Rolled aluminium products, vehicle materials shipments marginally down by 1.4% in October

In October, the Japan Aluminium Association reported a 1.4% decrease in shipments of rolled aluminum products compared to the same period last year, amounting to 149,462 tonnes. Production also experienced a decline of 1.8%, totalling 151,570 t. While there was a recovery in sales of automotive materials, the demand for building materials and thick plates for semiconductor manufacturing equipment remained sluggish. This marked the 20th consecutive month of lower shipment volumes compared to the corresponding month in the previous year.

In terms of product categories, plate shipments saw a 1.9% decline to 90,534 t, accompanied by a 2.4% reduction in production to 93,799 t. Canned material sales reached 32,379 t, showing a notable increase of 7.6%, attributed to both low levels in the previous month and the introduction of new products. In the automotive sector, production volumes rebounded, with aluminum usage in vehicles rising to 19,696 t, marking a significant 17.0% increase.

Foil material production amounted to 9,147 t, experiencing a modest decline of 2.8%, while exports decreased by 33.1% to 9,077 t. Other products, including thick plates for semiconductor manufacturing equipment through distribution, totalled 5,604 t, reflecting an 11.6% decrease. Interior and exterior building materials demonstrated recovery, reaching 2,281 t and indicating a growth of 17.5%.

Extrusion shipments experienced a slight 0.5% decline, reaching 58,928 t, while production saw a 0.9% decrease to 57,771 t. In the construction sector, sales dropped by 9.1% to 33,804 t, attributed to a reduction in housing starts and rising material prices. Conversely, automobile sales increased by 25.5% to 12,298 t, driven by improved sales in passenger cars and a notable 50% increase in truck sales.

Foil shipments, derived from plates as the base material, saw a 3.8% decline to 8,413 t, accompanied by a 4.0% reduction in production to 8,605 t. Sales for lithium-ion batteries experienced growth, reaching 2,544 t, a notable increase of 10.5%, driven by the recovery in automotive applications.

Conversely, condenser sales remained stagnant at 1,744 t, reflecting a 7.5% decrease. Despite sluggish food shipments attributed to high prices, overall shipments remained nearly flat at 1,900 t, with a marginal decrease of 0.9%, owing to lower shipments in the same month of the previous year.

Note: This article has been published in accordance with an article exchange agreement between Japan Metal Daily and SteelMint.