Japan Aluminium Re-rollers Operation Rate Exceeds 95% in Oct

Japanese aluminium re-rollers’ operation rate improved by 3 percentage points to 95.6% in October 2006 from a year ago, according to Japan Aluminium Association. The operation rate improved to above 95% for the first time in 3 months, when output volume of aluminium rolled products exceeded 200,000 tonnes in October 2006 as much as July 2006 and the most re-rollers were in full operation. High operation was due to steady demand for aluminium flat products and extrusions.The operation rate improved by 3.4 percentage points for aluminium flat products in October 2006 from a year ago when the output volume continued increasing for 3 months in a row from a year earlier. The output recovered to over 110,000 tonnes in October and the operation rate approached 100% again after exceeding 100% in May and June 2006.Output volume of aluminium extrusion recovered to above 90,000 tonnes in October and continued increasing for 2 straight months from a year earlier. The operating rate improved by 2.5 points in October from a year ago.