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Jianxin Copper announced that it produced 34,500t of copper wirerod and 3,216t of copper ingot in 2010, realising 2.2bl yuan sales income. The company plans to increase output to 60,000t in 2011 and achieve 3.0bl yuan sales income. Jianxin Copper, which is located in Yujiang County, Jiangxi Province, China, commenced production in April 2009. Total investment amounted to 180ml yuan.

US copper imports increased by 30% m-o-m to 66,166t in March 2011. This represented the highest level since March 2009 when it reached 79,975t. The rise in imports was mainly attributed to recovered demand from the manufacturing sector. However, the construction sector continues to perform poorly.

Jingcheng Copper, a Chinese brass mill, expects to increase capacity of copper sheet and strip from 90,000t/y to 120,000t/y through a new plant, which began construction in December 2009 and is expected to be operational in December 2011. Investment amounted to RMB495.0M. It was reported that the company produced 81,899t of copper products in 2010, up by 5.0% y-o-y and is targeting production of 82,500t in 2011, up by 0.8% y-o-y.

Anhui Jingcheng Copper Share Co. Ltd. announced on 23rd August that the commissioning of its 30,000t/y high precision copper strip project will be suspended until 31st December 2011. The project was originally intended as a high precision copper alloy operation with a production capacity of 20,000t/y, but in May 2009 plans were revised to develop a 30,000t/y high precision copper strip project at an investment cost of RMB495M.

Golden Dragon, based in China's Hunan province, opened a new copper tube plant in the city of Monclova, northern Mexico. The investment of the project amounted to US$100 million and represents the biggest Chinese investment ever made in Mexico. The plant covers 200,000m2 and will employ 900 staff. Currently, annual output capacity is 60,000t of copper tube for air conditioners but the plan is to raise that to 120,000t. The new project will benefit from low industrial costs and a competitive exchange rate; it aims to supply the North American and European markets.

According to data released by the US International Trade Commission, copper imports in September soared to 56,012 tonnes, up by more than 50% compared to August. Larger import volumes provide optimism for economic recovery in the US. The US stimulus plan amounts to US$787 billion and until now only a fifth to a quarter has been spent. Maximum results of the stimulus programme are expected to be realised in Q4 2009 - Q2 2010.

Luvata officially opened its first copper tube plant in Mexico, aiming to fabricate tubes for the HVACR industry. The company sees the current downturn in the commercial tube market as a convenient time to establish its position in the marketplace and be ready when the market picks up. The Monterrey-based plant has started with small but steady deliveries since mid-June. Currently, the plant employs 180 staff with the plan to raise workforce to 250 when the full capacity level of 2,500t per month is reached in H1 2010. Luvata aims to supply several major clients but also expand its clientele to new and smaller Mexican customers. The company intends to differentiate itself by offering just-in-time deliveries, enabling its clients to run reduced inventory levels.

Leader Universal Holdings Bhd expects its wire and cable business to benefit from increased demand as a result of stronger activity in the domestic and overseas infrastructure industry. Demand is expected to stem mainly from Asia and Australia, and also from reconstruction projects in New Zealand and Japan. Currently, orders amount to RM800M, with one-third coming from overseas markets. The company also realised strong demand from the Middle East. In the financial year ended 31st December 2010, the company recorded a turnover of RM2.49B, an increase of 27.6% compared to RM1.95B in 2009.