JAPANESE synthetic rubber producers are increasing their exports in Asia, taking advantage of a depreciated yen.
The Japanese yen has marked down by more than 20% or YEN97 against the US$ since October 2012, and Japanese synthetic rubber producers have been capitalising on the cheaper currency to increase their exports in Asia by as much as 10% in the first quarter of the year, compared to the fourth quarter of the previous year.
The current situation is a positive respite for Japanese synthetic rubber producers, who in recent years, had focused on the domestic market as the strong currency impeded their export edge.
Local synthetic rubber producers of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), butadiene rubber (BR), and ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM) producers offer premium synthetic rubber products that are US$50-100/tonne (EUR38-76/tonne) lower than those offered by other Asian vendors.
Several of the Japanese synthetic rubber producers include Asahi Kasei, JSR Corp, Mitsui Chemicals, Sumitomo Chemicals, Ube Industries and Zeon Corp.