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Rubber Industry Feels Impact of Kumamoto Earthquakes – Special Report

on April 27, 2016 in Interviews, Market Background

Rubber manufacturers in the Japanese prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita have been greatly affected by a recent string of earthquakes that have centered on Kumamoto Prefecture, beginning with a foreshock at 9.26 p.m. on April 14. Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) and NOK Corp. (TYO:7240) suspended operations at their respective manufacturing plants in Kumamoto Prefecture. Meanwhile, damage to locally based Tsuchiya Rubber...

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Rubber Goods Shipments Down 4% in February, Fall for Eight Straight Months

on April 26, 2016 in Market Background, Products

Shipment value of rubber goods in Japan declined in February by 4 percent year-on-year to 179.4 billion yen ($1.61 billion), sliding for the eighth consecutive month, according to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Production volume of automobile tires were 12.11 million tires, down 5 percent on-year, marking the 15th consecutive month of year-on-year decreases. Meanwhile, the value...

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Amid Limelight on China, Japanese Rubber Industry Quietly Continues Expansion Into Europe

on April 19, 2016 in Industry, Market Background

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...

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JATMA Introduces New Associate Membership System

on April 18, 2016 in Market Background, Tires

The Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA) has revamped its membership system, introducing a new associate membership system as of April 1, 2016. On the same date, two companies — Nihon Michelin Tire Co. Ltd. and Nippon Goodyear Ltd. — were registered as associate members. The establishment of this new membership system reflects the fact that tires are a global...

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Japan Rubber Workers Union Confederation Negotiates 1,010 Yen Pay Scale Increase

on April 1, 2016 in Industry, Market Background

The settlement results for labor force wages and annual bonuses have started to come out from the “spring offensive” negotiations in Japan. The Japanese Rubber Workers Union Confederation is comprised of 58 member unions. Forty-eight of those put forth wage demands to the companies of the unions’ respective labor forces, from which 20 unions have reached conclusions. Regarding annual bonuses, 45...

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Japanese Rubber Machine Makers Shift Focus to Maintenance Demand

on March 31, 2016 in Industry, Market Background

Japan’s rubber machinery manufacturers are increasingly cashing in on demand for maintenance and modifications to raise efficiency and add advanced features rather than new orders. This has come amid decreasing capital spending on production facilities, triggered by shrinking domestic manufacturing of automotive rubber parts and general industrial rubber products as a result of a decline in domestic production of automobiles...

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