Japan's smelters still assessing pandemic's impact on copper output plans

Mitsui Kinzoku

03/04/2020 10:33

By Yuka Obayashi
    TOKYO, April 3 (Reuters) - Japan's copper output in the
first half of the 2020/21 financial year will rise 5.7% from the
year before, Reuters calculations from plans outlined by
smelters showed, but those plans do not factor in the likely
impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
    Sumitomo Metal Mining  5713.T , Mitsubishi Materials
 5711.T  and Dowa Holdings  5714.T  have plans for higher
output, but they have still to assess the impact of the pandemic
on their business. 
    "We don't know how and when the pandemic will affect our
operation though it looks inevitable for demand to slow," a
spokeswoman for Mitsubishi Materials said. 
    That view was echoed by a spokesman for Dowa.
    "Our output has not been cut, but we may need to do so if
the pandemic lasts for long," he said.
    Below are the production plans of base metals for April to
September from top-ranked Pan Pacific Copper (PPC), Sumitomo
Metal Mining, Mitsubishi Materials, Furukawa Co Ltd  5715.T ,
Dowa, Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co Ltd  5706.T , Nittetsu
Mining Co Ltd  1515.T  and Toho Zinc Co Ltd  5707.T . 
    The table shows comparisons against planned or estimated
production in the second half and actual production in the first
half of the 2019/20 financial year that ended March 31. 
              H1         H2         H1                 
              FY2020/21  FY2019/20  FY2019/20  y/y
 COPPER                                                
 Pan Pacific    295,500    298,700    299,300      -1.3
 Sumitomo       225,000    210,000    196,446      14.5
 Mitsubishi     185,394    177,036    168,816       9.8
 Furukawa        38,712     37,888     39,311      -1.5
 Dowa            34,258     34,522     31,701       8.1
 Nittetsu        24,776     24,775     24,776         -
 TOTAL          803,640    782,921    760,350       5.7
                                               
 ZINC                                                  
 Mitsui         105,000    108,500    111,500      -5.8
 Dowa            84,358     93,763     84,061       0.4
 Toho Zinc       46,900     49,139     42,019      11.6
 TOTAL          236,258    251,402    237,580      -0.6
                                               
 LEAD                                                  
 Toho Zinc       49,500     40,491     47,004       5.3
 Mitsui          32,900     34,100     34,700      -5.2
 Mitsubishi      13,938     13,890     13,230       5.4
 Dowa             5,777      5,983      5,740       0.6
 TOTAL          102,115     94,464    100,674       1.4
                                               
 NICKEL                                                
 Sumitomo        30,400     31,300     29,014       4.8
                                               
 FERRONICKEL                                           
 Sumitomo         6,900      6,600      6,480       6.5
  * Note: In tonnes    
        

 (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
 ((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-4563-2761))