Japan Electric Cable Shipment Increases Slightly in February

Japanese domestic shipment of electric wire and cable was 72,400 tonnes of copper in February by Japanese 136 electric wire and cable makers those who belong to Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers’ Association, according to the quick estimation by the association. Shipment increased by 1% year-on-year thanks to volume growth for automobiles, exports, electric machine and appliances, despite decreasing for construction market.Copper wire and cable shipment for construction market had represented year-to-year decrease for 6 months in a row by February. Demand seems impacted by slower housing starts in Japan. However, year-to-year volume down was less than 900 tonnes in February, narrower than 2,340 tonnes in November, 2,490 tonnes in December and 1,440 tonnes in January. Shipment for automobiles, mainly automotive wiring harness, had kept year-to-year increase for 6 months by February thanks to active auto production in Japan for export. Shipment for electric machine and appliances represented year-to-year increase for the first time since November 2007. Wire and cable shipment for export exceeded 3,000 tonnes for the first time since March 2007 with a large power project in Asia.The shipment of optical fiber products was 2.71 million kilometers of fiber core in January, increasing by 36.1% from a year earlier.