Japanese Rolled Al Shipment Upturns to 1.97MT in F2010

Japanese domestic shipment of aluminium rolled products is estimated to increase by 6.5% to 1.97 million tonnes in fiscal 2010 (April 2010-March 2011) from fiscal 2009, including aluminium plate and extrusion, announced by Japan Aluminium Association. The demand is expected to recover for electric machines, foils and automobiles.

The annual shipment is estimated to decrease by 8.7% to 1.85 million tonnes in fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2008. The shipment represents below 2 million tonnes for the first time in 22 years. The shipment would not increase to 2 million tonnes but rebound from the bottom in fiscal 2010.

The shipment of aluminium flat products is forecasted to increase by 6.3% to 1.22 million tonnes in fiscal 2010 from fiscal 2009. The shipment of can materials, the main volume zone, is expected to decrease by 0.8% to 409,500 tonnes while the shipment of plate would strongly rebound for automobiles, machines and wholesalers.

The shipment of aluminium extrusions is forecasted to increase by 6.9% to 750,260 tonnes in fiscal 2010 from fiscal 2009, though which is estimated to drop by 12% in fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2008. In fiscal 2010, the shipment for domestic construction market is expected to upturn by 3.7% to 444,400 tonnes thanks to the recovery of new housing starts.

The shipment of aluminium foil is estimated to keep almost flat at 111,153 tonnes in fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2008 while forecasted to increase by 3.1% to 114,640 tonnes in fiscal 2010 from fiscal 2009. The shipment for electric appliances and components, including capacitors, is expected to increase by 8.8% to 51,800 tonnes.