Zeon announces synthetic rubber price rises

Tokyo – Zeon Corp. is increasing prices for its synthetic rubber products, effective 1 June, the Japanese group has announced.

Products covered by the increases, announced 16 May, include: Butadiene rubber (Yen30/kg), styrene butadiene rubber (Yen30/kg), polyisoprene rubber (Yen37/kg).

Also listed are: polyacrylate rubber (Yen26/kg), HNBR (Yen150/kg), acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (Yen31/kg) and polybutadiene rubber (yen26/kg).

In addition, Zeoforte Zeon super composite (ZSC), a nanotechnology polymer alloy obtained by highly dispersing zinc polymethacrylate in HNBR, will see a Yen150/kg increase.

According to Zeon, the “unavoidable price revision” was due to the rise in manufacturing facility management costs, mainly labour costs.

“We have been striving to reduce various costs, but it has become very difficult to maintain prices through our efforts alone,” said Zeon.