- In the past, "electric wire" was a generic term referring to metal wires that conduct electricity.? More recently, however, some of these "electric wires" - optical fiber cables, for example - are made of glass or plastic fibers and used to transmit optical signals.? These days the terms "electric wire" and "cable" are nearly interchangeable, but, generally speaking, the latter are thicker, have a more complicated structure, and are enclosed in a sheath.
- Electric wire plays an integral role in everyday life, with applications spread across a range of industries that include electric power, telecommunications, electric machines, steel, automobiles and construction.
- Electric wire can be classified in many ways: by conductor material (copper, aluminum, glass and plastic fiber); conductor composition (single, stranded); covering (bare vs. covered; covering material); single core or multi-core; and by application.
- Varieties of electric wire include: bare copper electric wire; aluminum wire; winding wire; wire for equipment; wire for communications; cable; wire and cable for electric power wire; covered wire; wire for transportation equipment; other insulating wire; and optical fiber cable.
- Some 90% of electric wire is made of copper because of its high conductivity (second to silver) and ease of processing and connection. Other materials include aluminum and optical fibers, with a limited use of copper alloy for trolley car wires and headphone cables.
- There are over 400 electric wire manufacturers in Japan.? The biggest six include The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Cable Industries, Ltd., Showa Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd., Hitachi Cable, Ltd., Fujikura Ltd., and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.? The Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers' Association is comprised of 151 members, covering some 90% of domestic production.
- Some 90% of electric wire is produced domestically, the remaining 10% imported.? About 10% of domestic production is exported.
- Domestic production
|
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
| Bare wire |
96,146 |
95,097 |
75,069 |
| Winding wire |
230,600 |
219,899 |
181,359 |
| Wire for equipment |
76,087 |
80,729 |
62,057 |
| Wire for transportation equipment |
43,909 |
48,699 |
46,691 |
| Wire and cable for communications |
63,009 |
65,353 |
49,603 |
| Wire and cable for electric power |
293,497 |
315,087 |
276,046 |
| Other insulating wire |
207,853 |
220,640 |
175,511 |
| Aluminum wire |
90,291 |
94,704 |
59,714 |
| Total |
1,101,392 |
1,140,208 |
926,050 |
Unit: Ton
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
- Exports in the year between April 1999 and March 2000
|
Copper wire
|
Aluminum wire
|
| Quantity |
Value |
Quantity |
Value |
| 54,145 |
58,675 |
6,320 |
2,555 |
Unit: Ton, million yen
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
Top 10 destinations (copper and aluminum wire combined)
|
Quantity |
Value |
| 1. Singapore |
12,551 |
11,119 |
| 2. Korea |
8,727 |
9,786 |
| 3. Malaysia |
8,521 |
2,195 |
| 4. Hong Kong |
5,769 |
5,922 |
| 5. Taiwan |
5,056 |
4,508 |
| 6. China |
4,740 |
4,199 |
| 7. U.S.A. |
4,161 |
11,281 |
| 8. Thailand |
3,512 |
1,652 |
| 9. Saudi Arabia |
941 |
729 |
| 10.Philippines |
746 |
1,141 |
Unit: Ton, million yen
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
Bare wire is often exported and covered at its destination for local consumption (major consumers include the local plants of Japanese companies) or export to U.S.A., Japan and other countries.
- Imports in the year between April 1999 and March 2000 amounted to 194.2 billion yen, the top 10 countries of origin being:
| 1. China |
78,970 |
| 2. Philippines |
30,154 |
| 3. U.S.A. |
17,536 |
| 4. Thailand |
12,194 |
| 5. Indonesia |
11,414 |
| 6. Taiwan |
9,972 |
| 7. Vietnam |
9,342 |
| 8. Korea |
7,801 |
| 9. Sweden |
4,659 |
| 10.Malaysia |
3,144 |
Unit: million yen
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
The majority of imports are backed by Japanese companies.? Because of tough quality requirements in the Japanese market, only a small amount is imported from non-Japanese companies.
- Imports of optical fiber cable for the year between April 1999 and March 2000 amounted to 3,915 tons, 15.352 billion yen.? Top 10 countries of origin for the same period are:
| 1. U.S.A. |
13,195 |
| 2. Thailand |
661 |
| 3. China |
342 |
| 4. Germany |
302 |
| 5. Italy |
96 |
| 6. Malaysia |
94 |
| 7. Philippines |
85 |
| 8. Indonesia |
66 |
| 9. U.K. |
65 |
| 10.Mexico |
31 |
Unit: million yen
- Number of Japanese electric wire manufacturers operating overseas (as of 1999)
| China |
42 |
| Malaysia |
28 |
| Indonesia |
24 |
| Thailand |
23 |
| U.S.A. |
17 |
| Hong Kong |
13 |
| Taiwan |
11
|
- Electric wire is subject to the JIS (Japan Industrial Standard), which corresponds to the IEC (International Electro technical Commission) standard.
- Competition among small and medium manufacturers is not tough, since most of them deal in different lines (winding, enamel-coated wire, etc.)
- Overseas manufacturers may find it quite difficult to penetrate the Japanese market because of the severe quality requirements for electric wire.? For example, wires must be the exactly same color as the electric devices to which they are connected; the diameter must be within the range allowable under the JIS; and the hardness and the softness are strictly fixed.
- Manufacturers carry PL insurance, although there has been no instance of litigation in Japan.
- Some 12 months ago, unified standards were established for eco-cable.? Eco-cable includes lead-free cable, specified bromine-free flame-resistant cable, and cable made of recyclable vinyl or polyethylene.
- As 8) above demonstrates, domestic production is on the decline.? With the advent of the IT revolution, demand for optical communications and electronics products is expected to surge, while existing businesses such as cable for electric power and communications will decline to the point where they become structurally unprofitable.? This will necessitate a drastic shift in these operations.
|
