Japan Cemented Carbide Tool Manufacturers’ Association announced the members’ domestic shipment of cemented carbide tools will increase by 4.6% to 304 billion yen in fiscal 2012 ending in March 2013 from fiscal 2011. The shipment would reach 300 billion yen for the first time in 5 years thanks to the stable demand from automobile, tooling machine and construction machine. However, the shipment value would be 85.1% of the record of 357.2 billion yen marked in fiscal 2007.
About 40% of the total shipment value is for transporting machine industry, mainly automobile industry. In Japan, automobile production might slow down when the governmental subsidy ceases for environmental friendly vehicle. Meanwhile, the production keeps active in North America and other offshore countries. Cemented carbide tool shipment would increase for cutting components. Tooling machine orders also keep steady at offshore market. The association forecasts the half-year shipment value would increase by 3% for second half of fiscal 2012 from the first half. The shipment increasing range would also become larger in the second half in year-to-year basis since the shipment had slowed down in the second half of fiscal 2011. The detailed shipment forecast by applications is not disclosed.