JPN Electric Cable Shipment Increases Slightly in June

Japanese domestic shipment of electric wire and cable was 71,400 tonnes of copper in June, according to the quick estimation by Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers’ Association. The shipment increased by 0.4% from a year earlier and represented the year-on-year increase for the first time since February 2008. The export jumped up in June. On the other hand, the shipment for domestic market kept y/y down for 4 months in a row. The actual shipment of optical fiber products increased by 33.5% to 2.9 million kilometers of fiber core in May from a year earlier.Japanese copper cable export hit the secondly high record in June next to 5,389 tonnes in December 2002. The export of high voltage power cable keeps high level, especially for Middle East, since April 2008. The export is expected to maintain strong in and after July.Copper cable shipment for domestic construction market represented y/y decrease for 10 straight months. The shipment is expected to recover after July for large construction projects while seems to keep slow for wholesalers impacted by the decline of condominium market. On the other hand, copper cable shipment for automobiles, including auto wiring harnesses, showed y/y increase for 10 straight months.Copper cable shipment for domestic power companies kept above 6,000 tonnes per month since January 2008 thanks to power companies’ active expenditure for network renewals. Aluminium cable shipment is also active, which represented y/y increase since March 2008, when power companies are refining power transmission and distribution lines. The shipment of optical fiber products increased by 1.5 times to 2.17 million kilometers of fiber core for export in May from a year earlier while upped by 0.8% to 731,000 kilometers of fiber core for domestic market.