JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) has raised its prices on synthetic rubber and emulsion products, starting with deliveries from Feb. 1. The company says that the hikes are in response to increased prices of raw materials in domestic naphtha. These come on the back of a weakening yen and the high price of crude oil, along with skyrocketing butadiene prices since last...
Synthetic rubber manufacturer Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) has posted increasing profits on falling revenues for its rubber business over the April–December period for fiscal 2017. The company’s sales volume over the period declined 5 percent year-on-year, sitting at 224,000 tons. General-purpose rubber for tires declined 10 percent domestically on account of a lowered utilization rate among tire manufacturers. Coupled with overseas...
Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) needs to quickly find and master new solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) technology in order to develop a distinctive position, says President Kimiaki Tanaka. Sitting down recently for an interview, Tanaka said that with Zeon and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) having agreed to merge their S-SBR operations under a new joint venture, we will see a...
Tokyo-based rubber manufacturer Sansho Kogyo Co. Ltd. is moving toward more frequent use of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) and fluororubber in its rubber materials, citing increased industry demand for durability and heat resistance. Traditionally, rubber products have been optimized for oil resistance, using high quantities of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). The production of more compact engines in recent years,...
Sales are strong for Zeon Corp.’s (TYO:4205) hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) Zetpol elastomers with improved heat resistance, which can withstand temperatures 20 degrees Celsius higher than conventional Zetpol products. Along with the increased use of dry products in gasket and oil seal applications, the use of latex products as treating agents for core wires in timing belts is also growing....
