Asahi Industries Increases Screw Reinforcing Rebar Sales

Asahi Industries, Japanese major rebar maker, increases the selling volume of screw reinforcing steel bar by twice to 60,000 tonnes per year and of high tensile steel bar by 20% to 120,000 tonnes per year after few years. The firm invests the production equipment at total 8 billion yen fro 4 years from fiscal 2007 at the ended of March 2008 and builds up rolling mill. The firm accelerates shifting to high valued bar products due to the improvement of productivity or quality of products.The sales of screw reinforcing bar is increasing by degree around Tokyo, which was double at 16,000 tonnes in the first half of fiscal 2007 compared to the same period of last year. Mr. Kiyoshige Akamatsu, the president, said the sales increases by 20% to 18,000 tonnes in the last half of fiscal 2007 compared to the same period of last year. The sales of high tensile steel bar increased by 2% to 49,000 tonnes in the first half of fiscal 2007 compared to the same period of last year. The firm expects the sales of high tensile steel bar increases by 2% to 51,000 tonnes in the last half of fiscal 2007. The sales of structural special steel bar decreased by 6.5% to 29,000 tonnes in the first half of fiscal 2007and is expected to decrease by 16.1% to 26,000 tonnes in the last half of fiscal 2007. The firm reduced the production by design when the profit for the structural special steel bar reduced by the increased material price.The sales of reinforcing bar decreased by 8.5% t 107,000 tonnes in the first half of fiscal 2007, which is expected to decrease by 3.3% to 118,000 tonnes in the last half of fiscal 2007 due to the influences of the revision of Japanese building standard law. Mr. Akamatsu said the influence of the law revision may continue to the first half of fiscal 2008 at the ended of March 2009.