OSAKA -- Demand for electronic components is recovering, with combined orders at six major Japanese manufacturers for the January-March quarter expanding about 12% from a year earlier on strong buying for use in smartphones and automobiles.
The Nikkei calculated a total order value of around 1.33 trillion yen ($11.9 billion) for Murata Manufacturing, TDK, Alps Electric, Kyocera, Nidec and Nitto Denko. That figure would bring the fiscal 2016 tally to around 5.23 trillion yen, approaching the previous fiscal year's record high.
