Ikuji Ikeda, president and CEO of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), said in a recent interview with the Japan Rubber Weekly that he expects major progress in his company’s global strategy. The dissolution of the alliance agreement with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of the U.S. will free Sumitomo Rubber of constraints in the North American and European markets...
The Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA) announced that automobile tire production volume (in terms of rubber volume) in 2015 (January–December) in Japan was 1.06 million tons. This marks a 6 percent year-on-year decrease and the fourth consecutive year of negative growth. Looking at product category, production volume was down year-on-year across the board. Truck and bus tires decreased by...
Sumitomo Rubber (TYO:5110) plans to use its Ultra Pure Natural Rubber (UPNR) in truck and bus (TB) tires for the first time with the ENASAVE SP688 Ace, an all-season TB tire product line featuring improved fuel efficiency. A successive sales launch of size-13 ENASAVE tires is set to begin in March.
Bridgestone has announced the release of the Playz PX-Series, tires that contribute to driving safety by reducing driver fatigue. These tires have a different pattern on the inboard side and outboard side of the tread. By stabilizing contact with the road surface, they reduce the need for the driver to constantly make minor directional adjustments in steering.
The automobile market in Japan is going through a difficult period, said Yujiro Kanahara, president of Nippon Goodyear Ltd., speaking recently to Japan Rubber Weekly. This is particularly true in the tire sector, where Nippon Goodyear faces a number of strong rivals and where market growth is limited, Kanahara said. Still, he believes there are opportunities for growth.
Guangzhou Fengli Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd., southern China's biggest manufacturer of radial tires and owner of Wanli Tire, has decided to enter the Japanese market. This will provide a foothold for its global expansion strategy, thus ensuring a prime base from which to expand elsewhere overseas.
