A new member of the Yokohama BluEarth tyre range specifically aimed at vans will be available from March 2018. The BluEarth-Van RY55 will be produced in a total of 30 sizes for 14- to 17-inch rim diameters. In addition to being sold in European markets, the BluEarth-Van RY55 will be available in Asia (excluding Japan), Oceania, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.
Yokohama Rubber has expressed its pride in two awards its UK sales and marketing subsidiary, Yokohama H.P.T. Ltd. (YHPT), has gained this year – the Tyre Manufacturer of the Year award presented by TyreSafe in July and the Industry Marketing Campaign of the Year award gained at the 2017 NTDA Tyre Industry Awards ceremony in October.
Although no specific motorsport activity formed part of the tyre maker’s 100-year celebration at a global level, the centenary year of 2017 proved an incredibly exciting and successful one for Yokohama on race and rally track, with numerous event and championship victories swelling the silverware cabinet.
As of November, Yokohama Rubber has a new global motorsport manager. Minoru Nakayama took on this position earlier this month, succeeding long-time incumbent Naoki Ando.
In addition to developing a new, informatics-based tyre design technology, Yokohama Rubber says it has established a development technology for rubber materials based on materials informatics. The company expects this new technology will “dramatically raise the accuracy and speed of the development of rubber materials with unprecedented high-performance characteristics.”
Some companies celebrate their centenary with a giant birthday cake; Yokohama Rubber has done so by developing a tyre. Although described as a concept, the tyre will come to market this year – albeit just in Japan, in one size (205/55R16 91V) and only on a limited basis. The anniversary tyre is called the BluEarth-air EF21. Yokohama Rubber reports that it is based on the “most advanced technologies and the latest design technique for reducing tyres’ weight and environmental impact.” The BluEarth-air EF21 will be introduced to the world at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show 2017, which opens to the press tomorrow and to the public from 28 October.
Yokohama Rubber is about to release its most quiet tyre to date. It won’t be coming to the UK or Europe any time soon, however – the Yokohama Advan dB V552 is intended for sale in Asian markets, arriving in an initial range of 24 sizes next month. The launch portfolio begins at size 155/65R14 75H and goes up to 265/35R18 97W XL.
There’ll be 100 candles on Yokohama Rubber Company’s cake come 13 October, and as part of its contribution to its parent’s birthday celebrations, Yokohama’s regional head office in Europe has launched a microsite that offers a historical overview of the Japanese firm.
Yokohama Rubber delivered its shareholders good news today upon reporting a 38.7 per cent year-on-year increase in profit attributable to owners of parent in the first half of 2017, with profit amounting to 11.4 billion yen (£79.8 million). Operating income during the six months to 30 June rose 16.8 per cent to 18.4 billion yen (£128.8 million), while net sales increased 15.9 per cent to 310.8 billion yen (£2.2 billion).
Yokohama Rubber stock has been selected for inclusion in two additional indices that focus on the stocks of companies that demonstrate strong Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. In addition to the FTSE Russell FTSE4Good Index, which it has been a component of for 13 consecutive years, Yokohama Rubber has been newly included in FTSE Russell’s FTSE Blossom Japan Index and MSCI Inc.’s MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index.
Yokohama Rubber has revised its projections for interim sales and earnings for the first half of 2017. These latest projections replace those announced on 20 February. The company’s projection for net sales has increased 3.3 per cent to 310.0 billion yen (£2.1 billion), the projection for operating income has been increased 28.6 per cent to 18.0 billion yen (£123.4 million), and the projection for profit attributable to owners has been pushed 46.7 per cent upwards to 11.0 billion yen (£75.4 million).
In addition to its current shirt sponsorship with Chelsea Football Club, Yokohama Rubber has gained jersey sleeve sponsorship for the 2017-18 season. In addition to the Yokohama Tyres logo prominently featured across the chest of the Chelsea FC jersey these past two seasons, the new jerseys worn by players during Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup matches will feature the logo of the company’s recently-acquired Alliance Tyres brand on the jersey’s left sleeve. The new jersey made its debut at Chelsea’s pre-season match with Arsenal at the ‘Bird’s Nest’ in Beijing, China on 22 July.
Thanks largely to gains in its tyre business outside Japan and the first-time inclusion of Alliance Tire Group B.V. (ATG) in its consolidated results, Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. performed well in the first quarter of 2017. Net sales increased 14.2 per cent year-on-year to 147.7 billion yen (£1.0 billion), operating income was, at 9.1 billion yen (£61.8 million), 32.0 per cent higher than during the same period a year ago, and profit attributable to owners of parent was up 56.4 per cent to 5.7 billion yen (£38.7 million).
The Yokohama Rubber subsidiary dedicated to motorsports activities will be dissolved on 30 June, the tyre maker announced today. The operations currently handled by Yokohama Motorsports International Co., Ltd. will be transferred to a new internal Motorsports Department that will be established on 1 May.
The initial two in a series of short films released by Yokohama Rubber and featuring players from Chelsea FC have been released, and in the coming weeks a further three are coming to a social networking site near you. The five films are subtitled in English and Japan, and will be followed by German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Mandarin Chinese versions.
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