Lanxess has announced the temporary closure of its office in Tokyo. For the time being, management from the Tokyo office will be based in Toyohasi, some 250 kilometres southwest of the Japanese capital. The specialty chemicals firm’s Rhein Chemie operates a production facility for rubber chemicals in Toyohashi.
Deliveries of the Nissan Leaf – the vehicle recently crowned European Car of the Year 2011 – have begun in Europe, and Bridgestone reports that models of this all-electric car sold here and in Japan will be supplied with its Ecopia tyres as original equipment. The tyre maker will supply its Ecopia EP150 in size 205/55R16 91V. This fitment is part of a larger Ecopia EP150 line-up Bridgestone announced in January; the range is now available to fit a wide range of compact and mid-sized passenger cars with 14 to 16-inch rim sizes in 55 to 65 series.
Bridgestone has given further information on restarting production in its factories located in Japan’s Kanto region or north of that region. Production at the company’s Yokohama and Tokyo factories has already recommenced, although electricity supply and other issues are still restricting a return to full production at the Yokohama site. It is anticipated that Bridgestone’s Tochigi, Nasu and Kurioso factories will recommence production on March 16. Deliveries from the Tokyo plant are expected to restart on March 16 and deliveries from Tochigi and Nasu on March 18 or thereafter.
In response to widely circulated fears about the effect the disaster in Japan and subsequent nuclear reactor issues will have on demand for natural rubber, the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries has opined that these events “will not have significant impact on rubber demand from the country.” Supporting this statement, the ANRPC points out that major tyre manufacturers have already confirmed their plants remain largely unscathed and will resume full production upon the restoration of reliable electricity supplies.
German tyre and automotive component manufacturer Continental AG has donated 250,000 euros in emergency aid for those living in the regions of Japan destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami. Referring to recent developments, company CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart said “our thoughts are currently with the people of Japan who are living through one of the country’s worst crises. Management and employees alike have been devastated by the disaster and its consequences.
Yokohama Rubber has provided information on the status of its factories in Japan following last Friday’s earthquake. Tyre production has been largely unaffected, with its Shinshiro, Mie and Onomichi factories operating as normal. The tyre maker comments that it is “addressing the issue of procurement of raw materials” for these plants. Operations at the company’s Mishima plant, where passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyres are produced, was suspended following the earthquake. Yokohama has found no serious damage to buildings or equipment, and operations were partially resumed after it confirmation was given it was safe to do so. Yokohama says it is “now working to determine a schedule for returns to full operation.”
Yokohama Rubber has announced it will donate 50,000,000 yen (almost £380,000) to assist with relief efforts following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan on March 11, 2011. In a press statement announcing this donation the company also said: “Yokohama Rubber Group would like to express their sympathy to the families who lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunami, and truly hope that the area devastated by the earthquake will be reconstructed as soon as possible.”
Falken has released a statement from its finance and admin director T. Ikeuchi, reporting that its Shirakawa factory has “stopped daily manufacturing operations due to the immediate black out, and because the factory building and equipments installed have been found partly damaged. Ikeuchi also stated that the company is “investigating the extent of the damages”, intending to recommence production as soon as possible. In addition, Ikeuchi said that all “Sumitomo Rubber Industries group employees and their families have been confirmed uninjured”.
According to news published on the The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries’ website, Thailand’s government intends to intervene in its domestic rubber market and support prices following their recent fall. The country’s deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, is quoted as saying “we will meet exporters very soon. We need to do something to support rubber prices; they should not fall below 100 baht (£2.01) per kilogramme.” Prices for USS3 rubber fell to 95 baht per kilogramme on March 14, down from 132 baht on March 11. Since mid-February prices for USS3 rubber have plummeted almost 50 per cent.
Rubber prices have been in decline of late and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan have added to this downward trend. The trading of rubber futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange was suspended following a 30 yen per kilogramme drop in the April-delivery contract (to 378.4 yen) while the August delivery rubber contract declined 4.5 per cent or 17.9 yen to 383.5 yen. This decline was tracked by China's benchmark rubber futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, which on March 14 fell by six per cent, the daily limit, to RMB 33,480 per tonne.
Expressing it’s the company’s deepest condolences to the victims of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Toyo Tires group has released further details about the how the tragedy has affected its business and what it is doing to ensure the safety of workers.
Despite the fact that Toyo runs a plant in Sendai near the epicentre of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake, the company reports that neither this nor its other manufacturing plants in Japan have been affected by the tsunami, and there has not been any significant earthquake damage to plant building or facilities.
The Bridgestone Group has responded to the widespread earthquake and tsunami damage in Japan with a pledge to contribute donations of 300 million yen (approximately US$3.5 million) to assist with relief efforts. Bridgestone Corporation will donate 200 million yen and Bridgestone Group will donate bicycles and bedclothes worth 100 million yen.
Indonesia’s PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical has outlined plans to diversify its production portfolio and enter the synthetic rubber sector through the construction of a new butadiene production facility – Indonesia’s first – in Banten Province. According to Mr. Suryandi, the company’s corporate secretary and investor relations director, the US$100 million facility will have a production capacity of up to 100,000 tons per annum and is expected to commence operations in the third quarter of 2013. Construction of the plant is anticipated to begin in the second quarter of this year.
Goodyear has announced the election of Werner Geissler, vice chairman of global operations for The Procter & Gamble Company, to the company’s Board of Directors as an independent director. “Werner brings to our Board of Directors more than three decades of valuable experience in brand and business leadership,” said Richard J. Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer. “His consumer marketing expertise, along with his international insights, will be an asset as we continue to carry out our global strategy in 2011 and beyond.”
With great sadness Maxxis International (UK) PLC has announced the loss of Peter McMartin the company’s founder and chairman. Peter McMartin passed away peacefully with family at his side, late in the evening of Monday 14 February, following a short battle with cancer.
Born in Falkirk, in 1932, Peter McMartin’s entrepreneurial career took off in the early 1970s when he began importing car and motorcycle parts from Japan. He then went on to focus exclusively on motorcycle parts before merging his company with distributor Bickers Anglia (Accessories) Limited in 1986. In 1998 Peter successfully completed the purchase of the company and went on to develop the business with the support of his directors and committed, loyal workforce. The company converted into PLC status for a short time before a new joint venture company was formed in March 2005, Maxxis International UK plc. Maxxis still uses the Bickers name to continue trading in the motorcycle industry, while using the Maxxis brand to trade in the automotive tyre sector. Peter had remained active as chairman until just a few weeks prior to his death, always maintaining a positive hands-on approach to the company he loved.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
