Production volume for synthetic rubber in Japan from January to September 2015 was 1.24 million tons, a more than 2 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Synthetic Rubber Industry Association of Japan. This was despite output by manufacturers in synthetic rubber customer industries such as automotive and tires was sluggish. Performance at synthetic rubber companies for the first half of...
Zeon Corp. will halt its synthetic rubber production in the U.K. The company plans to break up and liquidate Zeon Chemicals Europe Ltd. (ZCEL), a consolidated subsidiary that produces and sells nitrile rubber (NBR). The reasons for the decision are uncertainty about securing procurements of primary materials over the long-term in the U.K., as well as the changing market environment....
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....
