Japan Electric Wire Shipment Hits 5 Month High in March

Japanese electric wire shipment was 60,200 tonnes in copper volume in March, which represents first 60,000 tonnes in 5 months, according to around 130 members’ statistics by Japan Electric Wire & Cable Makers’ Association announced on Tuesday. The shipment was 13.2% higher than a year earlier and 9.7% higher than February. The shipment was firm for electric machinery and automobile while the construction demand was still slow. The optical cable shipment increased by 3.8% to 2.66 million kilometers core in optical fiber length in February from a year earlier.

The shipment for construction decreased by 10.4% to 22,300 tonnes in March from a year earlier. The shipment kept less than 25,000 tonnes for 15 months in a row. The shipment for electric machinery was 15,500 tonnes, which was 68% increase from a year earlier and 9.2% increase from February. The shipment to automobile was 6,900 tonnes, which was 78% up from a year earlier and 5% up from February.

The shipment for power decreased by 6.8% to 5,800 tonnes in March from a year earlier, hit decreases for 4 months in a row through March, while the shipment was relative high at monthly 7,000 tonnes in September to November 2009. The export increased by 1.2% to 3,200 tonnes, which recovered monthly 3,000 tonnes for the first time since March 2009.