by Yasuhiko Shimizu, Chief Editor E-media Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), a synthetic rubber used in products including automobile parts and electrical cables, is currently in global oversupply. EPDM is a synthetic rubber with superior electrical properties and outstanding resistance to weather, ozone, heat, cold and chemicals. A large share of overall production is used in the manufacture of...
Japan’s carbon black masterbatch industry is experiencing a downturn. The expected rise in demand starting in July 2015 had not materialized as of November. Accordingly, the Japan Polymer Mixing Manufacturers Association (JPMA; comprising 24 companies) has lowered its forecast for 2015 to between 110,000 and 115,000 tons, about the same as 2014, or less. The year the JPMA was established,...
Dow Chemical Japan Ltd. (President: Peter Jennings) held “Dow Japan Innovation Day Tokyo” on November 19 to showcase its latest technologies and business activities in Japan. The large turnout of 320 visitors included customers, partner companies and industry representatives. The importance that Dow places on the Japanese market was shown by the presence of about 50 personnel from parent The...
Shinsuke Yoshitaka, president and CEO of Denka Co. Ltd., spoke about his company’s recently completed acquisition of the chloroprene rubber (CR) business of E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company (Dupont). Yoshitaka said that since announcing the acquisition, Denka has submitted the deal to antitrust authorities in 12 countries and has been given the go-ahead, and that the newly acquired U.S....
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. announced at a recent press conference that it is developing highly functional biomass materials for tires. Conventional rubber used in tires contains oil from fossil resource as a softener. The problem, however, is that the oil gradually leaches out of the rubber, causing tires to harden. Sumitomo Rubber solved this problem by using plant-based oil as...
Zeon Corp., the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) held a completion ceremony at Zeon’s plant for the world’s first mass-production of carbon nanotubes using the super-growth method developed by AIST. The plant goes online in November 2015. The super-growth method offers the benefits of high-speed and...
