Japan’s cemented carbide producers recovery falters in August
October 30, 2013
Following a reported slump in Japan’s production of cemented carbide towards the end of 2012, the first half of 2013 witnessed a steady month on month recovery. However figures published by members of the Japan Cemented Carbide Tool Manufacturers Association (JCTMA) show a dip in that recovery in August, with a drop in production volume in that month to 410 tonnes, down 11.4% compared with the same month in 2012 (Fig. 1).
The JCTMA has seen production drop by 9.3% in volume terms to 5340 metric tonnes for the whole of 2012 for cemented carbide products such as cutting tool inserts, wear parts, mining and civil engineering and other tool applications. The production value for all cemented carbide products in Japan in 2012 was put at Yen 276,542 million ($2.818 billion).
Fig. 1 Monthly changes in the value of shipments and volume of tool and carbide alloy production in Japan. (red line = volume; black line = shipment value)
Fig. 2 Cemented carbide tool shipments in Japan by value (black line) and production volume (red line)
