Japan Secondary Al Alloy Shipment Drops by 34% in April

Japanese secondary aluminium and aluminium alloy production totaled 47,950 tonnes in April, 34% year-on-year minus, while the shipment dropped by 34.4% to 47,458 tonnes, according to Japan Aluminium Alloy Refiners Association. Both the production and the shipment represented year-on-year minus for 2 months in a row.

The shipment for die casting decreased by 33% in April from a year earlier along car makers’ operation down. The shipment for casting also declined by 41.3%. The shipment for extrusions dropped by 62.4% when sash makers in North and East Japan shifted their operations to their non-damaged plants in West Japan and secondary aluminium billet demand slowed.

On the other hand, the shipment for aluminium flat products and steel making didn’t decrease so widely in April from a year earlier. Can material production was steady before the demand season of summer. Steel makers increased steel product output for restoration in disaster areas.