31 JANUARY 2014www.metalbulletin.com
Japanese aluminium production declined in 2013
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
Japan’s aluminium output and demand saw moderate declines in 2013 amid high inventory levels.
Output of value-added aluminium products in 2013 dropped 1.3% year-on-year to 1.95 million tonnes. Production of flats retreated 1.9% to a three-year low of 1.14 million tonnes, according to the Japan Aluminium Association (JAA).
Output of extrusions fared worse, dropping for a fourth straight year to 814,896 tonnes.
The spot main Japan port aluminium premiums – the amount over LME price that buyers in Japan are willing to pay for material – went over $300 tonne last week following a spike in Midwest premiums, with some traders also attributing the rise to physical factors.
For the month of December, output dropped to its lowest since September, despite posting a 7.1% gain compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
Total December production came in at 165,469 tonnes. Flat products’ output rose 4.5% on the year, while production of extrusions rose 10.8% to 71,005 tonnes.
Japanese demand for aluminium products also witnessed a fall with shipments to domestic and overseas consumers falling for a third year to 1.95 million tonnes, a drop of 1.5% from 2012.
Shipments of flat products in 2013 fell by 1.9% year-on-year to 1.14 million tonnes; extrusions were down 0.4% to 814,896 tonnes.
Exports fell 8.2% year-on-year to 170,285 tonnes while shipments to the domestic automotive industry fell 3.3% to 138,139 tonnes, offsetting the 1% rise in shipments to the beverage industry to 414,382 tonnes.
For the month of December, flats shipments dropped to their lowest since August despite being up 3.3% year-on-year, to 91,560 tonnes.
Extrusion shipments in December were at their lowest since September but up 10.7% on the year, at 70,726 tonnes. Poor export demand saw overseas extrusions’ shipments dropping 15.6% year-on-year in December, which more than offset the 20% increase in demand from the automotive sector at home.
Inventories, meanwhile, climbed to their highest levels in at least two years to 59,286 tonnes.
Output of extrusions fared worse, dropping for a fourth straight year to 814,896 tonnes.
The spot main Japan port aluminium premiums – the amount over LME price that buyers in Japan are willing to pay for material – went over $300 tonne last week following a spike in Midwest premiums, with some traders also attributing the rise to physical factors.
For the month of December, output dropped to its lowest since September, despite posting a 7.1% gain compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
Total December production came in at 165,469 tonnes. Flat products’ output rose 4.5% on the year, while production of extrusions rose 10.8% to 71,005 tonnes.
Japanese demand for aluminium products also witnessed a fall with shipments to domestic and overseas consumers falling for a third year to 1.95 million tonnes, a drop of 1.5% from 2012.
Shipments of flat products in 2013 fell by 1.9% year-on-year to 1.14 million tonnes; extrusions were down 0.4% to 814,896 tonnes.
Exports fell 8.2% year-on-year to 170,285 tonnes while shipments to the domestic automotive industry fell 3.3% to 138,139 tonnes, offsetting the 1% rise in shipments to the beverage industry to 414,382 tonnes.
For the month of December, flats shipments dropped to their lowest since August despite being up 3.3% year-on-year, to 91,560 tonnes.
Extrusion shipments in December were at their lowest since September but up 10.7% on the year, at 70,726 tonnes. Poor export demand saw overseas extrusions’ shipments dropping 15.6% year-on-year in December, which more than offset the 20% increase in demand from the automotive sector at home.
Inventories, meanwhile, climbed to their highest levels in at least two years to 59,286 tonnes.
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