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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.

Prysmian secured EU regulatory approval for the proposed acquisition of Draka. According to the statement released by the EU antitrust regulator, "The Commission's investigation has shown that the merged entity will continue to face effective competition in the production of optical fibre cables and general wiring despite becoming the European leader in the markets concerned." It was reported that the European Economic Area consists of a number of smaller suppliers, and therefore Prysmian will continue to have a sufficient number of competitors in its markets.

It was announced that Hitachi Cable decided to use its plant in China to manufacture heat-resistant and train cables. The decision aims to enable the company to serve Chinese clients faster and also be more cost-competitive. The manufacturing base is located in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and is operated by Suzhou Hitachi Cable Precision Co. Currently, the plant makes wire and cable for electronic devices but the company has decided to invest 1.0B yen to extend the product portfolio to the segments stated above. Installation of new equipment will begin in February and it is expected that it will become operational within the current year.

German integrated copper producer Aurubis reported a 47% y-o-y increase in net income to €258M in H1 FY2010-2011 (1st Oct 2010 - 31st Mar 2011), up from €161M. H1 revenue increased by 42% y-o-y from €4.5B to €6.5B. This outcome was mainly the result of higher copper prices and continued demand for copper caused by the global economic recovery. However, demand from China steadied in Q2 due to a tighter credit environment, as did demand from Europe, due to increasing economic instability. The wire and cable industry performed well, experiencing strong demand from the automotive and domestic appliance sectors. Likewise, copper strip was supported by demand from the coinage as well as special material sectors. On the other hand, copper tube and flat rolled products struggled to recover as a result of strong competition from lower cost substitutes.

The Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Maker's Association reported that copper wire and cable shipments amounted to 58,000t in June 2011, up by 2.4% y-o-y, principally attributed to strong demand for wiring harnesses used in the automotive industry. This marks the first positive growth in Japanese wire and cable shipments since February after a drop in shipment levels due to the 11th March earthquake and tsunami. Wire and cable exports registered another year-on-year contraction in June, caused by increased competition from local producers and the strong yen. On the other hand, domestic delivery levels increased on the previous year in June, representing the tenth y-o-y rise in a row.

SWCC Showa Holdings Co., Ltd. announced it has established Hangzhou Fortis Showa Wire Materials Research & Development Co., Ltd., a fifty-fifty joint venture subsidiary for analyzing materials with Fortis Group Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of communication cables in China. The subsidiary will be employed to locally procure raw materials for copper wirerod and cable for use in photovoltaic systems they will manufacture in China. It aims to strengthen cost competitiveness whilst also securing quality.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd., the Japan-based wire and cable manufacturer, has reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice under which it will plead guilty to U.S. antitrust violations and pay a fine of US$200M. Separate felony charges levelled against three Furukawa executive employees involved in the collusion have resulted in a combined total of 45 months in U.S. jail terms. The case relates to the collaborative investigations by Japan, the U.S. and the E.U. following the February 2010 raids by Japanese authorities on Furukawa and its competitors: Fujikura Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries and Yazaki Corporation. The companies are suspected of being involved in price-fixing and bid-rigging within the automotive components industry. All of the manufacturers, with the notable exception of Furukawa who avoided penalties through reporting the cartel, were also fined a total of ¥12B (US$150M) in June by the Japan Fair Trade Commission for anti-competitive offences in the domestic automotive wire harness market. However, the total cost in penalties in the U.S. could escalate as the remaining companies undergo court judgements after they decide to either enter plea agreements or wait for a court hearing.

Golden Dragon, based in China's Hunan province, opened a new copper tube plant in the city of Monclova, northern Mexico. The investment of the project amounted to US$100 million and represents the biggest Chinese investment ever made in Mexico. The plant covers 200,000m2 and will employ 900 staff. Currently, annual output capacity is 60,000t of copper tube for air conditioners but the plan is to raise that to 120,000t. The new project will benefit from low industrial costs and a competitive exchange rate; it aims to supply the North American and European markets.

This paper (open-access) looks at the future needs for 14 metals, including copper, in the context of the energy transition. Coming from a credible source, the paper presents a balanced and reasonably complete perspective adding a new geopolitical element. For the latter, the Herfindahl-Hirschman index, well known from competition policy, is introduced, and 14 metals are compared to the geopolitics of oil. Interesting as well is the discussion what mineral revenues mean for producer countries.