Japan Rolled Al Operation Rate Marks 2nd Year-High in July

Japanese rolled aluminium products operation rate increased by 8.9 percentage points to 89.0% in July from a year earlier, which was the second highest rate in the year after 90.3% in March, according to Japan Aluminium Association. The extrusion operation rate was 81.0%, which was more than 80% for the first time since October 2008.

The operation rate of aluminium flat rolled products marked more than 90% for 5 months in a row through July due to firm demand for automobile, information technology and general machine.

The rate of extrusion improved in July due to the reduction in production capacity. The capacity decreased by more than 10% compared with the level in July 2008. While slow demand for construction material, the operation rate showed year-on-year increase for 8 straight months through July.