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"Copper-clad aluminum wire which is composed of aluminum core clad with ETP copper was exploited to solve the problem of the copper price increasing by replacing traditional copper wire with copper-clad aluminum wire in the alternator for vehicle application. The aluminum winding alternator parameter was designed and the alternator was tested. The test data show that copper-clad aluminum can offer most of the advantages of aluminum, such as having lighter weight and lower cost than copper, but without the main perceived disadvantages of aluminum. With right parameter and well welding, aluminum winding can replace copper winding to reduce the alternator cost. "

According to data from the Japanese Wire and Cable Makers' Association, shipments from Japanese wire and cable producers declined 0.8% y-o-y in October, taking total shipments to 60,000t. Japanese wire and cable manufacturers have been seeking to boost sales overseas and outside of traditional telecoms and power sectors. Last week, Furukawa Electric announced plans to invest in infrastructure to generate more sales in the auto industry, while Hitachi Cable announced a tie-up with sister company Hitachi Metals and a greater focus on export markets in a bid to restructure and boost sales.

HL Technology, a listed Chinese producer of wire and cables, announced on 20th November that it plans to sell its 55% stake in Tianjin Rituo Automotive Electronics to Wang Xiang, for RMB58.6M (US$9.3M), stating that the venture had not been as profitable as expected. The company also announced it is acquiring the entire equity in a separate company, Rituo High Technology, from Rituo Automotive Electronics for RMB15M (US$2.4M). Rituo High Technology researches, designs and manufactures wiring harness components such as the wires used for signal transmission. By purchasing Rituo High Technology, HL Technology said it hopes to develop its own wholly owned subsidiary in the wiring harness sector.

According to a statement from the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association, Japanese shipments of copper wire and cable could rise by as much as 2.2% in the fiscal year Q2 2013 to Q1 2014. This would see shipments rise to 701,000t from an estimated 685,700t in the fiscal year ending March 2013. Although Japanese wire and cable shipments have grown for four consecutive years, copper wire and cable shipments in 2012 were still around 20% lower than levels seen in 2007.

Texas-based wire manufacturer Encore Wire saw its net income fall by 65% in 2012 to US$19.8M, as reduced prices for building wire pressured margins. The spread the company earns between the sale price of wire and the cost of purchasing raw material, mostly copper, fell by 9.4% in 2012. The company's CEO said that the fourth quarter of 2012 "was another fairly steady volume quarter, considering the time of the year and the current economic and construction industry environment." Encore is more optimistic about the operating environment in 2013 and CEO Daniel Jones said most of Encore's electrical distributor customers have lean inventories so demand should be stronger.

US wiring manufacturer Encore Wire released its financial results for Q3 and the nine months ending September 2012. Sales for Q3 were $269.2 million down y-o-y from $319.4 million. The company said lower prices for building wire and the lower copper price contributed to this. Net income for the quarter also fell y-o-y from $13.7 million in Q3 2011 to $5.5 million in Q3 2012. The company's CEO commented that "The third quarter of this year was another fairly steady volume quarter in the midst of this construction industry recession. There are signs of bright spots around the country and talk of some major projects, but for the most part we are still in the trough. Major projects are discussed but then get delayed due to uncertainties surrounding the global economy and the U.S. economy and political environment. The good news is that our volumes are not trending downward."

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. announced that its magnet wire producing subsidiary Furukawa Magnet Wire has co-developed a rectangular magnet wire with a voltage resistance of up to 1,400-1,500V. The higher voltage rating and shape factor is believed to make the cable suitable for motors within small hybrid energy vehicles (HEVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). The company is supplying Toyota with this magnet wire for use in its 'AQUA' HEV. Furukawa will expand monthly production at its plant in Mie, Japan by 50% to 300t in this fiscal year to meet demand from rising production of AQUA and to supply other HEV/EV manufacturers.

Encore Wire, a major producer of building wire in USA, reported that shipment volumes by metal weight contracted by 4% y-o-y in Q2 2012, mainly attributed to the continuing recession in the US construction industry. The company said that its performance by shipment volume should be measured against changes in the spread between the price of wire sold and the cost of raw materials. This metric decreased by 10.1% y-o-y in Q2. Encore further added that the drop in volumes was related to attempts to lead or maintain pricing levels, while not accepting some lower margin orders.

"Global demand for insulated cable and wire is forecast to expand 8.3% p.a. between 2014 - 2018. Azerbaijan, China, Lithuania, Turkey, and the United States are considered the highest potential markets in the coming years."

"SHANGHAI, Jun. 5 (SMM) -Speculation is running high that aluminum will replace copper in wire & cable now that China's new standards for aluminum alloy cable will take effect September 1. However, the new standards will do little in boosting aluminum applications in wire & cable, Shanghai Metals...... "

According to preliminary data announced by the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association, copper wire and cable offtake in March plunged by 25% y-o-y to 53,400t (estimated). February was a weaker month that fell by 32.7% y-o-y to 49,313t (confirmed). On a m-o-m basis, sales in March rose by 8.3%.

Jinglong Electric Material Co. Ltd. has started a special type enamelled wire project in Tongling City, Anhui Province. The company was established in 2003, engaging in the production and sale of enamelled wire. Capacity was restricted to 10,000t per annum due to dispersed plants. But by consolidating operations, Jinglong will reach annual capacity of 25,000t, also meeting local copper demand. The new project occupies 53,000m2 whilst its investment amounts to 80M yuan (US$11.7M). It is anticipated that upon reaching full capacity, the company will realise annual revenues of 950M yuan (US$139M).

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.

According to data released by the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association, wire and cable shipments in Japan amounted to an estimated 50,100t in August compared to 58,032t in July. On a y-o-y basis, that was a decline of 17.7%. While there are signs that market demand is improving, the figure indicates that the widely expected economic recovery is not solid yet.

Aurubis, a leading European copper semis fabricator, said that it saw product demand and production recover in mid-May in the wire and cable industry and in some other copper semis sectors. The wirerod market, especially the automotive wiring industry, is supported by government stimulus packages. It said orders for continuous cast shapes also stabilised in May then rose slightly in June. The company reported pretax profit in the third quarter to June fell to 51m euros (US$72m). Product output was 479,000t of wire rod and 111,000t of continuous cast shapes for the first nine months.

Founded in 2005, LeDi is located in China near Shanghai in Zhejiang province, a hub of transportation, trading and communications. The company has three copper wire production lines with total annual capacity of approximately 36,000 tons. In April 2009, LeDi received a license to import scrap metal directly from foreign countries, making it one of the only copper processing companies in China that is licensed to import scrap copper directly from the USA, thereby decreasing raw materials costs and providing a meaningful competitive advantage.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bay Acquisition Corp. (formerly known as SecureLogic Corp.) (OTCBB: SLGI) ("Bay Acquisition"), announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Zhejiang Ledi Electronic Technology Co., LTD. ("LeDi"), a copper processing enterprise located in China, which produces electrical copper wires in the wire and cable industries. The transaction is structured as an acquisition of LeDi's Samoan-based holding company.

Hitachi Cable announced its plans to install manufacturing equipment for industrial wire and begin production of rolling stock wire and heat-resistant wire at its Chinese subsidiary Hitachi Cable (Suzhou) Co. The company will construct a new building at the existing facility, occupying 11,000 square metres. It is expected that investment will amount to 1 billion yen, achieving a target of 2.5 billion yen of net sales of industrial wire in FY2015, three years after the facility commences operations.

Changzhou Jinyuan Copper, invested in by JX Nippon Mining & Metals, said it plans to increase wire drawing capacity to 30,000 tonnes per year in 2012 from 18,000 tonnes. The announcement follows an expansion of its wirerod production facility which increased capacity to 300,000t/y in May 2010. The company currently manufactures copper wire to 1.13-3.5mm diameter from 8mm wirerod and sells all of its 1.13-2.6 millimetre range to the domestic market. The focus of the firm is supplying high quality products needed for winding wire used in vehicles. 60-70% of its domestic shipments are for winding wire, 20-25% are for power cable with the remainder comprised of communication cables. Changzhou Jinyuan Copper output 221,000t of 8mm copper wirerod in 2010 and 134,500t in H1 2011.