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SRI: Testing breakthrough will lead to higher rubber yields
Japanese tyre maker Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) says its collaboration in a research project has resulted in a technique that may improve natural rubber yields and even enable natural rubber biosynthesis within a laboratory.
Yokohama Rubber a FTSE Blossom Japan company
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has been selected as a constituent stock in the FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, an equity index designed to reflect the performance of Japanese companies that demonstrate strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.
Falken: Power generation tech measures tyre wear
A joint project between Sumitomo Rubber Industries, parent company of Falken Tyre Europe, and Professor Hiroshi Tani of Japan’s Kansai University has resulted in the development of an innovative power generator for tyres. It generates electricity from the rotation of the tyre and uses this to power peripheral sensors installed within the tyre. In this way, the sensors can operate without the need for batteries.
SRI: Better tyre rubber through tomato research
Tyres and tomatoes. At first glance these have little in common apart from the same initial letter, but Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. may beg to differ. The Japanese manufacturer shares news of joint research work focusing on an enzyme that is found in tomatoes and has a similar structure to those involved in the biosynthesis of natural rubber.
Asahi Kasei appoints Kudo president
As of April 2022, Koshiro Kudo will assume the role of president of Asahi Kasei, with current president Hideki Kobori becoming the company’s chairman. Asahi Kasei states that with 40 years of corporate experience, the new president will “lead the company into a new century of its history” – the Japanese firm celebrates its 100th anniversary in May.
Bridgestone partnering in ELT raw material projects
Bridgestone Corporation has commenced a joint programme with four other parties to develop chemical recycling technologies that can deliver high yields of isoprene from end-of-life tyres (ELTs). Earlier today it also announced the launch of a joint research and development project with one of these entities, Eneos Corporation, to extract raw materials from ELTs using pyrolysis with the aim of further using these materials to make new tyres.
Capacity increase for 4 Bridgestone car tyre plants
Bridgestone Corporation is expanding production capacity at four of its passenger car tyre plants in Japan. With an investment of approximately 8.2 billion yen (£52.8 million), capacity at the Tochigi, Hikone, Hofu and Tosu facilities will increase by approximately 6,200 tyres per day by the end of 2025, an amount that equals more than ten per cent of current capacity.
Itochu bids $1.7 billion for Hitachi Construction Machinery stake
Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NVHitachi is selling around half its 51 per cent shareholding in Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd for 200 billion yen (£1.271 billion; 1,524 billion euros; US$1.7 billion) to Kwik-Fit’s owner Itochu and investment fund Japan Industrial Partners, according to reports published by Nikkei on 13 January 2022. Itochu confirmed that it is “considering this matter”, but declined to give further details later the same day in a statement that read:
Yokohama offers US$2 billion for Trelleborg Wheel Systems as global off-highway tyre segment consolidates
TrelleborgYokohama Tire has bid around $2 billion for Trelleborg Wheel Systems in a move that could further expand the Japanese company’s growing off-highway tyre business. Sources close to the bid told Tyres & Accessories that Yokohama is currently in a due diligence process that is likely to be completed during the next month or so. Yokohama previously bid for Prometeon, the ex-Pirelli industrial/off-highway tyre business at the end of 2019. Despite ongoing discussions over the following year or so, that deal wasn’t completed. Yokohama appointed the former global head of Prometeon, Gregorio Borgo, as its European president earlier this year. Trelleborg Wheel Systems executives declined to comment on the reports.
Bridgestone sells tennis ball company
Another company within Bridgestone Corporation’s Diversified Products business will soon have a new owner. Bridgestone Sport Co., Ltd. (BSP) is selling all its stock in Bridgestone Tecnifibre Co., Ltd. (BSTF), a Thailand-based manufacturer and seller of tennis balls, to Japanese sport equipment company Yonex Co., Ltd. BSP withdrew from the tennis goods business at the end of 2020.
Bridgestone closing 3 Diversified Products plants
Bridgestone Corporation has announced plans to close three of its non-tyre production facilities. The Shikoku, Gifu and Gotemba plants in Japan, operated by Bridgestone Diversified Chemical Products, will respectively close in Q3 2022, Q1 2023 and Q2 2023, with their output taken up by the business’s remaining six facilities. Bridgestone expects that the 83 employees at the three plants will continue working for Bridgestone Diversified Chemical Products.
LinglongSRI: Lower full-year forecast despite profit bounceback
Although Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ (SRI) sales revenues and particularly profit for the first nine months of 2021 were healthily above those achieved a year earlier, the Japanese firm has downwardly revised its sales and profit forecast for full-year 2021.
