Japan's aluminium rolled product slumped by 1.4% in shipments and 1.8% in output for the past 20 months

In October 2023, the Japan Aluminium Association documented a 1.4 per cent decline in the dispatch of rolled aluminium products compared to the same period a year ago, reaching 149,462 tonnes. Production also decreased by 1.8 per cent, amounting to 151,570 tonnes. Despite a rebound in the sales of automotive materials, the demand for building materials and thick plates for semiconductor manufacturing equipment continued to show sluggishness. This signifies the 20^th consecutive month of reduced shipment volumes compared to the corresponding month in the prior year.

Aluminium plate shipments experienced a 1.9 per cent decrease, totalling 90,534 tonnes, while production saw a 2.4 per cent reduction, reaching 93,799 tonnes. Conversely, canned material sales witnessed a notable surge of 7.6 per cent, reaching 32,379 tonnes. This increase can be attributed to both low levels in the preceding month and the introduction of new products. In the automotive sector, there was a rebound in production volumes, with aluminium usage in vehicles rising to 19,696 tonnes, representing a substantial 17.0 per cent increase.

The production of foil material witnessed a modest decline of 2.8 per cent, totalling 9,147 tonnes, whereas exports experienced a more substantial decrease of 33.1 per cent to 9,077 tonnes. Other products, including thick plates for semiconductor manufacturing equipment distributed, amounted to 5,604 tonnes, reflecting an 11.6 per cent decrease. On a positive note, interior and exterior building materials exhibited a recovery, reaching 2,281 tonnes and indicating a growth of 17.5 per cent.

Extrusion shipments faced a slight 0.5 per cent decline, reaching 58,928 tonnes, while production saw a 0.9 per cent decrease to 57,771 tonnes. In the construction sector, sales dropped by 9.1 per cent to 33,804 tonnes, which is attributed to reduced housing starts and increasing material prices. Conversely, automobile sales surged by 25.5 per cent to 12,298 tonnes, driven by improved sales in passenger cars and a notable 50 per cent increase in truck sales.

Foil shipments, originating from plates as the primary material, recorded a 3.8 per cent dip to 8,413 tonnes, accompanied by a 4.0 per cent decrease in production to 8,605 tonnes. On the other hand, sales for lithium-ion batteries witnessed growth, reaching 2,544 tonnes, marking a significant increase of 10.5 per cent, fuelled by the rebound in automotive applications.

In contrast, condenser sales showed no significant change, remaining at 1,744 tonnes, indicating a 7.5 per cent decline. Despite a slowdown in food shipments due to elevated prices, overall shipments stayed nearly unchanged at 1,900 tonnes, experiencing a marginal decrease of 0.9 per cent, attributed to lower shipments in the same month of the preceding year.

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This article has been published in accordance with an article exchange agreement between AL Circle and SteelMint.