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Mueller Industries Inc., the US based copper tube and fittings manufacturer, announced its end of year 2011 results, reporting net sales of US$491M in Q4 2011, down from US$527M in Q4 2010. The company attributed US$11M of the diffrence in net sales between Q4 2011 and the previous year period to a decline in the copper price. US$25M of the difference was attributed to lower unit shipment volumes, of which, the plumbing and refrigeration sectors accounted for US$14M. The company is optimistic that new housing starts will continue to rise through 2012, boosting copper tube demand.

Mueller Industries, a leading producer of copper tubes and brass products, reported net sales of $594.1M in Q2 2012. After accounting for changes of metals prices, this represents a decline of 1% y-o-y. The contraction was partially offset by a slightly higher sales volume y-o-y.

Mueller Inc, the US-based manufacturer of plumbing and commercial copper tube, announced on 5th February that its operating revenue for the fourth quarter of 2012 increased by 27.1% y-o-y, to USD16.4M, compared to the same period in 2011. CEO Greg Christopher said that the company is heavily dependent on the housing and commercial construction sector, and after five years of decline and stagnation," the industry finally appears to be gaining positive momentum."

It was reported that US State authorities have signed an agreement with China headquartered Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group Inc. for the construction of a new copper tube plant in Wilcox County, Alabama. Development of the facility will involve an investment of US$100M, however, the production capacity of the operation is not yet known. This follows September news that the company had not broken ground at its proposed US$100M, 45,000t/y copper pipe and tube project in neighbouring Clarke County, Alabama. The delay was attributed to a larger than originally anticipated site requirement, leading to the development of new plans to relocate the facility. Production will supply the US heating, ventilation, refrigeration and air conditioning sector.

Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium semis fabricator, has entered into agreement with Konveyor, another aluminium semis producer based in Turkey, to manufacture heat-transfer products that would utilise aluminium in substitution for copper. Norsk Hydro intends to supply precision-drawn aluminium tubes from its Danish Tonder plant to Konveyor, which will subsequently convert them into specialist capillary tubing using advanced manufacturing technologies. The finished products will be used in heating, ventilation, refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell has approved a bill that establishes a $500 million fund to support alternative energy projects. Special Session House Bill 1 authorizes the Commonwealth Financing Authority to borrow $500 million, most of which will be split into six funding sources relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy: $80 million in grants and loans for solar energy projects; $100 million in grants, loans, and rebates for up to 35 percent of the cost of solar energy projects at residences and small businesses; $165 million in grants and loans for alternative energy projects, excluding solar energy, at businesses and local government facilities; $25 million for wind and geothermal energy projects; $40 million to help start-up businesses involved in energy efficiency technologies; and $25 million in grants and loans to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing homes and small business buildings.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the EnergySmart Hospitals initiative, with the aim of increasing the use of energy efficient technologies in hospitals across the United States. \n\nThe EnergySmart Hospital initiative will provide hospitals with design strategies, advanced energy design guides, technology assessments, case studies, training sessions, and an interactive Website to help hospitals increase their energy efficiency. The initiative intends to improve energy efficiency in existing hospitals by 20 percent and to help develop new hospitals that are 30 percent more efficient than current building standards. It will also support hospitals in meeting the challenge of lowering costs while delivering quality patient care and maintaining healthy healing and work environments. \n

Wolverine Tube (Canada) Inc., which was sold to a group of Canadian private investors in July 2008, has been renamed to Great Lakes Copper Inc. The company is Canada's leading fabricator of copper tube products for the industrial and refrigeration end-use markets.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the home appliances 'trade in' policy realized RMB121.1B of sales income in 2010. Sales income and sales volume amounted to RMB16.6B and 3.6 million sets respectively in Q4 2010. Value was up by 142.7% and volume 147.7% from the same period a year ago. A joint programme of the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Environmental Protection stated that effective from June 2010, the policy would be launched in 19 additional provinces and cities, in addition to the existing nine. The time period of the policy was extended to the end of 2011. Home appliances covered by the programme include television sets, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and computers.

Data released by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association indicated that China's output of copper semis increased by 5% m-o-m to 935,350t in August. The rise has been linked to increased demand for power generation equipment, wires and cables and AC motors. However, demand is likely to be offset by seasonally weak demand for air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.