-
Chinese shipbuilders received new vessel orders totalling 28.9 million dead weight tons (dwt) during 2020, according to new data from the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, and though this was down by 0.5% on year, China nonetheless outpaced South Korea to regain first place for total orders secured globally after a two-year hiatus, CANSI said. But the global shipbuilding industry is still navigating challenging times, it warned.
-
The auto production among China’s 15 major automakers declined 27.4% on year to 523,000 units over January 1-10, according to the latest data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on January 14, which was mainly due to the growing shortage of auto semiconductors and the manufacturers’ relaxation on output at the start of the year, according to market sources.
-
Japan’s core machinery orders from domestic users excluding shipbuilders and power equipment makers improved for the second consecutive month in November, rising by 1.5% on month in value to Yen 854.8 billion ($8.2 billion), according to a release by the Japanese government’s Cabinet Office on January 14.
-
The Japanese auto manufacturers are facing the shortage of semiconductors, which may force them to slow down the pace of production again in the coming months at their plants both inside Japan and abroad after the recovery from the COVId-19 impact since August 2020, and steel consumption in the sector may decline too, market sources shared.
-
Despite the massive economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 contagion last year, automotive sales across China only declined 1.9% on year in 2020, according to the latest release from the the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on January 13, and it was in line with the association's latest estimation of a 2% on-year drop at most by in mid-December 2020.
-
China’s sales of excavators and other heavy machinery for both domestic and export customers soared by 39% on year to reach 327,605 units for 2020, refreshing the sales record, according to the latest data released by the China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA). The surge in full-year sales was faster than the 16% on-year rise seen in 2019.
-
The
Japanese government has imposed the second round of state of emergency over
January 8-February 7 not only to the whole country but to Tokyo and three
adjacent prefectures to slow down the spread of the COVID-19, and the sectors
constrained in the latest round are not as many as in the first round
-
Sales of heavy-duty trucks in China enjoyed a record-breaking 2020 despite the negative influence of the COVID-19 outbreak, with sales hitting a historical high of 1.6 million units, according to the latest release by Beijing-headquartered Commercial Vehicle World. CVWorld said the uptick in sales was mainly driven by the country’s determination to promote vehicle upgrading.
-
Japan’s auto sales for the calendar year of 2020 fell below the benchmark of 5 million units for the first time in four years, or down 11.5% on year to about 4.6 million units, according to the data compiled by the Japan Auto Mobile Dealers Association and mini-vehicle dealers’ group - Zenkoku Keijidosha Kyokai Rengokai.
-
Japan’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for its manufacturing industry for December 2020 reached a new high since April 2019 after having recovered by 1 basis points on month to 50, a neutral zone as the PMI above this indicates expansion, and the domestic manufacturing sector continued with its gradual recovery, according to the release from au Jibun Bank Corporation on January 4.
-
Japan’s carbon steel exports in November declined on year for the seventh consecutive month, declining by 11.1% from November last year and 7.2% lower on month to 1.56 million tonnes, according to the latest data released by the Japan Iron & Steel Federation on December 28. A JISF official said the main reason was lower availability among Japanese steel producers.
-
China’s white goods manufacturers were kept busy again in November, mainly thanks to higher export volumes when demand overseas resumed after pandemic disruptions and when makers abroad were unable to keep pace with the rise in orders, Mysteel Global noted.
-
Japan’s crude steel production in November including both carbon and special steel declined by 5.9% on year to about 7.26 million tonnes, or marking the ninth consecutive month posting an on-year decrease, though the silver lining was that the volume was 9% higher on month, according to the latest data released by the Japan Iron & Steel Federation (JISF) on December 22.
-
Japan’s steel demand including both carbon and special may rise 7.3% on quarter for the quarter of January-March 2021 to 23.5 million tonnes, according to the latest forecast by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), which suggests that the Japanese steel producers will probably ramp up output further to match the growing consumption.
-
Toyota Motor, Japan’s largest automaker, has informed its auto component suppliers that it will keep domestic automobile production at around 13,000 units/day during January-March 2021, industry sources in Tokyo and Nagoya of central Japan shared on December 21.
-
China’s sales of both passenger cars and new-energy vehicles (NEVs) may increase in 2021, especially for the latter that may soar 40% on year, while vehicles for commerce use may decline 10% on year, Chen Shihua, the deputy secretary of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), shared on December 18 at the Specialty Steel Forum of Mysteel’s Annual Summit in Shanghai.
-
The new vessel orders received by Chinese shipbuilders declined 8.7% on year over January-November, with the decline quickening in pace from the 6.6% on-year fall over the first ten months, according to the latest release from the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI) on December 18, and the lower backlog due to fewer new orders have been reflected in less steel demand too.
-
Japan’s crude steel output in the fiscal 2021 (April 2021-March 2022) may reach 85-90 million tonnes, according to the latest forecast shared by the Japan Iron & Steel Federation (JISF) on December 17, which is up from the FY20’s projected 81-82 million tonnes, but still below the FY19 level.
-
Japan’s sales of carbon steel products for both the domestic market and exports in October fell 6.1% on year, and the total volume for the first ten months of 2020, thus, declined 3.4% on year to about 46.4 million tonnes, according to the latest data released by the Japan Iron & Steel Federation (JISF) on December 16.
-
Japan’s total steel exports for November fell 10.5% on year to about 2.4 million tonnes, or the seventh consecutive month with an on-year decline, according to the preliminary data released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance on December 17, which was mainly due to the fact that the domestic steel mills had been prioritizing domestic customers with still relatively low production, Mysteel Global understood.
