Caution is urged throughout the industrial gas industry, as the Gas Review notes a ‘dark cloud appeared over a segment of the demand for gas which until then, had been steadily growing’.
The magazine compiled an honest assessment of the state of the industrial gases industry for the second quarter of 2008, providing an analysis for gas demand from each business sector.
Devices
For the devices sector, the drop is thought to have continued, mainly used for semiconductor fabrication. Concern is apparently rising that as of October 2008, a full scale decrease in production by users in various areas would be underway and the sense of a coming slump would begin to take a more concrete shape.
Mixed fortunes had been experienced for individual industries during the July-September period, with production of crude steel increasing by 1.7% in July and marking an increase for the 26th consecutive month. Total monthly production for the period April to July showed an increase of 3.4%, though pig iron slumped 0.9% in July.
... to continue reading you must be subscribed
