Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) have reached a basic agreement to begin looking into the consolidation of the two companies’ solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) businesses. Zeon and Sumitomo Chemical will, by the end of September, complete due diligence and studies pertaining to the nature of the business consolidation. Any definitive agreements stemming from this would...
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) has launched Tuftex α, a new conveyor belt cover compound designed for use on demanding applications such as high-capacity reclaimers handling iron ore and coal at port stock yard facilities. The new cover compound features the company’s advanced rubber compounding technology, achieving high levels of abrasion resistance and providing longer service life. Reclaimers transport large...
The Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy Okushiga (OICMA), directed by Seiji Ozawa and established with a founding grant and ongoing sponsorship from Lanxess KK, performed a concert on Aug. 1 at Hakuju Hall in Tokyo’s Shibuya-ku Ward. Established in 2011, OICMA’s mission is to train numerous stringed instrument performing artists by developing the talents of especially gifted young musicians from...
Business performance for JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) suffered somewhat over the first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year. The large synthetic-rubber manufacturer announced on July 25 that sales for April–June saw a year-on-year drop of 7 percent, falling to 88.786 billion yen ($878.535 million); operating profit fell 24 percent, down to 5.637 billion yen; pretax profit dropped by 20 percent, at...
Shoe polish and shoe accessory manufacturer Columbus Co. Ltd. has launched Return Home Safely insoles that protect soles from shards of glass and other dangerous sharp objects that may penetrate one’s shoes when walking through a disaster zone. The product has a double-layered design of highly dense and strong polyester fibers that meets the JIST 8101 criteria for anti-penetration performance....
In a recent Japan Rubber Weekly survey, a majority of management executives from 171 manufacturers of tires, industrial rubber and resin products expressed pessimism about the economic recovery (read related article here). Asked specifically about what business problems were cause for concern, executives primarily pointed to (1) rapid exchange-rate movements, coming on 55.5 percent of the responses; (2) economic trends,...
