Dunlop Home Products Co. Ltd. presently boasts strong-performing merchandise in the form of its disposable gloves, and the company is analyzing to see if the increase in demand is due to consumer-friendly pricing. As far as new products go, the company is making a push with the “Sara Sararin” line of its natural-rubber household-glove series, “Ki kara Umareta” (literally, “Made...
Towa Corp. Ltd. hit the 7-billion-yen ($61.73 million) sales plateau for the first time ever in 2014. The company’s tried-and-true strategy is to differentiate itself from competitors, stressing the development and launch of functional products that offer users never-before-seen value. Like clockwork, Towa Corp. continues to release products that fulfill its long-held role of being quick to market with new...
Showa Inc., Japan’s top rubber and plastic glove maker, is pursuing a strategy to increase its brand value. To this end, the company has standardized brand logos across global markets and introduced its tagline “Always Innovating. Never Imitating.” In the work gloves market, differentiation is difficult and just adding to product lines would result in greater price competition. So Showa’s...
The rubber and vinyl glove industry, excluding medical application products, enjoyed a strong performance in 2015, with sales of ultra-thin gloves reaching 3 billion pairs, up 24 percent over 2014. Greater glove functionality and a higher awareness of sanitation contributed to the surge. Glove companies are focusing on developing and launching products with new value. To avoid getting caught up...
Using demand through March 2015 as a baseline, Sumitomo Riko Co. Ltd. (TYO:5191) is, on a consolidated basis, anticipating close to double-digit revenue growth for 2016 with its industrial hose business. Going forward, this will be backed by overseas markets. Sumitomo Riko already has production bases in China and India, and it is expanding also into other regions, with particular...
Despite forecasts indicating slow demand for construction machinery both in Japan and overseas and market conditions that have become more difficult since last year, Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108), which has introduced an in-house company system, is rolling out a plan to include its high-pressure hose business in its in-house global mining and agricultural machinery solutions company. Under this arrangement, the in-house...
