PLATTS: Japan's June rolled aluminium shipments fall 3.9% year on year

Japan's shipments of rolled aluminium products in June fell by 3.9% year on year to 199,039 mt, according to the Japan Aluminium Association. June shipments were pressured down by the sharp fall in extrusion demand, while sheet shipments increased. Extrusion shipments were down 9.9% year on year to 80,025 mt, while sheet shipments were up 0.5% to 119,014 mt. The association attributed the falling extrusion shipments to weakness in the construction sector. Window frames, sliding doors, exterior and other building materials account for 45-50% of total extrusion shipments, or 25-30% of total rolled products shipments. Meanwhile, production was down 5.0% year on year, at 199,138 mt. This was the first time since December 2005 production has dropped by as much as 5.0% year on year. Extrusion production was down 10.4% year on year to 80,652 mt, and sheet production down 0.9% to 118,486 mt. There is a time lag of around two months between production and shipment in the Japanese market.