Japan Rolled Copper Products Output Increases in September

Japanese copper fabricated products output increased by 6.1% to 86,850 tonnes in September from a year earlier, increasing for 9 months in a row, announced by Japan Copper and Brass Association on Friday. The production was high for brass bar and phosphor bronze sheet and strip, which represent large part in total production. Additionally copper strip production recovered which decreased temporarily in August due to the accident at Kobe Steel. The production of brass strip exceeded 10,000 tonnes for the first time in 2 months.The copper strip production increased by 2.9% to 22,930 tonnes in September from a year ago. The output decreased temporarily in August at Chofu plant of Kobe Steel but recovered in September. The demand condition kept brisk for automobile and semiconductor related fields. The monthly output recovered to the level before August then. The monthly production of brass strip also decreased in August from a year ago due to the same reason, which recovered to over 10,000 tonnes in September.The brass bar production increased by 8.8% to 21,720 tonnes in September from a year earlier. The demand was brisk for telecommunication equipment, industrial machine, stationery and air conditioner. The monthly output of phosphor bronze sheet and strip increased by 16.5% to 4,983 tonnes in September from a year ago. The demand is increasing for liquid crystal display, printer and game machine. The auto related demand is also increasing at overseas.