Japan Stainless Sheet Order Receipts Increase by 12% in F2009

Japanese stainless steel sheet order receipts totaled 1.48 million tonnes in fiscal 2009 ended in March 2010 including domestic market and export, according to Japan Stainless Steel Association. The volume recovered by 11.9% from fiscal 2008 but hit the forth lowest in latest 5 years. On the other hand, stainless sheet export increased by 13% to 439,806 tonnes, the third highest in 5 years.

The order acceptance increased by 12.1% to 283,002 tonnes for automobiles in fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2008, which represented below 300,000 tonnes for 2 years in a row. The order receipts increased by 13.2% to 87,467 tonnes for building materials, which became below 100,000 tonnes for 2 consecutive years. Order acceptance for industrial machines decreased by 15.3% to 64,859 tonnes and hit the lowest in late 5 years. Order receipts for vessels decreased by 14.7% to 35,360 tonnes, the third highest in 5 years.