Furukawa-Sky to Keep Improving Productivity

Furukawa-Sky Aluminum steps forward to better operations including integration of sales units and production & sales forces and listing at Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2005 after alliance between Furukawa Electric’s light metal unit and Sky-Aluminum in 1998. Mr. Masateru Yoshihara, president of the firm seeks synergy by optimizing production system.Mr. Yoshihara, who started the position in April, said he tries to improve benefit for the stake holders by improving the profitability under the mid-term plan. He said the key is integration of 3 flat products making operations at Fukui, Fukaya and Nikko. The integration results in efficient hot rolling operations including cost benefit after the shift of can materials from Fukaya to Fukui and the shift of plate from Fukui to Fukaya. He said the each plant can improve the quality by focusing on specialty products along with the cost synergy. The firm tries to expand luminous body drum business. Mr. Yoshihara said the firm increases the output from 3 million units to 4 million units at Shiga and Oyama plants in the year by minor expansion investment including drawing machine. The firm also increases output capacity of melting and casting at Fukui. Mr. Yoshihara said the expansion was pending task when the plant has to build up slab inventory at the cost of cash flow every period for planed maintenance of furnace. With the expansion, the firm can hold money in facilities to depreciate instead of aluminium and can maintain the facility flexibly. The aluminium panel demand is firm for automobile. Mr. Yoshihara said the firm produces several hundred tonnes of panel. He indicated the firm could expand the output capacity marginally depending on the demand.