Business is expected to stay robust for the construction machinery industry, which is a major source of demand for high-pressure hoses. According to data recently released by the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA), the shipment value of construction equipment is expected to rise 5 percent year-on-year for fiscal 2018, reaching a total of 2.4 trillion yen ($22.61 billion). Driven...
domestic demand
Japan Belting Manufacturers Association Releases Demand Forecast for 2018
The Japan Belting Manufacturers Association recently published a 2018 demand forecast for rubber and resin belts. As part of the report, the association estimated the 2017 production volume of rubber belts at 26,694 tons, marking a 1 percent year-on-year increase and a third consecutive year below 30,000 tons. While transmission belt production stayed flat for 2017, conveyor belt production rose...
Transmission Belt Demand up for General Industrial Products, Flat for Auto Products
The Japan Belting Manufacturers Association is forecasting 11,817 tons of demand for domestically produced transmission belt products during 2017, virtually unchanged from the previous year. While automotive-related demand has somewhat declined, demand has been strong for general industrial belting. Growth was driven by applications for semiconductors, injection molding machinery, machine tools and industrial robots. Transmission belt production from January through...
Rubber Hose Production Expected to See 6% Rise for 2017
Production volume for new rubber hoses in 2017 is forecast to be 36,632 tons, up 5.8 percent year-on-year, according to annual demand data compiled by the Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association. Meanwhile, shipment value is forecast at 138.4 billion yen ($1.23 billion), up 2.1 percent. Though production volume and shipment value showed losses last year, both are expected to have...
Conveyor Belt Production in Recovery
The conveyor belt business is recovering thanks to a turnaround in domestic demand for conveyor production and a 40 percent jump in exports to Australia. Meanwhile, soaring raw material costs are hurting the industry’s bottom line. Production volume figures for January through August compiled by the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association show that output has recovered on a year-on-year basis to...
Carbon Black Association Releases Updated Demand Estimates for 2017
The Carbon Black Association of Japan has released a mid-year update to its estimates of 2017 demand for carbon black. Demand including exports is now projected to rise 0.5 percent from last year to a total of 750,785 tons. While demand in tons has been downwardly revised from the previously projected 753,115 tons, the new figures indicate higher expected growth...