Japan Colored Aluminium Shipment Recovers in 2006

Japanese domestic shipment of colored aluminium increased by 3.4% to 28,050 tonnes in 2006 from 2005, which represented the year-to-year increase for the first time in 3 years, according to Japan Aluminium Association. The shipment increased by more than 10% for non-construction related usages which led the total shipment growth.The shipment continued to decrease for construction usages. The shipment for doors almost halved in 2006 compared with 2003.In contrast non-construction related shipment exceeded 10,000 tonnes in 2006 thanks to remarkable volume growth for electric and mechanical components, especially for digital appliances. The shipment for transport machines represented the year-to-year increase for the first time in 3 years due to the demand recovery for trucks.