Looking at the market for synthetic rubber, solution-polymerized styrene–butadiene rubber (S-SBR) would appear to be on the road to significant growth. Demand for fuel-efficient tires is playing a central role in guiding this rubber down its promising path, creating an expectation that global S-SBR demand will grow by 6–7 percent per year going forward. And Japanese manufacturers, who are technological...
Materials
NOK President Expects US–China Trade War to Drive Profits Down by 600M Yen
Kiyoshi Doi, president of major oil seal producer NOK Corp. (TYO:7240), recently provided his thoughts on how the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China is impacting his company’s business. NOK’s operations see the company ship products both from the U.S. to China and vice versa, Doi said. He therefore expects that tariffs being placed on these products will...
Denka Plans Productivity Boost for Chloroprene Rubber as Global Supply Remains Tight
Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) President Manabu Yamamoto has shed light on his company’s future plans for chloroprene rubber (CR), which is currently up against a tight supply–demand balance around the world. Yamamoto revealed that Denka is looking to increase its productivity for the material via bottleneck removal, implementing moves for this not only at the company’s Omi Plant in Japan...
Sanyo Trading Posts Strong Results on Back of Rubber-Related Product Sales
Raw materials trading firm Sanyo Trading Co. Ltd. (TYO:3176) has posted a strong set of business results for the fiscal year ending September 2018. Over the period, the company achieved 78.45 billion yen ($688.8 million) in sales, up 15.8 percent year-on-year; 5.26 billion yen in operating profit, up 6.6 percent; 5.58 billion yen in ordinary profit, up 5.8 percent; and...
Denka Establishes New Hub to Integrate Management, Bolster Cooperation at Omi Plant
Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061), a chemical firm that produces synthetic rubber and high-performance polymers, recently announced that it has completed construction of a new general office at its Omi Plant in Niigata Prefecture. Named the Omi Innovation Hub, this new facility will be used to bring more integrated and efficient management to the plant while also facilitating cooperation between different...
Yokohama Rubber Makes Strides Toward Sustainable Future With New Procurement Policy
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) announced on Oct. 15 that it has decided to adopt a new, sustainability-focused procurement policy for natural rubber. The new policy will serve to highlight Yokohama Rubber’s stance on natural rubber procurement, a range of efforts that the company is making in the area and any relevant requests for suppliers. Plans are to implement the...