Japanese 5 integrated steel makers’ raw steel output increased by 7.6% to 6.821 million tonnes in April from a year earlier. The daily output increased by only 0.2% to 227,400 tonnes in April from March. The steel demand was firm for domestic automobile industry but the demand decreases for the shipbuilding. The steel export slows under higher yen exchange rate. The makers reduce the output to match the mixed demand.
The output was very low in April 2011 when the major earth quake damaged Sumitomo Metal Industries’ Kashima works reduced the output. The steel users also reduced operation rate under the quake impact. Nippon Steel’s raw steel output decreased by 3.8% to 2.497 million tonnes in April from a year earlier. Sumitomo Metals’ output increased by 61.3% to 1.063 million tonnes. JFE Steel’s output increased by 6.8% to 2.351 million tonnes. Kobe Steel increased the output by 1.8% to 580,000 tonnes and Nisshin Steel increased the output by 6.1% to 331,000 tonnes. Japanese 5 integrated steels increased pig iron output by 9% to 6.687 million tonnes in April from a year earlier, which increased for 2 months in a row. The daily output decreased by 1.5% to 222,900 tonnes.
