Yokohama Rubber informally decided the below-mentioned changes of senior management at the meeting of the board members held on 17 February, 2023. The changes will formally be approved after the general meeting of shareholders to be held on 30 March, 2023.

As of March 30, 2023

Promoted Member of the Board (current position
Shinji Seimiya

Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Chief Technical & productional Officer, in charge of IT & Management System Planning Div.

(Member of the Board and Officer, Chief Technical Officer, in charge of Quality Assurance Div., Head of Tire Development Div).

Newly appointed Members of the Board (current position)
Tomoaki Miyamoto
Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Head of Japan Replacement Tire Sales & Marketing Div, Head of Consumer Tire Product Planning Div, in charge of Corporate Administration Div, Member of the Board of Yokohama Tire Japan Co, Ltd.

(Managing Officer, Head of Japan Replacement Tire Sales & Marketing Div, Member of the Board of Yokohama Tire Japan Co, Ltd).

Yoshikuni Nakamura
Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Head of Tire Business Planning Div, in charge of Tire Overseas Sales & Marketing Div, in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility Div.

(Managing Officer, Head of Tire Overseas Sales & Marketing Div, Chairman of Yokohama Asia Co, Ltd.)

Masahiro Yuki
Member of the Board and Officer, Head of Corporate Planning Div., in charge of Quality Assurance Div., Chairman of Yokohama Rubber (China) Co., Ltd.

(Officer, Chairman of Yokohama Rubber (China) Co, Ltd, Chairman of Yokohama Tire Sales (Shanghai) Co, Ltd, Chairman of Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co, Ltd, Chairman of Suzhou Yokohama Tire Co, Ltd, Chairman of Yokohama Industrial Products - Hangzhou Co, Ltd, Chairman of Yokohama Industrial Products Sales - Shanghai Co, Ltd, Vice Chairman of Shandong Yokohama Rubber Industrial Products Co, Ltd).

Megumi Shimizu
Member of the Board (Outside)

(Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Outside))

Junichi Furukawa
Member of the Board (Outside)

Newly appointed Members of the Board and the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee
Gota Matsuo

Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee

(Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Head of Corporate Administration Div, in charge of Corporate Finance & Accounting Dept, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Div, in charge of IT & Management System Planning Div, in charge of PRGR).

Hisao Uchida
Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee

(Audit & Supervisory Board Member)

Hirokazu Kono
Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee (Outside)

(Member of the Board (Outside))

Atsushi Kamei
Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee (Outside)
(Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Outside))

Hiroki Kimura
Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee (Outside)
(Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Outside))

The members of the Board voted at the meeting of the board members on 31 January, 2023, to shift the company from a company with an audit and supervisory board to a company with an audit and supervisory committee, subject to approval at the general meeting of shareholders on 30 March, 2023.

Change in Member of the Board’s responsibility
Nitin Mantri

Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Head of OHT Div, CEO of Yokohama Off-Highway Tires K.K, Chairman of Yokohama India, Chairman of Yokohama Tyre Vietnam Inc, in charge of Yokohama Europe GmbH.

(Member of the Board and Managing Officer, Head of OHT Div, CEO of Yokohama Off-Highway Tires K.K, Chairman of Yokohama India).

Retired Members of the Board
Yasuo Nakayama
Advisor, Vice Chairman of Yokohama Rubber (China), Chairman of Yokohama Industrial Products - Hangzhou, Chairman of Yokohama Industrial Products Sales - Shanghai, Vice Chairman of Shandong Yokohama Rubber Industrial Products.

(Member of the Board and Officer, Head of MB Div, Head of Hose and Couplings Div)

Toru Nakamura
Officers , President of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand).

(Member of the Board and Officer, Head of Tire Production Div).

Nobuo Takenaka
(Member of the Board (Outside))

Retired Audit and Supervisory Board Members (including four individuals newly appointed as Member of the Board or Member of the Board and the Audit and Supervisory Committee)

Osamu Mikami
Advisor
(Audit & Supervisory Board Member)

Hisao Uchida
Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee

(Audit & Supervisory Board Member)

Atsushi Kamei
Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee (Outside)

(Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Outside))

Megumi Shimizu
Member of the Board (Outside)
(Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Outside))

Hiroki Kimura
Member of the Board, Member of the Audit ＆ Supervisory Committee (Outside)
(Audit & Supervisory Board Member (Outside))

Promoted Officer

Takehisa Morimoto

Managing Officer, President of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, LLC, Chairman of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia, LLC.

(Officer, President of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, LLC).

Newly appointed Officers

Anil Gupta

Officer, COO of ATC Tires, Vice Chairman of Yokohama India.

(Associate Officer, COO of ATC Tires, Vice Chairman of Yokohama India)

Tetsuya Nagao
Officer, Head of Tire Production Div.

(Associate Officer, President of Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc)

Takeshi Masatomo
Officer, Head of Tire Overseas Sales & Marketing Div, Head of Tire Overseas Sales & Marketing Dept, Chairman of Yokohama Asia.

(Associate Officer, Acting Head of Tire Overseas Sales & Marketing Div, Head of Tire Overseas Sales & Marketing Dept).

Shoichiro Matsuda
Officer, Head of Tire Development Div, Head of Tire Designing Dept No 2

(Associate Officer, Acting Head of Tire Development Div, Head of Tire Designing Dept No 2)

Changes in Officers’ responsibility
Shinichi Takimoto

Senior Managing Officer, Chairman and CEO of Yokohama Corporation of North America, Chairman of Yokohama Tire Corporation, Chairman of Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc, Chairman of Yokohama Tire Mexico, S de RL de CV.

(Senior Managing Officer, President and CEO of Yokohama Corporation of North America, Chairman of Yokohama Tire Corporation, CEO of Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc, CEO of Yokohama Tire Mexico, S de RL de CV)

Jeff Barna
Senior Managing Officer, President of Yokohama Corporation of North America, President and CEO of Yokohama Tire Corporation

(Senior Managing Officer, President and CEO of Yokohama Tire Corporation)

Shingo Ishimitsu
Officer, Head of HR Dept, President of Yokohama Peer Support, President of Yokohama Rubber.

(Officer, Head of HR Dept, President of Yokohama Peer Support., President of Yokohama Rubber Health Insurance Society, President of Yokohama Rubber).

Promoted Associate Officers

Takashi Shirokawa
Managing Associate Officer, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Div, Head of Hiratsuka Factory

(Associate Officer, Head of Hiratsuka Factory, Head of Materials Technologies Dept).

Tsuneyuki Ishizuka
Managing Associate Officer, Head of Corporate Administration Div, Head of Corporate General Affairs Dept.

(Associate Officer, Acting Head of Corporate Administration Div, Head of Corporate General Affairs Dept).

Masaki Nakamura
Managing Associate Officer, Head of IT & Management System Planning Div, President of Hamagomu Aicom Inc.

(Associate Officer, Head of IT & Management System Planning Div, Head of System Development Dept, President of Hamagomu Aicom Inc).

Newly appointed Associate Officers

Hideki Satowa
Associate Officer, Deputy in charge of MB Production and Engineering, Head of MB Production and Engineering Planning Dept.

(Assistant in charge of MB Production and Engineering Planning, Head of MB Production and Engineering Planning Dept).

Motoji Fujita
Associate Officer, Acting Head of Research & Advanced Development Div, Head of Materials Technologies Dept.

(President of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand)

Hidekazu Onoi
Associate Officer, Head of Tire Materials Development Dept No 2

(Head of Tire Materials Development Dept No 2)

Takayoshi Omae
Associate Officer, Acting Head of Consumer Tire Product Planning Div, Head of Consumer Tire Product Planning Dept.

(Head of Consumer Tire Product Planning Dept)

Kazuhiro Masuda
Associate Officer, Acting Head of Corporate Administration Div, Head of Legal Dept

(Head of Legal Dept.)

Stan Chandgie
Associate Officer, Vice President of Yokohama Tire Corporation

(Vice President of Yokohama Tire Corporation)

Changes in Associate Officers’ responsibility

Michio Shimizu

Associate Officer, Head of Motorsports Tire Development Dept.

(Associate Officer, Deputy Head of Tire Development Div, Head of Motorsports Tire Development Dept).

Koji Watanabe
Associate Officer, Head of Tire Technical Planning & Administration Dept.

(Associate Officer, Deputy Head of Tire Development Div., Head of Tire Technical Planning & Administration Dept)

Naoki Takeda
Associate Officer, President of Aichi Tire Industry

(Associate Officer, Head of Internal Audit Dept)

Takayuki Hamaya
Associate Officer, Head of MB Div, Head of Industrial Products Div

(Associate Officer, Head of Industrial Products Div)

Shigemichi Mori
Associate Officer, Acting Head of MB Div, Head of Hose and Couplings Div, Head of MB Planning Dept.

(Associate Officer, Acting Head of MB Div, Head of MB Planning Dept)

Ming Fan
Associate Officer, Assistant to President, President of Yokohama Rubber (China) Co, Ltd., Chairman and President of Yokohama Tire Sales (Shanghai) Co, Ltd, Chairman of Hangzhou Yokohama Tire, Chairman of Suzhou Yokohama Tire.

(Associate Officer, Assistant to President, President of Yokohama Rubber (China), President of Yokohama Tire Sales (Shanghai).

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

JK Tyre & Industries is aiming for double-digit revenue growth in FY2026, outpacing its forecast for single-digit expansion across the broader tyre industry. Managing Director Anshuman Singhania outlined the company’s ambitions during a post-earnings media call, underscoring confidence in demand recovery and strategic market positioning.

Q1 Performance Overview

For the first quarter of FY2026, JK Tyre reported revenue of INR 38.91 billion, with EBITDA at INR 4.24 billion, translating to a margin of 10 percent. Net profit stood at ₹1.55 billion — up 51 percent compared with the previous quarter, but down 21 percent YoY.

Singhania attributed the annual decline to muted original equipment (OE) demand, particularly in truck and bus radial (TBR) volumes, alongside higher raw material costs compared to the same period last year. He also highlighted an adverse impact from the company’s Tornel business in Mexico, which faced uncertainty due to tariffs on exports from Mexico to the United States, dampening volumes.

Resilience in Domestic and Export Markets

Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries, said, “The growth momentum in domestic markets remained robust in Q1, with JK Tyre clocking a sales growth of 11 percent YoY, as contributed by a steady demand for our products in both replacement as well as OE segments, underscoring JK Tyre’s continued focus on core growth drivers and strengthening market presence.”

“Despite a challenging and uncertain macro-economic environment, exports of passenger car tyres witnessed a strong traction both on QoQ and YoY basis, signifying pull for our products and enhanced brand perception in the global markets,” said Dr Singhania.

Operational efficiencies and strategic pricing supported performance, even as natural rubber prices remained elevated. Subsidiaries Cavendish (India) and Tornel (Mexico) continued to contribute significantly to the group’s consolidated financials.

Operational efficiencies and strategic pricing supported performance, even as natural rubber prices remained elevated. Subsidiaries Cavendish (India) and Tornel (Mexico) continued to contribute significantly to the group’s consolidated financials.

Regarding trade tensions between India and the US, Anshuman Singhania noted that exports from India to the US account for only around 3 percent of JK Tyre’s revenue and could be redirected to markets such as Mexico, Latin America, Brazil and the UAE if required. With zero tariffs in Mexico, JK Tyre can utilise its production base there to meet demand for both passenger and truck radials. The EU and UK, where JK Tyre holds a strong position in the TBR segment, also remain tariff-free.

Capacity expansion

The company’s INR 14 billion capital expenditure plan is progressing on schedule, covering passenger car radial (PCR), TBR and all-steel truck radial projects. For the year, investment is expected to total INR 9-10 billion, aimed at boosting production capacity by 30-40 percent.

A key driver for future profitability is the shift towards premium products. The share of 16-inch and above passenger car tyres in JK Tyre’s portfolio has grown from 18 percent in FY2020 to 25 percent in FY2025, with a target of 40-45 percent over the next two to three years. This change is being fuelled by rising SUV sales, larger rim sizes in entry-level cars and strong export demand.

The company has also developed a complete range of tyres for electric vehicles, spanning commercial truck radials, bus tyres, passenger radials and two/three-wheeler tyres  Major OEMs such as Ashok Leyland’s Switch Mobility and Tata Motors are sourcing these products, including for last-mile connectivity vehicles and newly launched EV buses.

Market Outlook

The replacement market has been a bright spot, with passenger radial volumes up 32 percent year-on-year and truck radial volumes growing in the high single digits. JK Tyre expects demand to strengthen in the second half of FY2026, supported by infrastructure development, a favourable monsoon, potential interest rate cuts, and improved consumer liquidity.

Anshuman Singhania stressed that the worst of raw material price pressures appear to be over, paving the way for margin improvement as the product mix shifts and capacity utilisation rises. With the small car segment’s gradual decline offset by growth in premium categories, JK Tyre remains confident in sustaining momentum.

“Overall, India is poised for growth,” Singhania concluded. “We see positives across the board — from infrastructure push to evolving consumer preferences — and we are well-positioned to capitalise on these trends.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Yokohama Rubber has begun supplying its ADVAN V61 tyres as original equipment for BYD’s new SEALION 6 DM-i SUV, marking the Japanese manufacturer’s first OE partnership with the Chinese carmaker.

The SEALION 6 DM-i, a plug-in hybrid SUV launched by BYD Company Ltd. this July, is being factory-fitted with 235/50R19 103V size ADVAN V61 tyres. The announcement comes as Yokohama seeks to grow its footprint in China’s fast-evolving electric and hybrid vehicle market.

The ADVAN V61 is part of Yokohama’s global flagship ADVAN range and is positioned as a premium SUV tyre. The company said the tyre “offers ADVAN’s hallmark premium-grade driving performance, along with a high-level balance of fuel and energy efficiency, handling stability, and quietness, achieving both comfortable city driving and long-distance touring for heavyweight SUVs.”

The SEALION 6 DM-i combines a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine producing up to 74kW with an electric motor generating 160kW. Buyers can choose between 18.3 kWh and 26.6 kWh blade battery options, offering electric driving ranges of 93km and 130km, respectively. All models come equipped with advanced driver assistance systems as standard, and the exterior design draws inspiration from the concept of “ocean aesthetics.”

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd said its subsidiary Dunlop Tyre Japan Ltd has completed a Japan Fair Trade Commission investigation into automotive all-season tyre sales after the regulator approved a commitment plan submitted by the unit.

The probe, which examined the subsidiary’s sales practices, concluded without the commission identifying any violation of Japan’s Antimonopoly Act, Sumitomo Rubber said in a statement.

Under Japan’s commitment procedures, companies can submit plans to address potential competition concerns without admitting wrongdoing, allowing them to resolve investigations while avoiding formal sanctions.

"We deeply apologise for the great trouble and anxiety that we have caused to all concerned, including our clients and business partners,” the tyre maker said.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!

Belgian steel wire maker Bekaert reported resilient first-half 2025 earnings as strong cash generation and cost control offset softer sales, but warned that tariffs and currency pressures are weighing on demand.

The company posted consolidated sales of €1.9 billion, down 5.2 percent year-on-year, with volumes declining 2.6 percent and price/mix effects stripping out a further 2.2 percent. Underlying EBIT slipped 16.2 percent to €171 million, delivering a margin of 8.8 percent compared with 9.9 percent a year earlier.

Free cash flow surged to €123 million from €43 million in the prior-year period, driven by a €135 million reduction in working capital and €21 million in cost savings as the company continued to streamline operations and rein in capex. Net debt fell to €327 million from €399 million despite a continuing €200 million share buyback programme, €74 million of which has been completed.

“We have continued to focus on what we can control best – cash flow and costs - and have significantly reduced overheads and working capital in H1 2025,” chief executive Yves Kerstens said. “Equally, I am very pleased with the hard work of our teams fighting for volumes in the current challenging markets.”

He added: “We are also taking further steps to make our business units more autonomous and agile. Therefore, I am very confident that we will come out of the current business environment stronger and more cost competitive than ever before.”

Bekaert said volumes were particularly strong in its Steel Wire Solutions and Rubber Reinforcement divisions in the United States and China, while European and Latin American demand lagged. Its Brazilian joint ventures delivered €24 million in net profit share, up from €20 million a year ago.

However, the group cautioned that growing trade tensions – including a rise in US steel tariffs from 25 percent to 50 percent – and the weakening of the US dollar and Chinese yuan against the euro were eroding pricing power and softening orders.

“Following a period of resilience in Q2, the tariff uncertainty and weakening economic outlook has started to have an impact on demand,” Bekaert said.

The company now expects slightly lower full-year 2025 sales on a like-for-like basis, with an underlying EBIT margin of between 8.0 percent and 8.5 percent, down from 8.8 percent in the first half.

Comments (0)

ADD COMMENT

Link Copied!