Group items tagged

"The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. announces the appointment of William F. Reichert as president of the association for a one-year term commencing on January 1, 2015. "

(Washington, DC) Some of the most influential and competitive organizations in the renewable energy industry have now joined together to create the first trade association for organizations that market renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Marketers Association (REMA) has formed to vigorously promote the economic and national security benefits of domestic renewable energy.

Steel prices are expected to reach £1000 a tonne by the end of the year, according to a survey carried out by the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations among a hundred member companies of the Association of Ductwork Contractors & Allied Services - a rise of 50% in just 12 months. The survey also found that while prices had risen by about 20% since December, they were expected to soar by over 30% in the following six months. There is also no sign of when the upward trend will peak. Paul Roxburgh of ADCAS, says, 'This is a problem that affects the whole industry, and one that requires a collective response. 'We will be working with our colleagues in the contracting sector to make sure that there's a realistic approach to increased costs - particularly in the context of long-term fixed-price contracts.' ADCAS is also to boost its efforts to boost efficiency, such as encouraging the use of only standard sizes for spiral ductwork and components.

According to data released by the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association, wire and cable sales in FY2008 plunged to 759,368 tonnes compared to 856,151 in FY2007. This represents a 11.3% y-o-y decline, reaching the lowest level since 1976. In addition, copper and copper alloy semis, including sheets and tubes, experienced a record y-o-y decrease in March, the lowest in more than 34 years. The Japan Copper and Brass Association reported that production of copper and copper alloy semis in March shrunk by 60% y-o-y to 34,440 tonnes. For the year ended 31st March, output fell by 19% y-o-y to 806,927 tonnes, the lowest since 1982.

According to a study carried out by Sindicel, the Sao Paulo based non-ferrous metals association, Brazil's per capita copper consumption rose by 50% in 2002-2008 to 2.1 kg. Copper usage has grown 30% higher than the GDP growth in the same period. Sindicel's president Sergio Aredes said that the significant rise in copper usage reflects the growth in construction and high-tech products in the Brazilian economy. The association also announced that copper semis production in 2008 generated US$4.0B in revenues. Robust demand in 2008 was supported by strong consumption in the construction, energy, automotive, mining and steel sectors. But Sindicel anticipates that sales in 2009 will decline (construction by 15%, infrastructure by 19% and telecommunication wire and cable by 10%).

According to preliminary data released by the Japan Copper and Brass Association, production of rolled copper and alloy semis in April fell by 48.6% y-o-y to an estimated 44,420t. Compared with March, the figure represents a 28.7% rise, however, April was the 9th consecutive month that production fell. The Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association said last week that copper wire and cable sales in April dropped by 26.3% y-o-y and 18.8% m-o-m to an estimated 52,200t. The deep economic downturn continues to take its toll on copper consumption in the world's second largest economy.

"Proceedings have been filed against: * Australia's two largest manufacturers of electrical cable, Olex Australia Pty Ltd (Olex) and Prysmian Power Cables & Systems Australia Pty Ltd (Prysmian), * the electrical wholesaling businesses L&H (which is operated by Lawrence & Hanson Group Pty Ltd) and Rexel (which is operated by Rexel Electrical Supplies Pty Ltd and Australian Regional Wholesalers Pty Ltd), * six senior executives from these manufacturing and wholesaling companies, and * an industry association, Electrical Wholesalers Association of Australia Limited (EWAA)."

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.

According to preliminary data released by the Japan Copper and Brass Association, Japanese output of brass mill products declined by 5.5% y-o-y in December, to 57,523t. If the data remains unchanged, this would see the overall output of Japanese brass mill products in 2012 fall 6.7% y-o-y. This is roughly in line with the rate of decline predicted by Tetsu Takahashi, President of the association, in a December announcement. 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.

Superconductor cables, only recently available for utility applications, uniquely solve these issues. A single distribution voltage superconductor cable can carry amounts of power normally associated with transmission voltage levels, therefore eliminating the need for multiple cables and greatly simplifying placement issues. Superconductor cables also have a unique dual-personality; under normal conditions they conduct power very efficiently, but during faults they actually limit the amount of current that can flow through them. This eliminates the risk of substation equipment damage from excessively high fault currents when paralleling substations. The installation of superconductor cable-powered bus ties between distribution substations serve as an efficient means to utilize more effectively and fully the existing power delivery infrastructure while simultaneously increasing reliability.

The China Non-ferrous Metals Fabrication Industrial Association (CNFA) announced that it is considering legislative changes that could see more stringent standards for introducing new copper processing facilities in China. The association warned that there could be a copper products surplus in 2015 following the start-up of new projects, adding that processing capacity should not exceed production by more than 15%. CNFA figures indicate that China produced 10.28Mt of copper products in 2011, up by 18% y-o-y. Processing capacity and utilisation rates were estimated at 12Mt/y and 90% at the end of 2011.

A company called GreenCore Air has released an air conditioner than can be powered by a single 170 watt solar panel. The GreenCore air conditioning unit can heat and cool a 600 square foot room. It runs on DC power, so there is no need to put an AC inverter between the solar panel and the air conditioner. This eliminates the power losses associated with converting AC to DC

A company called GreenCore Air has released an air conditioner than can be powered by a single 170 watt solar panel. The GreenCore air conditioning unit can heat and cool a 600 square foot room. It runs on DC power, so there is no need to put an AC inverter between the solar panel and the air conditioner. This eliminates the power losses associated with converting AC to DC. When the sun is not out the unit runs on the battery bank which is integrated within the unit. There two version of the air conditioner: a fixed one, and a mobile one that is mounted on wheels. GreenCore units are being tested by a McDonald's restaurant and the U.S. Navy.

Copper and Brass Servicenter Association (CBSA) reported shipments increased by 1.5% month-on-month in July. The association said the increase was a surprise as July shipments historically follow the trend of the previous month. In July, copper and copper alloy shipments decreased by 2.8% year-on-year while average daily shipping rate went down by 7.2%. Total warehouse inventories dropped by 2.8%. The association also said that it is getting more difficult to search for 'positive economic news' as the months go by.

The Japan Copper & Brass Association reported Japanese copper rolled product import fell by 2.5% y-o-y to 50,057t in the fiscal year ending March 2008. While volume of import was still high, it has fallen y-o-y the first time since the fiscal year ending March 2002. Copper tube import decreased by 19% y-o-y to 10,661t, partly due to the slowdown of new housing starts after the Japanese imposed new building standard law. Biggest importers to Japan are reported to be South Korea, China, Germany, Taiwan and North America.

According to the Japan Copper and Brass Association, total production of copper and copper alloy semis fell by 4.1% y-o-y to 72,770t in July. Output also contracted by 0.5% m-o-m in July, a second consecutive monthly decline. The fall is attributed in large part to the struggling automotive sector, which has been strongly impacted by the 11th March disaster.

Production for domestic shipments contracted by 6.6% y-o-y to reach 51,112t, whilst output for export markets fell more rapidly in January, reaching 8,898t after a 23.1% y-o-y decline (this however, was narrower than the December drop in exports of 30.7% y-o-y). Copper strip still represented the most heavily produced brass mill semi-fabricated product (27.7% of overall production in gross weight) but output decreased by 11.3% y-o-y, amounting to 16,600t in January. This was principally attributed to weak interconnector demand, the impact of the flooding in Thailand and the highly appreciated yen affecting the export market. Copper tube output decreased by 14.5% y-o-y to 9,750t in January, on weak demand from air conditioner manufacturers caused by bad weather and a slow world economy. Brass bar production fell by 7.7% y-o-y but rose by 900t since December to reach 14,206t in January. The change was attributed to improving demand from the domestic automotive and plumbing sectors.

Today, the National Hydrogen Association released a new report called the "Energy Evolution: An Analysis of Alternative Vehicles and Fuels to 2100." The Energy Evolution shows that a scenario which initially includes a mix of alternative vehicles, and is later dominated by hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles sales is the only way to simultaneously cut U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by 80% below 1990 levels; reach petroleum quasi-independence by mid-century; and eliminate nearly all controllable air pollution by the end of the century. The report also shows that an expansion of hydrogen stations is more affordable than most people think.

Data provided by the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association shows that the country's wire and cable shipments dropped 18.8% from March and 26.3% to 52,000 tonnes from a year ago. The association also said that it expects Japanese wire and cable consumption, which accounts for 60% of total copper demand, will fall to its lowest in 34 years in FY2009. However, exports to China have been increasing in recent months. Toyota Motor Corp, the world's largest carmaker, said it predicts its vehicle sales to be 1 million less than the previous year.

Data from the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers Association revealed that exports fells by almost 32% m-o-m in July. Wire and cable exports fell 51% y-o-y in July. Predictions for August expect a further fall of 22% y-o-y. The country receiving the largest share of exports from Japan is Qatar, which predominantly imports electrical power cable.

The US Copper and Brass Servicenter Association expects that orders in Q1 will increase despite the fall in December. It was reported that 57% of service centres are expecting an increase in incoming orders over the next three months compared with Q4 2010, up from 44% in November. However, promptness of payment may be an issue as 36% of service centres foresee payments to be less prompt in Q1 2011 compared to Q4 2010, up from 17% of respondents in November.

According to data from the Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers' Association, shipments of copper wire and cable from Japanese manufacturers fell 2.7% y-o-y in January, to 54,500t, a second monthly fall. Shipments of copper cables to the autos industry fell by 15.1% y-o-y to 5,300t whilst delivery of wires to the electric-machinery sector fell 4.1% y-o-y to 12,200t. An official from the research department of the association said that the recent falls in the Japanese Yen had yet to feed through into demand for exports, however, he said that demand for cables may pick up in the next fiscal year.