Japan Al Rolled Product Shipment to Hit 23-Year Bottom in F2009

Japanese domestic shipment of aluminium rolled products is forecasted to shrink by 11.1% to 1.8 million tonnes through fiscal 2009 (Apr09-Mar10) from fiscal 2008, including aluminium plate and extrusion, announced Japan Aluminium Association. The shipment is expected to become lower than 1.9 million tonnes for the first time since fiscal 1986. The demand would maintain stagnant from transportation and construction.

Aluminium plate shipment is forecasted to decrease by 12.9% to 1.07 million tonnes through fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2008. The shipment would maintain slow for domestic market and drop by 35% for export. The shipment is expected to decrease by 10.6% for metal products, by 11.3% for electric machineries and by 14.3% for automobiles.

Aluminium extrusion shipment will also represent minus growth. The demand maintains stagnant from construction. Additionally the shipment would drop by 2-digit points for automobiles and other transporting machines. The shipment would decrease by 12.4% for transporting machines while down by 5.4% for constructions.

Aluminium foil shipment is expected to decline by 15.4% to 95,900 tonnes through fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2008. The shipment would decrease for all demand fields. Especially for electric machines including capacitors, the shipment is forecasted to decrease by 25.3%.