The Japanese Rubber Workers Union Confederation (JRWUC) has largely completed its spring labor offensive, and unions have submitted wage demands at most large rubber manufacturers. According to the JRWUC, 45 out of 58 unions have submitted their wage demands, and despite discrepancies between sectors such as tires, automobile parts, and industrial goods, wage increase demands are trending downward from the...
sumitomo rubber
Japanese Tire Companies Boost Production Capacity in North America
Japanese tire companies are reaping higher profits in the North American market with the help of a livelier U.S. economy. That help is coming in the form of strong sales of large vehicles in the U.S. that is creating major demand for large tires fitted onto pickup trucks and SUVs. Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108) has responded to this demand by announcing...
![Sumitomo Rubber to Advance Global Strategy and Production—CEO Ikeda Sumitomo Rubber CEO Ikuji Ikeda (archive photo)](https://www.japanrubberweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2016/02/20160120160105-Sumitomo-Ikeda-342x481-100x100.jpg)
Sumitomo Rubber to Advance Global Strategy and Production—CEO Ikeda
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...
![Strategic Businesses in Western Markets—Sumitomo Rubber](https://www.japanrubberweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2016/01/20160120160105-Sumitomo-Ikeda-342x481-100x100.jpg)
Strategic Businesses in Western Markets—Sumitomo Rubber
New Year’s Top Interview: Sumitomo Rubber CEO Ikuji Ikeda 2016 will be a crucial year for Sumitomo Rubber’s new mid-term business plan. In order to achieve its goals, the company plans to stay steady on its feet and adapt to the changes in the increasingly challenging rubber market, said Ikuji Ikeda, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), in an...
2015 a Year of New Material Development Technologies (Part 1)
2015 was a year of numerous new materials and material development technologies from tire companies. Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), which makes Dunlop tires, came out with its Advanced 4D Nano Design new materials development technology. Advanced 4D Nano Design is able to accurate analyse and simulate the internal structures and molecular behaviour of rubber, making possible significant, simultaneous improvements...
Cheaper Raw Materials Help Tire Manufacturers Increase Profit (Part 2)
The price of Japanese-made naphtha, an indicator of synthetic rubber prices, was 47,200 yen ($380) per kiloliter for the third quarter (July–September), down by more than 3 percent, or 1,600 yen ($13), over the second quarter (April–June). Naphtha prices are expected to drop further in the October–December period. Falling raw material prices look to continue as a factor in tire...