Japan Electric Wire & Cable Shipment Increases by 4.7% in F2005

Japanese annual shipment of copper electric wire and cable is estimated to increase by 4.7% to 865,491 tonnes of copper in fiscal 2005 ended March 2006 from the previous year, according to the research by Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers’ Association for Japanese 140 electric wire and cable makers.The shipment maintained active for constructors and wholesalers through fiscal 2005, which almost kept the high level at over 30,000 tonnes per month after April 2005 with strong demand for large construction projects including auto and electronics related plants and office buildings under redevelopment boom mainly around Tokyo. The shipment volume was originally estimated to decrease by 0.8% to 362,000 tonnes for constructors and wholesalers in fiscal 2005 from fiscal 2004 according to the demand forecast in March 2005. However, actual shipment exceeded the original estimate by near 30,000 tonnes.The shipment was also active for power companies in fiscal 2005, exceeding the previous year’s result for the first time in 12 years thanks to capital investment recovery among Japanese power companies. Demand of auto related wires and cables was also firm, exceeding 80,000 tonnes of original estimate in March 2005 by near 5,000 tonnes under favorable auto production in Japan. On the other hand, shipment was flat for electric machines and appliances in fiscal 2005 from fiscal 2004. The shipment decreased for home appliances in fiscal 2005 from the previous year, while increasing for electric components mainly for autos.