Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Maintains No. 1 H-beam Production

Regarding domestic H-beam production in the first half of fiscal 2005, the year that ends in March 2006, Tokyo Steel Manufacturing maintained the top producer. The whole H-beam production was 1.88 million tonnes, down 23.3% from the same period last year, which does not mean the demand decreased dramatically; there were decreases of the orders to blast furnace steel makers due to supply adjustments of those who feared the stock increases and decreases of the prices for distributors having been performed twice by Tokyo Steel Manufacturing. Further, the market prices increased in the first half of fiscal 2004, and the makers increased the production to deal with shortage of the stock. In the second half of fiscal 2005, the production in October-December was almost flat. But the stock tends to increase from December. Each of the blast furnace steel makers are planning to decrease the production in February by around 20% compared with October-December. There is some possibility that the production share will change a little mainly for blast furnace steel makers in the period.