Japan Stainless Sheet Order Receipt Decreases by 26.5% in F2008

Japanese stainless steel makers’ order receipts for sheet products decreased by 26.5% to 1.323 million tonnes through fiscal 2008 ended in March 2009 compared with fiscal 2007, according to Japan Stainless Association. The volume hit the record low in past 5 years. The orders decreased by 23% to 389,089 tonnes for export and by 27.9% to 934,202 tonnes for domestic market.

The order receipts decreased by 59.8% to 91,173 tonnes in March from a year earlier, down by over 50% for both domestic market and export. Automobile related orders dropped by 79.5% to 6,577 tonnes for chrome and nickel series stainless sheet. The orders decreased by 49.1% to 4,198 tonnes for kitchens and by 58.9% to 3,846 tonnes for home appliances. Meanwhile, the orders increased by 48.8% to 4,895 tonnes for shipbuilding.