The future stability of supply for thinners and cutting oils — fundamental industrial materials indispensable to the manufacture of products spanning an extraordinarily broad spectrum, from semiconductor chips and precision electronic components to automobiles and commercial aircraft — is growing markedly uncertain, according to the latest assessment issued by a leading Japanese machine tool industry association. These specialized fluids, critical for cooling, lubrication, and precision processing in multiple stages of production, underpin a vast network of manufacturing operations across the global economy. Their steady availability, therefore, represents not merely a logistical convenience but an essential prerequisite for maintaining the smooth functioning and competitiveness of advanced manufacturing systems worldwide.
Although no tangible shortage has materialized as of the present moment, experts caution that the situation remains precarious. Shigetomo Sakamoto — president of Shibaura Machine Co. and concurrently serving as head of the Japan Machine Tool Builders’ Association — has emphasized that lingering geopolitical volatility, particularly the ongoing and protracted conflict gripping parts of the Middle East, could escalate into a significant supply chain risk. He noted that the effective closure or disruption of key maritime trade arteries, most notably the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial conduit through which a substantial proportion of the world’s energy and petrochemical products are transported, could severely hinder future shipments of these indispensable substances. Such a scenario, while not inevitable, would reverberate through global production networks, potentially constraining manufacturing operations from East Asia to Europe and North America. In the view of Japan’s industry leadership, this mounting uncertainty calls for heightened vigilance, strategic inventory management, and the exploration of alternative sourcing or technological substitutes to protect industrial resilience in an increasingly volatile global landscape.
Sourse: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-28/japan-industry-group-warns-of-war-s-impact-on-supply-of-thinners
