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Ohio-based supplier of specialty copper alloy products Brush Engineered Materials Inc. reported second quarter results. Q2 2009 sales were US$174.1 million, 29% lower than the same period a year ago but an improvement of 29% from the first quarter this year. Net loss was US$0.8 million versus net income of US$7.2 million in Q2 2008. The Specialty Engineered Alloys segment reported Q2 sales of US$41.2 million, compared to sales of US$83.0 million the same period in 2008. Operating loss for Q2 was US$9.3 million compared to an operating profit of US$4.8 million a year ago. The decline in segment sales was primarily due to the effect of the severe global recession in key markets including telecommunications, computer, automotive electronics, oil and gas, aerospace and heavy equipment. A portion of the decline was due to lower metal prices. The company is foreseeing an improving order book and is expecting to generate a slight profit in Q3 this year with higher sales volume and positive impact from its cost-reduction activities.

Brush Engineered Materials said it is expecting Q1 revenue to be 30 to 35% lower than that in Q4 2008. The Ohio-based specialty alloys company initially predicted revenue would fall by 15 to 25% from Q4. It also announced that it will cut its staff level by 15% in order to reduce costs. In a press release, Brush Engineered Materials said that it still experiences very weak demand for its products due to the global downturn and the market visibility is very low. Medical and defense-related products are in exceptions to this trend. It suggested from recent activity, the level of business may have bottomed but it is not certain of the case.

Linderme Tube was a manufacturer of copper and aluminium products. The company was founded in 1927 and employed some 81 people, mostly residents of Euclid and Cleveland. According to a Linderme spokesman, the company has sold all its assets to Small Tube Products Co. and ended production on 1st October. Small Tube Products is a leading North American producer of copper and specialty alloy tubes. It was acquired by Wolverine Tube in July 1994 and was sold recently based on Wolverine's decision to focus on its core products.

International Wire Group, the US-based fabricator of copper wire, announced on 22nd March that its full-year operating income for 2012 increased by the 6.9% y-o-y to US$57.5M, a record level. The company said that its total pound-for-pound of wires sold, which are primarily copper and copper alloy wires, increased by 5.3% y-o-y in 2012. The company said "our strong full year operating results were driven by increased customer demand in our bare wire business, primarily from the automotive/specialty vehicles market." International Wire Group also announced fourth quarter results, with operating income increasing by 9.6% y-o-y, whilst its pound-for-pound of wires sold decreased by 3.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. This was because a higher proportion of the group's business came from tolling contracts in the fourth quarter - whereby end-users provide the refined copper to be converted into wire.