Sapporo Holdings to Sell Beer in South Korea from December
Sapporo Holdings will sell its beer products in South Korea from December in partnership with Maeil Dairy Industry Co, which is a local dairy product company. Sapporo targets annual sales of 300,000 cases next year in the market where imported beer sales are rapidly expanding. One case holds 24 350-mililiter bottles. According to Japanese brewer, Sapporo International Inc. concluded a tie-up agreement Nov 12 with Maeil.
Sumitomo Metal Invests in India
According to Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd., it will invest in Steel Strips Wheels Limited (SSWL), which is the largest maker of automotive steel wheels in India.
The invested capital will be applied to expand SSWL's production capacity. Ring Techs Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal, has provided technical assistance to SSWL since 1997. The investment will be carried out through a third-party allocation of new shares worth 442 million rupees on Dec. 10. Sumitomo Metal Group aims to raise its presence in India's growing automotive market with this equity investment.
Takata to Release Seat belt with Built-in Air Bag
Maggie Zhang joined iTV-Asia in September 2010. She is originally from Henan, China and is “Content Coordinator” for Japan. She is focused on a number of industries including advertising, energy, entertainment, finance, food & beverage, media and real estate. Maggie is new to Shanghai and is exploring and learning about this great city. She can be reached at maggie.zhang@itv-asia.com.
Auto parts maker Takata Corp will release a seat belt with a built-in air bag which inflates in an automobile collision. Takata is becoming the first company in the world to introduce such a product. The seat belt will debut in the Lexus LFA luxury sports car Toyota Motor Corp will put on the market in December.
According to the Tokyo-based company, because the seat belt air bag not only protects the driver’s chest but also prevents the head from striking interior objects such as a side window, it makes side and curtain airbags unnecessary although a front airbag remains necessary.
Firms Slightly Mollified on U.K Immigration
The Japanese business community in Britain gave a guarded welcome to plans for an annual limit on immigration.
As far as the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Britain concerns, putting a ceiling on non-EU skilled workers could impact firms.
As for Japanese businesses established in the U.K., the decision reflects the important and positive contribution that they make to the U.K. economy and employment. But the changes are still likely to have some negative impact on the operations of Japanese companies there, especially with the new restrictions on other tier one and two routes, complicating the process of recruitment, and the JCCI remains concerned that the new system may have an impact on new investment decisions.
Japanese firms are concerned the new cap will make it harder to recruit skilled people, such as engineers, from outside the European Union for their British operations. Some have already expressed frustration at an interim cap on immigration that has meant applications for work permits being denied.
Under the new scheme, Britain plans to reduce annual net migration from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands by 2015.
Maggie Zhang joined iTV-Asia in September 2010. She is originally from Henan, China and is “Content Coordinator” for Japan. She is focused on a number of industries including advertising, energy, entertainment, finance, food & beverage, media and real estate. Maggie is new to Shanghai and is exploring and learning about this great city. She can be reached at maggie.zhang@itv-asia.com.