The production of acetylene showed a sign of recovery trend exceeding that of last year for three consecutive months starting in August.

According to the statistics of Japan Industrial and Medical Gases Association (JIMGA), the production grew over last year for three consecutive months with an increase by 1.3% in August, 1.4% in September and 2.9% in October.
In regional terms, three regions of Kanto, Tokai and Shikoku enjoyed increases over last year for three consecutive months by 2.5%, 4.5% and 10.7% respectively.

Judging from the increases in the Kanto and Tokai regions, it seems that special demands for the Tokyo Olympics started in full swing after all. In preparations for the opening in 2020, the development of all infrastructures started and boosted the demand for acetylene. The construction period is so short that rush constructions are inevitable now and the gas supply for acetylene cutting in the disassembling works seems to be increasing. In addition, the acetylene supply for vacuum carburizing is growing at a good pace and deliveries mainly to automotive parts industries are growing.

Since the basic patent on the use of acetylene for vacuum carburizing expired in 2016, heat treatment manufacturers started all at once to sell vacuum carburizing furnaces using acetylene. There is another active movement that automotive parts manufacturers who had been using other hydrocarbon gases switched the fuel to acetylene.

In the Tokai region there have so far been lots of supply of acetylene for vacuum carburizing, and there will be more supply of acetylene in the other regions from now on.