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Data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs on 13th November showed that imports of copper, including alloys and semis, totalled 321,879t in October, 16.1% lower than the same period last year. October's imports of copper, which cover a period including an extended national holiday, were the lowest in 15 months.

Riccardo Garre the Chief Executive officer of KME Group SpA, the Italy-based manufacturer of copper semi-fabricated products, said in an interview with Bloomberg that he expects the company's production of copper and alloy semis to be 435,000t in 2013, unchanged from 2012, and 10% lower than in 2011. The Chief Executive said "to assume that in 2013 the volume will be exactly the same as in 2012, it means it's really a negative vision," although he did note some strength in flat-rolled copper and alloys used in the automotive and electronics industries. In the interview, he also said he believed slowing economic growth had prompted manufacturers to look for cheaper alternatives to copper semis, such as aluminium and plastics.

Brazilian copper and alloy semis manufacturer Termomecanica is planning to invest BRL300M (US$143M) in several new products and production facilities. The plans will see the company develop a new line of tube and rolled products, as well as new brass rebar production facilities in Chile and Argentina. The company said that its current production capacity is 140,000 t/y, and that they are producing about 90,000 tpy, stating that they believe in the expansion of the domestic market and an in increase exports. Termomecanica's industrial facilities include two sites in the city of São Bernardo in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, two distribution centres in São Bernardo and Joinvile. The new expansion will add an additional 7% of capacity to the company's operations.

According to Tetsu Takahashi, chairman of the Japan Copper & Brass Association, Japanese production of copper and alloy semi-finished products will total 770,000t in 2012, the lowest level since 2009. However, the association is more positive on the prospects for 2013 suggesting that output could expand by 4%, supported by a weaker yen and more accommodative government policies. The association believes that the new government's efforts to reconstruct areas damaged by the 2011 earthquake, as well as the possibility for a rebound in autos exports to China, should lift the demand for Japanese semis in 2013.

Hennan Sanfeng Copper, a subsidiary of Anyang YuBei Gold and Lead Co., Ltd, announced that it now has the capability to manufacture its desired portfolio of copper and copper alloy strip products. This comes after news in December 2011 that construction of its 50,000t/y copper and copper alloy strip fabrication facility had been completed. The company expects to double capacity with the completion of its second phase facility expansion, which is currently undergoing construction.

Assomet, Italy's non-ferrous metals association, reported that the nation's output of copper and copper alloy semis declined by 2.4% y-o-y to 814,000t in the first three quarters of 2011. According to data obtained by Reuters, Q3 output alone fell by 5.8% y-o-y to 229,900t.

It was reported that the construction of North Hua'an Industry Group's copper semis production line has been completed. The production line is currently undergoing pre-production testing. The operation is expected to be commissioned in March 2012 and will produce 6,000t/y of copper and copper alloy wires, tubes, bars and sections.