Japan's domestic shipments of <link _top>secondary aluminium alloy in September 2008 were 94,208 mt, down 2.1% year on year due to increased <link _top>alloy imports from other parts of Asia, the Japan <link _top>Aluminium Alloy Refiners Association said.
Increased ADC12 <link _top>alloy imports from China, South Korea and Taiwan hit Japanese <link _top>alloy smelters as some domestic <link _top>diecasters had switched to importing, Shoji Matsunaga, an association official said. Shipments to <link _top>diecasters account for over half of monthly <link _top>alloy shipments.
The September shipments to domestic <link _top>diecasters decreased 4.9% year on year to 51,836 mt. Japanese <link _top>diecasters use mostly ADC12 <link _top>alloy for making automobile engines and other components.
The <link _top>alloy shipments to <link _top>molders, who make automotive components such as pistons and wheels, were not affected by imports. The shipments edged up 0.3% year on year to 25,403 mt. <link _top>Molders use AC-series <link _top>aluminium alloys and they are not as widely imported as ADC12.
The September shipments to sheet makers were down 4.1% year on year to 6,286 mt, to extruders down 4.6% to 5,416 mt, to steelmakers up 12.4% to 2,521 mt, and to <link _top>alloy smelters down 1.5% to 2,743 mt.
Matsunaga also said he expected shipments in October, the first month of the fourth quarter, to have fallen sharply on the back of a slump in automotive-related demand.
