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MIKASA CORPORATION

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MIKASA CORPORATION

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PROFILE

Mikasa Corporation has been a major player in the rubber products manufacturing sector for well over a century. While originally catering to the consumer and sporting goods market, Mikasa has been producing rubber-based parts for the marine sector since the 1970s. Fast forward to today and Mikasa has the goal of using the extensive knowledge and experience the company has accumulated to expand further into the global maritime markets. Article co-written by Jordan Yallop and Daniel Barnes.

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ince the company’s founding, Mikasa has always strived to create the best rubber products possible for its clients.

Following an expansion into the manufacture of submerged bearings, pumps and rubber linings for propulsion shafts for the marine sector, Mikasa has enjoyed continued success.

Such is this success, the company now aims to expand further into global maritime markets.

Mr Yoshihiko Onishi, Executive Officer of Mikasa Corporation, spoke of the company’s goal: “Based on the experience gained in the supplying our bearings into

in 1981, the FF-Bearing has a self-lubricating polytetrafluoroethylene resin at the part that slides with the shaft to provide ultra-low friction and high durability.

“In 2018, we developed an upgraded version of FF-Bearing Crescent Type to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary.”

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the coastal vessel market in Japan, we are looking to break into the global coastal or inland vessel markets. At the same time, we will also develop the market for oceangoing vessels.”

Beginning as the Hiroshima Gomu Corporation in 1917, founded by Mr Masutaro Masuda, Mikasa originally manufactured and sold various rubber products such as rubber flip-flops (known as Zori in Japanese culture). Over the years the company has built a large positive reputation as a sporting goods manufacturer, with a primary focus on sports balls. These products have been used

in various world championships and Mikasa’s volleyballs have been officially used by the Volleyball World Championship for over half a century.

It was in the 1970s that Mikasa entered the burgeoning marine sector, with a catalogue that now includes rubber bearings, rubber linings for ship propulsion shafts and the company’s FF-Bearing.

Mr Yoshihiko Onishi said: “Utilising our rubber processing and manufacturing technology, we developed a water-lubricated bearing in 1975, and since then it has been widely used for ships and pumps. Developed

Mikasa’s industrial arm is located in Hiroshima along with the head office, where over 150 employees are based – 30 of which are specialist manufacturers. The company’s sporting goods production plant has over 400 employees and is located in Thailand.

Mikasa offers rubber linings for propeller shafts to support a maximum length of 20m in size, making it the only company in Japan capable of such a feat. Another noteworthy point is how all of Mikasa’s bearings are water lubricated and therefore have a diminished impact on the environment in contrast to oil lubricated bearings.

Such is the trust in the company’s home in Japan, Mikasa’s water lubricated bearings were used in the construction of the SHIRASE, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Antarctic exploration ship.

On the 24th of February 2022, the company also joined the Green Award incentive program. Mr Masahiko Izumi, Sales Manager of Mikasa Corporation explained this move was carried out in order to further contribute to the marine transportation industry and the conservation of a rich marine environment through the company’s products.

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MIKASA CORPORATION

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PROFILE

“We will sell our company products at a 5% discount to Green Award certified shipping companies, to shipyards that are contracted by a Green Award certified shipping company and have a Green Award interim certificate for the new build project,” he outlined.

To accommodate the company’s future expansion, plans are in motion to increase the size of the research and development facilities at Mikasa headquarters. This is to facilitate the plans to enter the oceangoing vessel market with the company’s water lubrication system.

“In both the domestic and global markets, our aim is to venture into the oceangoing ship sector in the near future, and the FF-Bearing Crescent Type can be adapted to the shaft weight of large ves-

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sels. Currently, oil lubrication is the mainstream option in the ocean-going vessel market, but we would like to replace this with Mikasa’s water lubrication,” said Mr Masahiko Izumi.

Tried and tested Mikasa currently produces three specialised products for the marine segment: rubber linings for propulsion shafts, water lubricated bearings, and the FF version of the company’s water lubricated bearings.

Mikasa lines propulsion shafts with rubber to prevent corrosion associated with marine usage. The rubber lining must be exceptionally strong against contraction, expansion and torsion – due to temperature changes rotational torque and external shocks. These highly trusted products

in May 2022. Green technology is a key concept on these new ships, which goes to show the utility of Mikasa’s bearings.

Charting a future course

eliminate the permeation of seawater by encapsulating the at-risk components in hardwearing ebonite.

Propulsion systems can be classified into two major types – water and oil lubricated systems. Mikasa started developing rubber water lubricated bearings in the early 1970s.

These products are characterised by their low power loss, low wear, and the fact they cause no damage to the shaft and sleeve of the vessel.

Mikasa’s water lubricated FF-Bearings have the characteristics of rubber bearings with added polytetrafluoroethylene, meaning they have just one-eighth the frictional resistance of traditional rubber bearings. This reduction in friction also means that more energy is saved, further contributing to reduced CO2 emissions.

These FF-Bearings are also self-lubricating, which eliminates some of the dis-

advantages of traditional rubber bearings – such as burning and noise issues under specific circumstances.

Mr Masahiko Izumi said: “At the time of its development, Mikasa’s FF-Bearings were sold only to the Ministry of Defense and coast guards, but since 2000, it has been expanded to the general merchant ship and pump market.

“It’s durability and abrasion resistance have been recognised by many customers as a proven track record, and in 2021 it was used in more than 50 newly built domestic vessels. The number of new domestic vessels built in Japan is about 70 per year, so you can see how large our FF-Bearing market share is.”

Due to the efficacy of the FF-Bearings, MSC Cruises selected Mikasa unique bearings for use on four luxury cruise ships, the first of which will be delivered

Mikasa strives to always meet industry trends. Most recently it has committed to providing products that contribute to its customers’ ESG management and SDG initiatives. Furthering the point that the company’s FF-Bearings reduce more friction than standard rubber bearings – Mikasa’s own research has found that switching to FF -Bearings can reduce a ship’s fuel consumption by as much as 5%.

Mr Yoshihiko Onishi stated the company’s goal of entering the ocean-going vessel market is also its biggest challenge.

“Many people in the ocean-going vessels market have never dealt with water lubrication systems, so we need to explain to them the benefits of it from scratch. There are many advantages to using seawater lubrication, any issues can be prevented with proper management, so we need to continue to provide accurate information to our customers.”

He concluded: “This move to the oceangoing vessel market will require a global support system, so we will continue to develop our bases, including through collaboration.

We will also need to increase the size of our products to accommodate larger vessels, so we will be increasing the size of our production and testing facilities.”

Inside Marine has translated and edited parts of this article based on a manuscript

by Kaiji Press Co Ltd. Permission to reprint has been obtained from Kaiji Press Co Ltd.n

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