[SMM Review] Japan's crude steel output falls to a new low, manganese metal is expected to decrease in the later period of procurement.

Published: Jul 15, 2020 15:23

SMM7 March 15: Japanese crude steel production is expected to fall to an 11-year low from July to September this year as the new crown pneumonia epidemic continues to hit buyers such as automakers, the Ministry of economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said recently. "with the increasingly serious epidemic in Japan and overseas, we are not sure whether crude steel production and demand will fall to a new low this quarter," said TomoyaHasui, head of the Ministry of Metal Industry of Japan's Ministry of economy, Trade and Industry.

The Ministry of economy, Trade and Industry predicts that Japan's crude steel production will reach 17.7 million tons in July-September, down 27.9 per cent from 24.55 million tons in the same period last year and 3.2 per cent from April-June. The expected output is the lowest since January-March 2009, when crude steel production fell sharply during the global financial crisis.

According to SMM, Japan is one of the main destinations for domestic export of manganese, with unforged manganese from January to May 2020; the total import of scrap and powder is 22500 tons, second only to South Korea and the Russian Federation. Among them, the public bidding volume of basic electrolytic manganese sheet in JFE Steel Plant of Japan is about 1600 tons, and the demand area of steel at home and abroad is gradually reduced under the influence of the epidemic, so the shutdown of blast furnace at the end of July will reduce the procurement of metal manganese in the later stage.

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