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Outokumpu, a leading stainless steel fabricator, announced on 1st November that it has sold its 50% shareholding in Nordic Brass Gusum, a brass rod mill located in Sweden, to the operative management. The brass rod mill has a production capacity of 40,000t/y, employs 150 workers and in 2010 achieved a turnover of EUR110M. Outokumpu still owns another brass mill in the Netherlands, Copper LDM B.V., which has a production capacity of around 30,000t/y.

Outokumpu, the Finnish stainless steel producer, sold its last remaining copper processing facility to Bons & Evers holding BV, a privately owned Dutch metals company. The facility produces brass rod, employing 170 people, located in Drunen, Netherlands. Bons & Evers produces hot-forged and machined brass products and has production facilities in: Borne, NL; Voehrenbach, DE; Geisingen, DE; Esvres, FR; Herzberg, DE.

Luvata Oy, Espoo, Finland, formerly Outokumpu Copper Products Oy, has stated that its $40 million copper tube mill in Guadalupe, Mexico will begin production on schedule this September. 50% of the total plant capacity will be reached with one line during September with the second line coming on line by the end of quarter four. Once full production is reached, the plant is expected to add 50,000 tons a year to Luvata's copper tube capacity in N.America. Luvata is moving ahead with its plans for this facility despite a slowdown in the North American HVAC market. The company remains cautiously optimistic about the future, stating, "based on feedback from clients, the U.S. housing market will begin to turn around by the second half of 2009 or in 2010." Strong demand in China, where Luvata has also built plants, as well as from other developing countries has helped maintain Luvata's positive outlook for the viability of the plant. The plant will face stiff competition. Henan Golden Dragon is also building a US$80M copper commercial tube mill in Coahuila, Mexico, and Mexico's IUSA has also announced plans to increase commercial tube production. In the USA, Kobe Wieland Copper Products LLC is also undertaking a US$71M upgrade of its North Carolina copper commercial tube mill.