, we will continue to take on any challenge with elastic ideas,” Ogawa said. Also actively promoting the use of AI and automation, the company is on track to develop new products and technologies that are expected to...
Interviews
Interview: Toyohiro Hagiwara, Vice President, Gates Unitta Asia
Japan Rubber Weekly sat down for an interview with Toyohiro Hagiwara, vice president of Gates Unitta Asia (GUA), to talk about business and the year ahead. “In the automotive field, we will expand the use of our products in commercial vehicles and respond to new types of mobility, such as EVs and electric motorcycles. In general industrial applications, we see...
Interview: Mamoru Sato, President of Forbo Siegling Japan
Japan Rubber Weekly sat down for an interview with Mamoru Sato, president of Forbo Siegling Japan, to talk about the year ahead. “In 2025, we will focus on the growth of the Transilon Belt and promote company-wide business reforms to enhance sustainability,” Sato said. As part of its growth strategy, the company has invested billions of yen to add a...
Interview With Bando Chemical President Tomio Ueno
Bando Chemical is pursuing its medium-term business plan under the three guiding principles of Value Creation, Smart Manufacturing Creation, and Evolution of Organizational Capabilities for the Future. With co-creation as its keyword, the company is working to create new value and steadily achieving results in the fields of electronic materials, medical equipment, and healthcare equipment. Japan Rubber Weekly sat down...
Interview With Yokohama Rubber President and COO Shinji Seimiya
Japan Rubber Weekly recently sat down with Shinji Seimiya, president and COO of Yokohama Rubber, to talk about the company’s latest developments. Semiya is in charge of tire design and development, as well as manufacturing, quality, and and overseeing technology and production on a global scale. Under the new mid-term management plan Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026), which started this year,...
Special Interview: Zeon’s Kazuyoshi Matsuura on Portfolio Restructuring
Zeon Corporation, which recently announced its plan to shut down 60% of its synthetic rubber production facilities at its Tokuyama Plant from fiscal 2026 onward, has decided to restructure its portfolio, including the construction of a new cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) plant. To learn more about these plans, Japan Rubber Weekly sat down with Kazuyoshi Matsuura, director and senior corporate officer,...