Japan’s Regular Wire Rod Production to Continue to Decrease

The amount of ordinary wire rod production for domestic use in January became 83,000 tonnes, down 3.5% over the same month last year, which had decreased for 4 consecutive months, according to Japan Wire Products Association. The wire rod production continues to decrease after October 2005. The wire rod makers shifted to the production decrease last summer because the supply and demand begun to be easing due to decrease of ordinary wire rod product demand in the domestic market and sharp increase of imported wire rods though the amount of the wire rod production in Japan had increased by last September for 10 consecutive months. The amount of the bar-in-coil products for domestic use in January was 54,000 tonnes, down 21.7% over the same month last year decreasing for 10 consecutive months. The amount of ordinary wire rod import to Japan in January was 20,688 tonnes, up 31.7% having increasing for 5 consecutive months. The import had increased average over 20,000 tonnes per month since last March, and that is strengthening the presence gradually in the domestic ordinary wire rod demand that is estimated at around 1.2 million tones per year.