Both production volume and shipment value of rubber hoses was down year on year for the month of April, according to records collated by the Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association. Based on statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the records reveal that production volume of hoses for April was 2,700 tons in terms of new-rubber volume, which...
Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) has opened a new training facility at its main automotive hose production center in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture. Known as “Matsusaka Shikokan,” the training facility was established in order to improve the skills of the personnel who will support future growth for Sumitomo Riko. It includes an “F Lab” for implementation of the “F-Ken” foreman-training program,...
Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195) will release an optical transparent adhesive sheet in August. The company developed the product, called Free Crystal, to apply to components of touchscreen displays. With the increased use of touchscreens, the needs for optical transparent adhesive sheets are diversifying. This demand is particularly strong for products like car navigation systems, where manufacturers want to turn...
When the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011, its hypocenter some 70 kilometers off the coast of Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, buildings were left devastated. However, this was primarily the result not of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake itself, which many buildings were able to withstand, but of the subsequent tsunami. As a method of addressing seismic activity, the use...
The aftershocks continue from the major earthquake that struck the Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu April 14. Almost two months after the original quake registered a seismic intensity of 7, an aftershock of intensity 5- struck on June 13. Although it cannot be said that the 24 buildings in Kumamoto Prefecture that incorporate seismic isolation rubber came...
New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. has announced that it will be releasing its New Balance Numeric line of shoes in Japan this July. It is the first action sports line in the brand’s history. Serving as the company’s entry point into the lifestyle category of sports footwear, the new line is aimed squarely at skateboarders. New Balance, which celebrates its...
