Aluminum & Copper Business
■ Slack demand resulting from the earthquake in Japan and floods in Thailand caused sales volumes to decline and negatively impacted earnings
■ Although the effects of the Thai floods will no longer be felt in fiscal 2012, concerns remain about whether LCD and semiconductor demand will recover
Fiscal 2011 Overview ■ Kobe Steel Licenses Auminum Extrusions to Sweden’s Sapa The sales volume of aluminum rolled products and sales of alumi- *O.BSDI ,PCF4UFFMDPODMVEFEBUFDIOPMPHZUSBOTGFS num castings and forgings fell below those of the previous fiscal BHSFFNFOUXJUI4BQB"# UIFXPSMETMBSHFTUBMVNJOVNFYUSVTJPO year due mainly to sluggish demand for their use in air conditioners QSPEVDFS6OEFSUIFBHSFFNFOU BMMPG4BQBTQMBOUT QMBOUTJO and for LCDs and semiconductor manufacturing equipment caused DPVOUSJFT UISPVHIPVUUIFXPSMEDBONBLFPVSBMVNJOVNFYUSV- CZUIF(SFBU&BTU+BQBO&BSUIRVBLFBOEGMPPETJO5IBJMBOE sions to meet user’s global procurement needs. Despite brisk demand for copper tube, the sales volume for DPQQFSSPMMFEQSPEVDUTXBTCFMPXUIBUPGGJTDBM SFGMFDUJOH ■ Kobe Steel Mulls Aluminum Sheet Production in China lower demand for copper sheet and strips from semiconductor 5PNFFUUIFMPDBMQSPDVSFNFOUOFFETPG+BQBOFTF &VSPQFBOBOE NBOVGBDUVSFST"TBSFTVMU TBMFTJOGJTDBMTMJQQFEZFBS U.S. customers for automotive panel material, we are studying the POZFBSUPdCJMMJPO XIJMFPSEJOBSZJODPNFEFDMJOFEdCJM- feasibility of producing aluminum sheet in China. MJPOUPdCJMMJPO ■ Bumper System Wins Award from Toyota Motor Corporation ,PCF4UFFMXPOUIF5FDIOJDBM%FWFMPQNFOU"XBSEGSPN5PZPUB 501*$4 Motor Corporation for its bumper system produced with an electromagnetic forming method. It was honored at the Toyota ■ Mass Production of Aluminum Forgings Begins in China (MPCBM4VQQMJFST$POWFOUJPOIFMEJO'FCSVBSZ5IJTBXBSEJT ,PCF"MVNJOVN"VUPNPUJWF1SPEVDUT $IJOB $P -UEXBT presented to companies that contribute to Toyota Motors’ product FTUBCMJTIFEJO+VOFJO4V[IPV +JBOHTV1SPWJODFJO$IJOB appeal with distinctive world-leading new technology and new Mass production of aluminum forgings for automobile suspensions product development. We were the first in the world to develop DPNNFODFEJO"VHVTU5SJBMPQFSBUJPOTCFHBOJO+BOVBSZ and mass produce pierced aluminum stays and an aluminum 8JUI+BQBOFTF &VSPQFBOBOE64BVUPNBLFSTSBJTJOH bumper assembled into a unified bumper system using the elec- production in China, we decided to expand production capacity tromagnetic forming process. to meet higher than expected demand for our aluminum forgings. The new method substantially "NPVOUPGBEEJUJPOBMJOWFTUNFOUdCJMMJPO QSPEVDUJPODBQBDJUZ reduces the number of parts, GSPN.BSDI VOJUT
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