Auto parts maker Nishikawa Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5161) recently released its results for the first three quarters of fiscal 2017, showing sales to be up by 11.1 percent year-on-year to 71.28 billion yen ($667.89 million). Operating profit for the April–December period was down 3.4 percent to 5.92 billion yen year-on-year, while ordinary profit was up 6.7 percent to 7.08 billion...
Products
Mitsuboshi Belting Gains 6.6% in Belt Sales Over First Three Quarters
Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd. (TYO:5192) has posted approximately 53.2 billion yen ($492.7 million) in total sales for the first three periods of fiscal 2017. This represents an increase of 6.6 percent over the same period for the previous year. The company made gains in operating profit as well, recording a 6 percent year-on-year increase to hit approximately 6.91 billion yen. Ordinary...
Yonex Adopts Nitta’s CNT Technology for Tennis Rackets
Sporting goods maker Yonex Co. Ltd. (TYO:7906) plans to manufacture tennis rackets with shafts that incorporate Namd prepreg, a carbon fiber prepreg made using Nitta Corp.’s (TYO:5186) proprietary Namd technology for carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersion and synthesis. The use of Namd prepreg in the shafts of VCore Pro tennis rackets is expected to provide a combination of strength, flexibility and...
Toyoda Gosei to Launch New Steering Wheel for Accident Prevention
Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) will begin sales of an aftermarket steering wheel that activates an alert upon detecting that the driver has taken his or her eyes off the road or started to fall asleep. The product was developed to prevent semi-trailer truck accidents, which can often lead to more damage than passenger vehicle accidents, and will be sold...

Mitsuboshi Belting Launches Upgraded Tension Meter for Transmission Belts
Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd. (TYO:5192) has launched sales as of the end of last year for the Doctor Tension Type-IV, a sonic tension meter that helps maximize conveyor belt function. The device, which uses sound waves to measure optimum tension in transmission belts, can be used with a wide range of belt designs – including timing belts, flat belts, V-belts and...
Okamoto Industries President Forecasts Continued Demand for Automotive Products
Okamoto Industries Inc. (TYO:5122) President Yoshiyuki Okamoto believes that his company this year will likely be able to maintain the business performance that it saw with automotive products in 2017. Sitting down for an interview recently with Japan Rubber Weekly, Okamoto said that he expects these products to keep up sales levels, particularly in the U.S. and China, though he...