Factory shipments of excavators, tractors, cranes and other machines used in construction and mining may fall 42 percent to 1.137 trillion yen ($12 billion) in the year to March 31, the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association said today in a statement. In February, the Tokyo-based group forecast a 22 percent drop in shipments to 1.65 trillion yen.
Komatsu Ltd., the world's second-largest maker of excavators and wheel loaders, and the Tokyo-based company's closest domestic rival Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. slashed output to shed excess inventories as the economic slump cut demand. The association forecast shipments next year may rise 17 percent, the first increase in three years, led by gains from China and other emerging Asian nations. |
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