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It was reported that Yazaki will start assembling wiring harnesses for Volvo trucks at its plant in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Yazaki Wiring Technologies Lietuva said the above means that the company will not close down and that it will continue to operate. Even though the size of the order remains unknown, it is expected that it will last at least two years. The Klaipeda-based company is currently making wiring sets for Renault cars.

Nexans reported that it completed a contract which supplied power cables for the Ras Laffan Port Expansion project in Qatar. The two-year contract covered the supply of 458 km of MV/LV power cable, including lead/non-lead sheathed fire resistant versions. All cables were manufactured by Nexans at its plant in Cheongwon, South Korea.

Furukawa Electric announced that it will triple its output capacity for copper foil used in lithium ion batteries to 1,500t per month in 2013. The company will build a new factory with monthly capacity of 500t of foil in the western Taiwanese county of Yunlin. Investment will amount to 6.9bn yen and production is expected to begin in September 2012, gradually being brought up to speed by July 2013. Furukawa Electric has a factory nearby that makes copper foil for circuit boards, and therefore it will be able to procure supplies for both. In addition, the company said that electric power costs in Taiwan are half as expensive compared to Japan, and that will make it competitive in the growing segment of automotive lithium ion batteries. Furukawa Electric will consider exporting foil for lithium ion batteries from Taiwan to China, South Korea and elsewhere. Furthermore, 100ml yen will be spent in order to revamp spare equipment at the existing copper foil factory in Nikko, Japan. That will enable the plant to raise capacity by 80% to 1,000t per month by March 2012.

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.

Paranapanema announced that it approved a capacity expansion and technology modernisation plan, supported by a positive macroeconomic outlook and favourable price trends for its products. The market will be boosted by Brazil's anticipated economic growth, and in particular by infrastructure, civil construction, electricity and green power projects. In addition, the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games will provide further support. Paranapanema will increase its refined copper capacity at its Dias D'Avila unit from 230,000tpy to 280,000tpy in H1 2012. The company will also install a precious metal refining plant at the same unit, scheduled to be operational in H2 2012. Paranapanema's copper semis division, Eluma, will expand its cold rolling capacity from 28,000tpy to 55,000tpy. Furthermore, hot rolled products capacity will rise from 60,000tpy to 200,000tpy whilst tube capacity from 18,000tpy to 36,000tpy. Investment of the entire plan for 2011-13 will amount to 630 million reais (US$377 million).

"Brazilian copper products manufacturer Paranapanema's (Bovespa: PMAM3) board has approved an investment plan of 630mn reais (US$377mn) for the 2011-13 period."

It was reported that equipment installation at Jiangxi Copper Corporation's (JCC) 100,000t/y copper plate and strip project has been completed. The project began in March 2011, and throughout the installation process, the plant produced 1,000t of copper plate and strip, of which 900t have been sold. JCC is a leading Chinese copper producer and fabricator.

It was reported that Furukawa Electric plans to bring forward its capacity expansion plans for electrolytic copper foil due to steady demand from lithium ion battery makers, especially for electric vehicles. The company had previously announced that domestic capacity would expand from 550t/m to 1,000t/m in March 2012. However, supported by increasing demand from EV battery makers, Furukawa will put the time schedule ahead to December 2011. In addition, the company is planning to accelerate the time schedule for its new electrolytic copper foil plant in Taiwan, which was originally due to commence operations in September 2012.

Mueller Industries Inc., the largest copper alloy rod, bar and section and copper tube producer in the US, expressed interest in expanding their production facilities as well as diversifying their product range. Mueller has placed a preliminary non-binding bid letter for the 100% purchase of unnamed copper producing assets based in Reading, Pennsylvania, owned by Industrias Unidas SA de CV and its subsidiary, United Copper Industries Inc. (UCI). Mueller has allocated US$35-50M in cash for the purchase. The company has also expressed interest in buying an electrical building wire manufacturing facility in Denton, Texas.

Chinalco Luoyang Copper Co. Ltd., a Chinese high-precision copper plate and strip producer, plans to raise production by 18% y-o-y to 160,000-170,000t in 2011. The expected increase is the result of a capacity expansion through the completion of a 105,000t/y production line. Total capacity now amounts to 210,000t/y, however, production remains suppressed due to ongoing testing at the US$349M new plant in Luoyang City, Central Henan province. In 2010, Chinalco Luoyang Copper Co. Ltd.'s production was 140,000t of copper plate and strip.

It has been reported that Japanese smelters plan a 21% y-o-y reduction in output in 2011. The reduction is caused primarily by consequences of the 11th March earthquake. The Onahama plant in Fukushima, which produces 300,000t/y has caused particular disruptions to production following a three-month shutdown.

The first stage of Tianjin Huaruide Copper Semis Company's environmentally friendly copper rod production project has come on stream. A highly efficient continuous casting line has been installed as means of minimising pollution generated by the plant. The 20,000m2 facility is located in Wuging, Tianjin City, and required an investment of RMB50M. Stage two of the project is currently under construction.

Jingcheng Copper, a Chinese brass mill, expects to increase capacity of copper sheet and strip from 90,000t/y to 120,000t/y through a new plant, which began construction in December 2009 and is expected to be operational in December 2011. Investment amounted to RMB495.0M. It was reported that the company produced 81,899t of copper products in 2010, up by 5.0% y-o-y and is targeting production of 82,500t in 2011, up by 0.8% y-o-y.

SWCC Showa Holdings Co., Ltd, the Japan-based cable and systems manufacturer, announced plans to construct a copper wirerod plant in China during fiscal year 2012. The new factory, which will have an annual capacity of 60,000t, will be located in Tianjin. Investment is expected to reach RMB1.0B - RMB1.5B. In China, high-quality copper wire is in demand because it is used in winding wire assembling, primarily for automobiles. The company said it also plans to invest RMB1.5B in adding equipment to its factory in Zhejiang to double annual capacity there to 60,000t.

To improve streamlining and strengthen businesses in China, SWCC Showa Holdings is to increase capital investment by US$83.5M - an increase of around 60%y-o-y, the company said. Broken down, this will be an increase of around 75-80% for domestic investment and around 20-25% for overseas investment. Domestically the company said it will focus on streamlining to strengthen profitability; improving the productivity of electric wires for construction and electric power fields and replacing production lines for fibre optic cables. The overseas investment will be to increase the capacity for growth markets such as copper wire rods and industrial electric wires, the company said.

Hellenic Cables S.A. announced the acquisition of Fulgor S.A. through a 100% share purchase. Fulgor S.A. is a producer of cables, conductors and bare copper and aluminium wire rod, with significant experience in producing value added products such as high voltage and submarine cables. Fulgor S.A.'s Soussaki Corinth plant has a production capacity of 50,000t/y of cables and conductors and 45,000t/y of copper and aluminium wire rod. Hellenic Cables believes that the acquisition will strengthen its export orientation and enrich its product portfolio.

China headquartered, Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group Inc. has not yet broken ground at its proposed USD$100M copper pipe and tube plant in Thomasville, Alabama. The company was expected to begin construction of its first U.S. semis fabricating operation between July and August. The facility is planned to supply 100Mlbs/y of products to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning sector.

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. announced plans to integrate three subsidiaries related to electrical power parts by April 2013. The subsidiaries it is considering are the Asahi Electric Works Co., Ltd. engaging in power transmission, Inoue Manufacturing Co., Ltd. producing underground power lines and Furukawa Power Components Inc. which produces overhead distribution lines. The merger will form a comprehensive parts manufacturer encompassing the entire electrical supply network ranging from power plants to consumers. In the future, it plans to mobilize technology and management resources to strengthen overseas deployment as well as research and development for new energies. Following the integration, it aims to increase sales from about ¥17 billion in total in 2010 to ¥30 billion by 2016.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) is facing community opposition to a planned copper rod facility in New Haven, Ind., that could delay the start of full construction at the greenfield site. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management's Office of Air Quality will hold a public meeting on 15th September about the plant, a joint venture with La Farga Group, after receiving almost 80 public comments from residents with environmental concerns.

A fire broke out at Mueller Industries' Wynne factory, severely damaging a building which houses the facility's casting operations for copper tube production, as well as the manufacturing of PVC fittings and fabrication of line sets for air conditioning applications. No one was injured in the fire, however it was reported that 170 of the plant's 465 employees have been laid off. The company hopes to spread lost production amongst its 16 other US-based facilities, secure third-party sourcing and provide ongoing supply to customers.