Tokyo — Polyurethane production in Japan fell by 25.8% in June 2020 compared with the same month in 2019. This is the slowest start to the year since June 2015. In the first half of that year, Japan produced 83kt polyurethane.
This year, coronavirus has had a major impact on the business. Polyurethane production in Japan fell by 44.4% in May, after a 28% decline in April as coronavirus lockdowns at the nation's carmakers affected demand. In the first six months of 2020, Japan produced 80kT polyurethane, but the same point in 2019, it had produced a shade under 100kt.
In total, Japan produced 12.3 kT of polyurethane in June 2020. This compares with 16.58 kT in June 2019, a fall in production of 4.3kT.
The country produced 7.4 kT of flexible foam and 4.9 kT of rigid foam in June 2020, down from 10.7 kT and 5.8 kT respectively in June 2019.
The figures come from Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and take two months to collate.
