Japan Aluminium Rolled Products Shipment Decreases in Jan-Jun

Japanese production of aluminium flat rolled and extrusion products decreased by 1.7% to 1.18 million tonnes in January-June 2006 from the same period of 2005 and the shipment decreased by 1% to 1.176 million tonnes, both of which decreased for 2 years in a row, announced by Japan Aluminium Association on Wednesday. The production and shipment are in the declining trend due to low demand for can material, fin material, export and construction.Aluminium plate demand was brisk for electronic communication devices, general machineries and appliances, wholesalers and constructions in January-June 2006. However, the demand was stagnant for printing matrix and export. Then the total production and shipment decreased in the period from the same period of the previous year for 2 straight years.