Japanese Casting and Forging Output to Rise in F2007

Japanese casting output will increase by 1.4% to 285,000 tonnes in fiscal 2007 at the ended of March 2008 from the last year, according to Japan Steel Castings & Forgings Association. Forging out put will increase by 1.6% to 752,000 tonnes. The association prospected both output to increase for 5 years thanks to good demand. Casting output will exceed the last record in fiscal 1998 at 270,805 tonnes. Forging output will be second level following fiscal 1973 at 786836 tonnes. Casting output will increase by 0.6% to 281,000 tonnes in fiscal 2006 when the output for such as ship, civil construction or mining machinery exceeded in fiscal 2006 over the previous year. Forging output will increase by 2.7% to 740,000 tonnes when the output for such as roll, automobile, ship or construction machinery increased. Casting makers becomes hard to respond to fast increased demand because they continued full operation for last 2 years. They renewed some making equipment and increased employee. However, these responses take long to produce an effect. The association judged their production level in the last half of fiscal 2006 is higher limit for their supply. Because forging makers built up the equipment such as heating or thermal treatment and will improve the productivity and efficiency in fiscal 2007, the output will increase.