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 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 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 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...
The Japanese market is witnessing a decline in demand for automotive belts, says Hajime Kakiuchi, president of major automotive belts and parts manufacturer Mitsuboshi Belting Ltd. (TYO:5192). Sitting down recently for an interview with Japan Rubber Weekly, Kakiuchi said that the drop-off comes as a consequence of not only the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) but also with the expanded...
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...
