Mitsutaka Yoshii, president of rubber belt and functional parts manufacturer Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195), sat down with Japan Rubber Weekly ahead of the new year to discuss his company’s plans for 2018. Noting that Bando’s new businesses have finally taken shape, he stressed that placing them on a sound growth footing is the key task in the second stage...
Nichirin Co. Ltd. (TYO:5184), a manufacturer specializing in automotive hoses, has set up a production technology center within the company’s Himeji Factory. In a recent interview with Japan Rubber Weekly, Nichirin President Ryuichi Maeda said that the company will use the center to tackle innovative manufacturing and develop new production methods. In addition, he said, Nichirin will focus on bolstering...
The auto industry’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is picking up pace. However, Toru Matsui, president of major rubber part manufacturer Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191), says the trend is not having as much of an impact on the company as public discussion would imply. That being said, Sumitomo Riko has responded to the wave of EV innovation by setting...
Mitsubishi Cable Industries Ltd., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Materials Corp. (TYO:5711), has found that more customers could be affected by the company’s recently shipped non-conforming seal materials. Over a two-and-a-half-year period spanning from April 1, 2015 to Sept. 30, 2017, the Japanese manufacturer shipped non-conforming seal materials for applications such as packing and gaskets. The failure has been attributed to...
The Japan Belting Manufacturers Association is forecasting 11,817 tons of demand for domestically produced transmission belt products during 2017, virtually unchanged from the previous year. While automotive-related demand has somewhat declined, demand has been strong for general industrial belting. Growth was driven by applications for semiconductors, injection molding machinery, machine tools and industrial robots. Transmission belt production from January through...
Golf equipment maker Kasco Corp. has announced that it will next April release a new golf ball made using eucommia elastomer. The ball, branded the Biospin, will be a high-end product with a suggested retail price of 1,000 yen ($8.88) per ball. The cover material is made with trans-1,4-polyisoprene, an inedible biomass produced by the Eucommia ulmoides tree – also...
