Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI) has selected Rockwell Automation, Inc. to support the company’s digital transformation efforts, beginning with the installation of a Rockwell manufacturing execution system (MES) platform at its largest domestic plant, the Shirakawa City facility in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture. The factory will begin operations using the new platform in the second half of 2025.
Bridgestone Corporation is investing to expand capacity at three of its passenger car tyre production facilities in Japan. With a total investment of approximately 27 billion yen (£139.1 million) in the Hikone, Tosu and Tochigi plants, the company will boost capacity for Enliten and larger rim diameter tyres. Bridgestone will lift overall production capacity by around 3,000 tyres a day, mainly in the 20-inch and larger size category where the company anticipates growing demand. It will start work on the project early in 2025 and plans to complete it by the end of 2028.
On 8 November, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that it would continue to impose anti-dumping duties on Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) originating in South Korea and Japan. The Ministry of Commerce ruled that “if the anti-dumping measures are terminated, the dumping of imported nitrile rubber originating in South Korea and Japan to China may continue or reoccur, and the damage to China’s NBR product industry may continue or reoccur”.
Beginning in September 2024, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. is participating as an official partner in a research project that aims to reduce wastage when harvesting natural rubber by utilising the seeds of Para rubber trees. This “Utilization Technology of Rubber Seeds for Green Products to Mitigate Global Warming and Plastic Pollution” project brings together protagonists from government bodies, industry, and academia in Japan and Thailand, with Japan’s government providing support through its Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) programme.
Effective 1 October 2024, Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. has appointed Yoshikuni Nakamura to take on the role of Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Assistant to President, Head of Tire Business Planning Div., Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Div. He previously held the position of Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Assistant to President, Head of Tire Business Planning Div., in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility Div.
Pirelli and the Motorcycle World Championship paddock visit the Motegi Mobility Resort, formerly known as Twin Ring Motegi, for the Japanese Grand Prix (4-6 October) in a rare novel challenge for the tyre supplier. While Pirelli has competed on some races in the domestic All Japan Road Race Championship, it has never raced with either the Moto2 and Moto3 classes or other major international competitions at the circuit, meaning it has little data to rely on. As a result, Pirelli has opted for the standard tyres from the Diablo Superbike range included in this year’s standard allocation, albeit in greater quantities for some compounds.
The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. has joined the “Fry to Fly Project,” which pursues decarbonization of the airline industry by recycling domestic resources. Led by JGC Holdings Corporation, the project involves collecting waste cooking oil generated by companies and households and using it for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to power aeroplanes. As of 31 July 2024, 143 companies, municipalities, and organizations were involved in the project.
As part of a project involving parties based in Japan and Indonesia, Bridgestone Corporation is working to develop technologies for preventing White Root Disease (WRD) in Para rubber trees. WRD kills rubber trees by infecting the roots with pathogenic fungi that causes tissue decay, and the disease’s onset is difficult to detect. By developing technologies to prevent fungal infection, the project aims to stabilise the yield of natural rubber and improve the productivity of plantations.
Yokohama Rubber has commercially introduced a new technology it has been working on for a number of years, aerodynamic fins that improve handling stability. It debuted this feature on the Yokohama Advan A50, a size 165/50R16 75V tyre currently only available in Japan as an original equipment fitment on the Daihatsu Copen two-door convertible kei car.
The Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) is studying the “chemical recycling of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) by utilizing the coke ovens at its Kagawa Plant in Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. The MCG Group aims to begin marketing sustainable carbon black made from ELTs by March 2026.
From July, Yokohama Rubber is supporting its tyre development programme with a system that uses eXplainable AI (XAI) to make the development process clearer and more efficient. This advanced system aims to improve the work of both seasoned and less experienced tyre developers, reducing lead times and cutting costs.
Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (JAL) and Bridgestone Corporation have extended the application of their tyre wear prediction technology to implement scheduled tyre replacement operations for large jet aircraft, including the Airbus A350-900, which JAL has operated since May 2024.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is partnering with leading experts in Japan on a significant project unrelated to tyres but with substantial societal benefits. Together, they are working on developing a new cancer therapy using a “cancer cell absorption kit” that employs a unique polymer developed by Sumitomo Rubber.
In its fifth annual survey the Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei asked car users in four major automotive markets (Germany, the United States, China, and Japan) about brand loyalty and key motivators for buying electric vehicles (EVs). The results suggest tightening competition, new manufacturers entering the markets, and – perhaps as a result – “brand loyalty is wavering worldwide”.
In collaboration with several partners, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has achieved a further breakthrough in tyre technology. SRI teamed up with experts from institutes within Japan to develop a new synchrotron radiation technique that can measure the motion of atoms, molecules, and nanostructures within an extremely short timeframe, including down to 1 nanosecond. With this advancement, the Falken brand manufacturer anticipates enhancing its tyres’ strength and wear resistance.
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