Nippon Light Metal to Achieve Target for F2006

Nippon Light Metal aims to achieve the targets of its 3-year management plan which will complete in fiscal 2006 ending March 2007. The firm could gain some positive results during the plan including favorable demand for auto-related aluminium products and federated business approaches inside the group, even under the severe management circumstances when crude oil price jumped up and the building material business takes much time to recover enough. Takashi Ishiyama, NLM’s director and senior executive officer, explained the business conditions and issues surrounding NLM to Japan Metal Bulletin.Mr. Ishiyama said NLM targets 23 billion yen of recurring profit in fiscal 2006, the last year of its 3-year management plan, which is unchanged from originally planned. He explained the earnings of building material business segment depend on how further the firm could achieve price hike of the products. He expects Shin Nikkei Company could also post positive earnings in fiscal 2006, which is NLM’s affiliate manufacturing and selling aluminium sash and other construction materials.Mr. Ishiyama said auto-related demand is firm for aluminium alloys, aluminium extrusions and fabricated products which are manufactured mainly at Nikkeikin Aluminium Core Technology. He said demand is also firm for brake caliper and heat exchanger. He indicated auto-related products ratio becomes much high including demand for truck and heat exchanger thanks to strong needs from auto makers for lighter parts.Mr. Ishiyama explained aluminium alloy production is at full at Koda and Mie plants. He said NLM advances the production of high value added alloys more such as development of new aluminium alloy. As to aluminium plate, he said, the production is also at full recently and could reach the volume as much as fiscal 2004 through fiscal 2006. He explained the firm now produces about 1,000 tonnes of aluminium plate at Nagoya plant, where 8,000-9,000 tonnes of aluminium products are manufactured.