Japan Electric Wire, Cable Shipment Hits First Y/Y Plus since February

Japanese domestic shipment of electric wire and cable makers was 58,000 tonnes of copper in June, according to preliminary survey by Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers’ Association for approximately 130 members. The shipment is estimated to increase by 2.4% from a year earlier and represent first year-to-year plus since February.

The shipment for automobile industry, mainly automotive wiring harness, is estimated to exceed 5,000 tonnes for the first time since January though the year-to-year comparison rate would maintain 2-digit minus in June. The shipment dropped to below 5,000 tonnes in March and below 4,000 tonnes in April-May along car makers’ operative down after Japan Earthquake.

As for optical fiber products, the actual shipment in May totaled 2.441 million kilometers of fiber length (kmf), 12.4% year-on-year minus. The export decreased by 27.7% to 1.627 million kmf while the shipment for domestic market increased by 52.3% to 814,000 kmf.

The export has mostly kept year-to-year minus since June 2010 due to the increase of overseas production and strong yen trend. The shipment for domestic market represented year-to-year plus for 10 straight months.