Japanese Secondary Al Output Declines by 23.1%

Japanese secondary aluminium and aluminium alloy ingot output decreased by 23.1% to 69,725 tonnes in October from a year earlier and the shipment decreased by 23.0% to 70,229 tonnes, according to Japan Aluminium Alloy Refiners Association. The output and the shipment showed a slight increase from September. However, market sources see the domestic demand has already reached the peak.

The output increased by 4.6% in October from September while the shipment increased by 3.1%. However, the operation rate of secondary aluminium alloy makers is around 70% compared with the peak in 2007. The output showed year-on-year decrease for 17 months in a row while the shipment decreased for 15 straight months.

The secondary aluminium and alloy shipment decreased by 19.2% to 39,878 tonnes for die casting in October from a year earlier while the shipment for casting decreased by 26.2% to 18,467 tonnes, same as September.