Japan Pig Iron Output Drops by 10.7% in F2008

Japanese pig iron output decreased by 10.7% to 78.5 million tonnes in fiscal 2008 (Apr08-Mar09) from fiscal 2007. 5 major steel makers reduced the production. Nippon Steel and JFE Steel reduced the output by double digits. Nippon Steel kept the top share at 36.3%. JFE Steel’s share decreased by 1.7 percentage points to 33.2% when the firm early reduced the output. Sumitomo Metal industries, Kobe Steel and Nisshin Steel increased each share.

5 makers continued full operation in the first half of fiscal 2008 when steel demand kept good situation mainly from manufacturing industry but they started output reduction of pig iron by lower blast furnace output rate along global steel business downturn.

Nippon Steel’s production decreased by 10.8% to 28.49 million tonnes in fiscal 2008 from last fiscal year. The firm stopped the operation of no.1 blast furnace in Oita iron works and no.2 blast furnace in Kimitsu iron works for January-March. The firm started largest-ever reduction of the output.

JFE Steel decreased the output by 15% to 26.05 million tonnes in fiscal 2008 from fiscal 2007. The firm started the output reduction in November and stopped the operation of 2 blast furnaces in West Japan iron works for January-March.

Sumitomo Metals decreased the output by 3.8% to 12.8 million tonnes in fiscal 2008 from fiscal 2007 with 1.2 points higher share at 16.3%. Kobe Steel reduced the output by 7.2% to 7.76 million tonnes with 0.4 points higher share at 9.9%. Nisshin Steel reduced the output by 6.7% to 3.4 million tonnes with 0.2 points higher share at 4.3%.