Malaysia increases its share in the Japanese ferrosilicon market

According to information received from Hainan West Asia, Japan continued to increase its imports of ferrosilicon for the fifth consecutive month in April, but the total supply has significantly decreased since the beginning of the year. At the same time, Malaysian suppliers have managed to increase their alloy shipments and become one of the three major suppliers of ferrosilicon for Japanese buyers.

The import volume of Japanese ferrosilicon (Si>55%) in April was 334200 tons, an increase of 5.7% month on month, the largest since October last year. The increase in imports is mainly due to an increase in supply from Malaysia, with a shipment volume of 9600 tons (an increase of 2.6 times). In addition, suppliers from Kazakhstan have managed to increase their sales of Japanese alloys to 1510 tons (+18%). All other major suppliers have reduced their material shipments.

However, this year Malaysia and Kazakhstan not only reduced their supply to other destinations, but also increased their market share by increasing their product sales by more than 30%. Malaysia has entered the top three suppliers of ferrosilicon, seizing important market share from other countries.

The situation in the Japanese consumer sector remains pessimistic, with steel manufacturers reducing production. According to predictions from Hainan West Asia, global steel production will decrease by 4-5% year-on-year this quarter, which will have a negative impact on demand for ferrosilicon.