Kobe Steel (TOKYO:5406), a supplier of aluminum sheet to half of the Japan’s auto industry, is considering building a ¥100 billion plant in the US to expand sales to Japanese automakers operating in North America.
The prize is an expected tenfold increase in demand for aluminum sheet here in the US, where stricter fuel economy standards have ignited a race among automakers to save weight and boost the efficiency of new models, driving up demand for the lightweight metal.