Japanese cemented carbide tool shipment increased by 5.1% to 25.203 billion yen in September from a year earlier, according to Japan Cemented Carbide Tool Manufacturers’ Association. The shipment increased by 4.9% from August. The insert chips shipment was more than 28 million units for 4 months in a row after the shipment hit the record of 29.58 million units in June. The cemented carbide alloy output was higher than 500 tonnes.
The cemented carbide tool shipment was high at more than 24 billion yen for 4 months in a row through September. The cutting tool shipment was firm at 18-19 billion yen level. The insert chips shipment was historical high level in September, which represents around 75% of the total export. The export was high at more than 7 billion yen since June despite historical high yen exchange rate. The demand is strong in emerging countries including China. The cemented carbide alloy output was high at more than 500 tonnes per month since June other than the figure at 495 tonnes in August. However, the output and the cemented carbide tool shipment could decrease due to impact of the flood in Thailand on automobile output.