The utilization rate of ethylene equipment in Japan hit a nine-year low

Recently, statistics released by the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association show that the utilization rate of ethylene equipment in Japan in November 2022 was 82.2%, below the 90% target value for four consecutive months, setting a new low since November 2013.

Affected by the downturn in the international market, Japan's ethylene production in November 2022 totaled 470,700 tons, down 14% year-on-year, the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association said. Compared with the same period in 2021, there is no ethylene equipment in Japan for regular maintenance, but the utilization rate of ethylene equipment has decreased by more than 10 percentage points from 95.1% in the same period in 2021.

In November 2022, the export volume of four resin products in Japan, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene, were lower than the same period in 2021. In terms of domestic shipments, consumption continued to slow down due to the continuous rise in the price of end products. However, with the lifting of epidemic prevention and control restrictions, the service sector has shown signs of recovery. Nevertheless, shipments of all four resins decreased compared to the same period in 2021. By product, demand for packaging materials such as films and miscellaneous goods declined significantly.