Nihon Michelin Tire Co. Ltd. participated recently in the Japan Truck Show 2016, which took place from Sept. 1–4 at Pacifico Yokohama. The company intends to step up its contributions to the industry by providing forward-thinking tire services in response to issues that confront transport operators. At its display booth, Nihon Michelin exhibited its Michelin X One wide single tires,...
Tires
Bridgestone Extends Ice Hockey Sponsorship, Aims to Promote Winter Tires
Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has signed a contract extending its sponsorship of the Japan Ice Hockey Federation (JIHF), which the company has supported since 2012. Bridgestone believes that the competitive image of ice hockey, which has been called combat on ice, will raise the brand image of its Blizzak studless winter tires. During the sponsorship period, the company’s logo will be...
Production of Passenger Car Tires Down 1.5% in July
Production of automobile tires and tire tubes dropped 2.4 percent year-on-year in July, to a total of 91,442 tons, according to the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA). Production volume has fallen year-on-year for 20 straight months, but the number of units produced rose 0.3% year-on-year in July. Year-on-year production fell for all tire types other than industrial vehicle tires....

Yokohama Rubber’s Masaki Noro on Harnessing Motorsports Technology for Commercial Tires
One of the premier players in the global tire industry, Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) is also involved in racing events such as the Japanese Super Formula Championship. In addition to finding out about Yokohama Rubber’s engagement in such motorsports, Japan Rubber Weekly learnt how this carries over to the commercial business, sitting down for an interview with Masaki Noro,...
Sumitomo Rubber Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Miyazaki Plant
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the opening of its Miyazaki plant. Beginning operations in 1976, the plant now produces high-performance tires for passenger cars, trucks and buses with a monthly production volume of 9,354 tons. It manufactures more products for overseas export than any of the company’s other domestic plants. Among the roughly 2,000...

Racing the Ultimate Test for Tire Technology, Says Yokohama Rubber’s Head of Consumer Tire Development
From 2016, Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) is supplying its Advan racing tires as the control tires for the Japanese Super Formula Championship, the highest echelon of formula racing in Asia. To find out about what goes into such tires and the overlap with their commercial counterparts, Japan Rubber Weekly sat down with Masaki Noro, head of the company’s consumer...