Japan 5 Integrated Steels’ Output Decreases in 5 Straight Months

Japanese 5 integrated steel makers’ crude steel output decreased by 1.6% to 7.194 million tonnes in July from a year earlier, which decreased for 5 months in a row. The demand decrease in domestic and offshore marked due to the major earthquake damage, higher yen exchange rate and weak market price in Asia. However, the daily output increased by 2.0% to 232,100 tonnes from June due to the recovery in manufacturing industry. The output increased for 3 months in a row.

Nippon Steel’s crude steel output decreased by 1.6% to 2.735 million tonnes in July from a year earlier. JFE Steel decreased the output by 0.6% to 2.38 million tonnes. Sumitomo Metal Industries increased the output by 7.3% to 1.117 million tonnes when the output at Sumikin Iron & Steel was low year earlier due to the trouble at the facilities. Kobe Steel decreased the output by 5.3% to 640,000 tonnes while Nisshin Steel increased the output by 2.2% to 322,000 tonnes.

Japanese 5 integrated steels’ pig iron output decreased by 0.3% to 7.067 million tonnes in July from a year earlier. The daily output increased by 2.6% to 228,000 tonnes from June.