According to the Japan Iron and Steel Union (JISF) 16 released statistics show that due to export orders greatly reduced, dragged down in March 2017 Japan’s ordinary steel steel orders (domestic demand + export) fell 7.5% from the same month last year to 571,000 tons, For the second consecutive month showed a decline; the above orders mainly reflect the actual 2-3 months after the actual production situation.

Japan’s steel orders grew 0.2% to 68.9 million tonnes in the fiscal year (April 2016 – March 2017), showing growth for the first time in three years.

March domestic demand for ordinary steel steel orders grew 0.2% over the same month last year to 3.685 million tons, export orders by 18.8% to 20.25 million tons.

According to the Nikkei News, Nippon Steel, JFE and other Japanese blast furnace manufacturers to give priority to meet the demand continued strong Japanese domestic car, machinery industry demand, unable to cope with export demand, but also drag the overall order volume continued to shrink.

In terms of domestic demand orders, the amount of orders for construction in Japan grew 3.2% to 1.073 million tons from the same month last year. Orders from the manufacturing sector fell 2.8% to 14.71 million tons.

In the manufacturing orders, machinery and other industrial machinery orders grew 12.7% to 136,000 tons, automotive orders grew 7.1% to 704,000 tons (for the eighth consecutive month showed growth).

Source: China Business Network