According to the results of annual production, shipping and stocks of tyres and tubes of FY2015 that were summarised by Japan Automotive Tyre Manufacturing Association (JATMA), production volume was 1,057,570 tons, which is 5.7% less than the same period of the previous year. Domestic shipping was 542,844 tons, which was 4.9% less, and export shipping was 525,625 tons, which was 6.6% less than the same period of the previous year.
It was an impact of the fact that automotive production was 5.1% in comparison with the previous year, which was a loss for the first time in 2 years.
Production of tyre and tubes in 2015 was inactive throughout the year, started with less volume of automotive productions from the beginning of the year, plus there was not impact from the amount of snow that had affected in the previous year.
In addition to the fact that production volume had been a loss continuously from January to March in comparison with the same month of the previous year, it was a loss as production volume was largely increased due to the last-minute demand before the increase of consumer tax during the same period of the previous year, and it didn’t snow in the areas where it doesn’t snow usually like the previous year.
Looking by category, tyres and tubes for trucks and buses were a loss, for small sized trucks were almost flat during this period, and for construction vehicles was plus until February, but it became lower than the previous year’s result in March.
Although production volume of both trucks and buses ascended, tyres and tubes for trucks and buses were affected by the slack of commercial tyres. The result for passenger vehicles was affected by the inactivity of commercial tyres. The reason for small sized trucks having been flat was due to the recovery of production volume. For construction vehicles, it decelerated due to the descent of total shipping amount of construction machines for the first time in 20 months.
It continued to be less than the previous year from April to June as well. By category, tyres and tubes for truck and buses, small trucks and passenger vehicles were less than the previous year throughout the period. For construction vehicles, it increased slightly in April, but the result continued to be a loss.
Production volume of buses increased due to the rapid growth of the numbers of tourists from abroad, but the result of tyres and tubes for trucks and buses did not recover with one of the reasons that stocks of commercial tyres were piled up from the previous year during the period from January to March. The result for passenger vehicles continued to decrease because of the minus production volume influenced by the increase of tax for light vehicles.
The total amount continued to reduce from July to September as well. By category also, all results for trucks and buses, small trucks, passenger vehicles and construction vehicles were a loss throughout this period.
Production of construction vehicles recovered temporarily, but production of tyres and tubes declined as the whole production was dull.
It still didn’t recover from October to December, and the results of all categories were less than the previous year during this period.
However, the result for passenger vehicles had gone back to flat level as the production volume of passenger vehicles became positive for 2 months in October and November. On the other hand, the situation continued to be severe except passenger vehicles as the result for trucks and buses decreased by 2 digits in November and December, for small trucks also decrease by 2 digits in December, and for construction vehicles also decreased by 2 digits for 3 months in a row.
In December only, production volume was 78,103 tons, which is 8.0% less, domestic shipping was 39,374 tons, which is 7.6% less, export shipping was 38,844 tons, which is 10.9% less in comparison with the same period of the previous year, and production volume decreased for 13 months in a row.
By category, the result for trucks and buses was 16,825 tons, which is 19.0% less, for small trucks was 10,259 tons, which is 10.2% less, for passenger vehicle was 38,367 tons, which is 0.1% less, construction vehicles was 11,329 tons, which is 12.0% less, industrial vehicles was 380 tons, which is 10.4% increase, others were 943 tons, which is 5.0% less, and all categories showed decline in comparison with the previous year’s results.