A new strategic partnership between Toyo Tire Corporation and automotive component manufacturer JAOS Corporation aims to increase the value of both brands within the SUV and 4×4 sector around the world. The two Japanese companies will collaborate in marketing activities and leverage their aggregate knowledge gained through joint participation in motorsports events and original product testing.
Tokyo has experienced more than its fair share of misfortune when it comes to hosting the Olympic Games. Confirmation came this week that, for the second time in modern Olympic history, the event wouldn’t take place as scheduled in the Japanese capital. The Games of the XXXII Olympiad are now expected to take place next year.
A new technique to observe and analyse individual materials within tyre rubber offers “enormous potential” for the development of high-performance tyres with unprecedented levels of efficiency and wear resistance, engineers at Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) and Ibaraki University claim.
Another tyre maker contributing to coronavirus relief efforts is Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. The Japanese tyre maker shared yesterday that it has donated RMB 2 million (£220,000) to non-governmental organisation the China Charity Federation. The donation supports the charitable organisation’s ongoing efforts to provide relief to those who are suffering from pneumonia and other ailments caused by the strain of coronavirus that continues to spread in China’s Hubei Province and beyond.
Four tyre plants in Japan and the Americas are amongst seven Bridgestone Corporation facilities to receive Caterpillar Inc.’s highest Supplier Quality Excellence Process (SQEP) rating. The manufacturer of construction and mining equipment has awarded Platinum Level certification to Bridgestone’s Hofu and Shimonoseki (Japan), Des Moines (USA) and Santo André (Brazil) plants.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has been named on the 2019 Climate Change A List announced on 20 January by CDP, a global environmental impact non-profit organization (NPO) that aims to promote the realization of a sustainable economy. Inclusion on the internationally prestigious CDP A List of companies with outstanding environmental performance recognizes Yokohama Rubber’s efforts to mitigate climate change as being of the highest global standard. This is the second time Yokohama Rubber has been included in the CDP Climate Change A List, following its first listing in 2016.
Working together with a Japanese university, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) has established a new technique for observing materials contained within tyre rubber. This process differs from existing methods as it enables an evaluation of the actual rubber used in mass-produced tyres rather than relying upon processed test samples. The company behind the Falken tyre brand foresees the technique facilitating the development of tyres with superior performance characteristics.
Bridgestone reports that it yesterday completed the cancellation of Treasury Stock pursuant to Article 178 of the Companies Act, a measure decided upon at a meeting of its Board of Directors on 15 February 2019. A total of 47,838,200 common shares have been cancelled, 6.8 per cent of issued shares.
On 11 January, Sailun Tire and production car drifting series D1 Grand Prix (D1GP) signed their official partnership for the 2020 season, solidifying Sailun as an official strategic partner and tyre supplier for what many consider to be the world’s top international drifting event.
Materials maker Asahi Kasei America has opened an office in Novi, Michigan to reach out to the automotive industry in North America. In North America, Asahi Kasei manufactures and sells car interior materials, compound resins, and battery separators, as well as electronic components for the automotive industry.
Bridgestone Corporation has been named as a sponsor of the first official video game of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). As the first partner of ‘The Pegasus Dream Tour’, Bridgestone is committed to helping the IPC engage new and younger audiences to increase awareness and popularity of Paralympic sports.
The latest global tyre market share figures from tyre industry analyst Astutus Research show how long-established, leading players headquartered in Japan, Europe, and North America have seen their volume share diminish, while Chinese, ASEAN, and selected other markets’ tyre manufacturers’ share has risen. The analyst states that in aggregate, the ten leading PCLT tyre manufacturers based in Japan, Europe and North America (J-E-NA) have lost almost 6 percentage points of market share since the end of 2011 (OE and replacement segments combined, volumes in tyre units). In part this reflects a strategic choice of some to focus on the higher value premium segments of the market.
Yokohama Rubber has teamed up with Alps Alpine to conduct research and development into CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared & Services and Electric) compliant sensors for passenger car tyres. The tyre maker chose to partner with the Japanese electronics specialist as, in addition to experience in sensor development, Alps Alpine possesses system design and software development capabilities that Yokohama anticipates will deliver synergies to its new tyre business model.
