Japan Electric Cable Shipment Shows Favorable in October

Japanese domestic shipment of electric wire and cable was 77,400 tonnes of copper in October by Japanese 138 electric wire and cable makers those who belong to Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers’ Association, according to the quick estimation by the association. The shipment volume represented high though decreasing by 1.5% from a year earlier. The shipment of optical fiber products was 2.45 million kilometers of fiber core in September, increasing by 9.3% from a year earlier.Copper wire and cable shipment for construction markets exceeded 30,000 tonnes of copper widely in October, the indicating line for the demand condition. The shipment volume was high entering the autumn demand season, although decreasing by 1.4% from a year earlier. Copper wire and cable shipment for electric machine and appliances recovered to above 17,000 tonnes for the first time in late 3 months thanks to the favorable demand for heavy electric machines and in-vehicle appliances, though decreasing by 3.4% compared with October 2006.Copper wire and cable shipment for automobiles, mainly automotive wiring harness, hit the monthly record in September and October in a row. The shipment for domestic power transmission and distribution exceeded 7,000 tonnes of copper for the first time since March 2004 thanks to the strong capital expenditure by domestic power companies to renew their infrastructures. The shipment for export decreased remarkably in October from a year earlier without large export schedules of power transmission cables.Optical fiber products shipment has shown year-to-year increase for 29 straight months and exceeded 2 million kilometers of fiber core for 8 months in a row by September. The domestic shipment has represented year-to-year down for 9 months. The favorable export has covered the stagnancy of the domestic optical market.