Japan Secondary Aluminium Demand Keeps Steady in 1H

Japanese production of secondary aluminium and aluminium alloy ingot increased by 1.8% to 520,318 tonnes and the shipment increased by 1.8% to 524,624 tonnes in April-September from the same period of 2005, both of which hit records, announced by Japan Aluminium Alloy Refiners Association on Tuesday. The production increased for 5 half years and the shipment for 7 half years in a row. The demand keeps high thanks to active production of automobiles.The shipment of secondary aluminium and aluminium alloy ingot increased for casting and die casting in April-September from the same period of 2005, both of which are main demand fields of secondary aluminium. The shipment decreased slightly for plate and extrusion when the production was rather slow at Japanese aluminium re-rollers.The production of secondary aluminium ingot, billet and base metal decreased in April-September from the same period of 2005, while output of secondary alloyed aluminium ingot increased. The demand maintained strong for secondary alloyed aluminium ingot, which contributed to the total growth of secondary aluminium production.