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Global competition, energy supplies and new technologies are among the issues converging to create a perfect storm that threatens to engulf the materials industries, according to a materials industry consultant.

Nexans, the large French wire and cable maker, announced on 7th February that its full year operating revenues, at constant non-ferrous metals prices, increased by 6% to EUR4.87B (USD6.60B). However, the company noted that acquisitions were responsible for the increased revenues and organic sales growth was roughly flat compared to 2011. Nexans reported mixed revenue growth by sector, with the group's Industrial Cables unit and the Distributors and Transformers unit showing organic sales growth, whilst the Nexans reported contraction in its Power Transmission and Utilities and Operators businesses. In the Industrial Cables unit, high double-digit growth was noted in the demand automotive wiring harnesses, with the company highlighting its strong position with German autos companies as a decisive factor. The company also noted strong growth in supplying cables to the oil industry and the aeronautical industry. Weak European growth was noted in Nexan's Automation and Capital goods business, as well as in the railways sector, with Nexans noting that they expect railway investment to pick up in China in H2 2013.

According to the General Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy, it is a misconception to that 50-60% of copper is absorbed by China's power industry. The industry body posits that 30% of copper consumption is attributed to infrastructure projects, which include power, rail and telecommunications. 21% is absorbed by the construction, 20% for the production of consumer goods and 7% by industrial equipment manufacturers. The research institute forecasts copper consumption growth of 5% in the power industry this year and considers it to be the key driving force behind overall Chinese copper demand, which it expects to increase 4.1% in the same period.

Xingye Copper International Group plans to commission its 25,000t/y copper plate and strip project in Zhejiang province by 2014. The company already operates a copper and copper alloy plate and strip plant.

Official data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology revealed that major electronic information manufacturing company profits declined by 14% y-o-y, reaching RMB122B in H1 2012. The decline in profits was attributed to weakening orders caused by the European debt crisis and slowing world economy. The number of electronic manufacturers reporting a loss over H1 2012 rose by 20.2% y-o-y, to reach 4,250, which is thought to be as a result of high financing costs.

It is expected that copper, which has become an essential material for major local industries, will settle itself in high-tech industries as core material through the continuous R&D.

"Water is necessary for many applications apart from sustaining life. Because it may not be available in sufficient quantity or at the quality required, some form of treatment may be necessary to meet the needs of an application. More stringent water quality specifications normally require more elaborate treatment methods. Challenges of availing clean water suitable for specific applications have led to innovations in water production to meet the needs of each sector. This research service reports on innovations in water production that specifically impact each key sector. It gives the industry snapshot of each key sector, its current water scenario, innovation landscape, global trends and technology roadmap till 2025. Several examples of innovative non-technological ways to produce or provide water are presented at the end of the report. Some key patents and contact details of key industry players are also given."

"At a time when Iran's economy is tied up with sanctions, limiting its international trade capacities, it managed to sell more than a million vehicles (885,000 passenger vehicles and 128,000 light commercial vehicles) in 2012, enforce Euro IV norms in 8 cities including Tehran, Karaj, Arak, and Tabriz, convert all public cars into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) compliant vehicles, and successfully implement a vehicle scrappage program to get very old, highly polluting vehicles off the streets of Iran. The prospect of such a country opening up to trade, giving an opportunity for global automotive companies to be a part of its growth, certainly creates buzz in the industry. Iran sold close to 860,000 passenger vehicles in 2014, 88% of which were sold by Iran Khodro Industrial Group (IKCO) and SAIPA under different marquees. With around 11.7 million vehicles on the road, the aftermarket potential is massive and the average age of vehicles is steadily increasing."

"By far, the replacement rate of copper with aluminum alloy and Aldrey alloy is up to 70% to 75%. In contrast, that of China is only 3% to 5%. In 2014, the aluminum alloy cable value is near RMB130 billion. In the global market, aluminum alloy cable is a common product for electric transmission line. With new energy gaining more popularity in China, the application of aluminum alloy will become wider and wider. In this report, ASKCI will further disclose market potential and commercial opportunities for aluminum alloy cable industry in China. Recommendations will be given at the end of the report to describe the prospect and provide suggestions for strategy making."

"Conflict mining remains an important issue, and one we are beginning to see governments step in to address in different ways. With the global economy as interconnected as ever, it's important to note that many of the products and technologies we use in our daily lives begin at the same source: mines. With leading companies across industries such as electronics, retail and jewelry, auto manufacturing, lighting aerospace, construction, and other industries relying on these commonly used 3TG metals - tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold - implementing effective regulation is essential in order to further advance support to eliminate or reduce human rights violation."

The World Watch Institute (WWI) released a report last week stating that an estimated 2.3 million people worlwide work in the renewable energy industry or its supplier industries.

Mention copper to almost anyone in the PCB industry these days and the first thing that springs to mind is the ongoing price increase. Although copper pricing is not directly monitored by BPA, the impact on the price of laminate and PCBs is monitored through BPA's quarterly survey for its PCB Information Service. \n\nIn the short term, forecasted increases on the demand side for copper prices are likely to remain at least at the current level. The trend in copper usage has diverged in the fact that a number of different applications now exist. \n\nAt one time, 1 ounce (35µm) copper was standard, but the average is now 0.5 ounces. Using thinner copper, if the design will allow, can, to some extent, offset a price increase. However, one segment of the PCB industry which is particularly vulnerable to copper prices is the automotive sector, where recent developments have seen the introduction of thick copper PCBs for smart fuse boxes and power electronics. These boards use 4 ounce, 6 ounce and 10 ounce copper--up to 20 times the standard thickness.

Two Japanese companies are working together to develop carbon fiber materials for use in cars, according to a Reuters report. Toray Industries (3402.T) and Mitsubishi Rayon (3404.T) hope to mass produce the lightweight material by 2010 in an effot to make vehicles 40% lighter and up to 30% more fuel efficient. They also intend to develop technology to recycle carbon fiberin order to bring costs down. For years, proponents of carbon fiber materials have supported its widespread use in vehicles, but the cost of the highly engineered materials was prohibitive. Now with gasoline and steel prices on the rise, carbon fiber is becoming more economically feasible. The Nikkei business daily reported that Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. were participating in the partnership, along with Toyobo Takagi Seiko Corp and researchers from the University of Tokyo. However, both Nissan and Honda denied that they were participating in the project. A spokeswomam for Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization said teh government is also researching the further use of aluminum and other light-weight metals to replace steel.

ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT), a steel manufacturer based in New Deli, launched a clean technology venture capital fund to support ventures that have relevance for the carbon-intensive steel industry. The Fund has made its first investment of US$20 million in Miasolé, a California-based pioneer in the development of thin-film solar panels Miasolé has developed unique high volume manufacturing processes that enable efficient production of Copper Indium Gallium Selenium (CIGS) solar products on a flexible stainless steel substrate. This technology promises to dramatically lowers the installed cost of Photovoltaic (PV) systems and will enable renewable energy from the sun to replace carbon generating fossil fuels. Fund managers will be working with leading venture capital firms, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, to identify worthy cleantech ventures. ArcelorMittal also announced that it has created a new carbon fund in order to strategically engage in the carbon market and promote climate friendly solutions that are relevant for the steel industry. The fund, which has an initial investment commitment of €100 million (US$ 157 million) is currently looking at investment opportunities in renewable energy, energy efficiency, methane capture and greenhouse gas reducing technologies--all of which have the potential to generate carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol. ArcelorMittal intends to use the carbon credits received from these Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation projects for compliance in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto should post record half-year profits as they reap the benefits of an industrial commodities boom, and are likely to use the results to bolster their arguments in a $123 billion (66 billion pound) takeover stand-off. Both are also likely to outline big expansions in key profit sectors such as copper and iron ore, where analysts predict higher prices next year on the back of strong demand for imported raw materials from China's industrial sector. Consenus figures based on forecasts by 20 analysts and provided by BHP point to a 12 percent rise in annual net profit to $15.4 billion, suggesting second-half profit will have risen 30 percent to $9.4 billion from $7.2 billion previously. Analysts polled by Reuters Estimates forecast Rio's January-June underlying profit will have risen 40 percent to $5.2 billion. BHP's financial year ends June 30, while Rio follows the calendar year.

"Everything that is important to this world will be solved by semiconductor technology." That was the claim of National Semiconductor CEO and Chairman Brian Halla at the EcoChip forum hosted at chip-maker Actel's Silicon Valley campus Monday. It's a tall order, of course, not least of all for an industry expecting to see its annual sales plummet by 5.6 percent to $246.7 billion in 2009 compared to 2008. For the fourth quarter alone, the Semiconductor Industry Association anticipates sales will drop 5.9 percent from the previous quarter.

6) Electro-thermal recapture - converting the thermal energy wasted from the exhaust back into electric power. It's not available yet but, according to Origo Industries' Ian Houston and Oaktec's Paul Andrews, both believe the exhaust is the greatest waste of energy in the car and that this will be the next big leap for the hybrid car industry.