Japan's acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin demand fell in June from a year earlier because of lower domestic consumption and exports.
The country's ABS resin producers delivered 17,810t in June, down by 39pc from a year earlier but up by 13pc from May, according to the latest data from the Japan ABS resin industry association.
Domestic consumption totalled 11,683t in June, down by 40pc from the same month a year earlier, as the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic slowed the country's economic activity. Demand from Japan's automotive sector, a major consumer of ABS resin, declined by 55pc on the year to 3,893t in June because of lower domestic car production in response to a fall in new car sales domestically and overseas.
Demand for general consumer goods also dropped by 21pc to 3,264t last month, with the use of ABS resin in construction material declining by 27pc to 1,349t. Demand for electric appliances and machinery fell by 36pc to 1,538t and by 34pc to 1,328t, respectively, in June.
Japan exported 6,127t of ABS resin in June, down by 36pc from a year earlier.
The country produced 33,623t of acrylonitrile in May, down by 12.9pc from a year earlier, according to the latest data from the ministry of economy, trade and industry. Japan's butadiene production also dropped by 21.2pc on the year to 57,699t in May, although styrene monomer output rose by 9.4pc from a year earlier to 171,320t during the month.