Mitsui Mining & Smelting to Upgrade Ageo’s Copper Rolling Plant

Mitsui Mining and Smelting will invest 2.7 billion yen for Ageo copper rolling plant in Saitama in 3 years from fiscal 2007 started April. The firm tries to meet higher demand for quality from the users by improving the strip and sheet quality through renewal of rolling mill and annealing-pickling line. The investment is largest one at the plant after 6 stands finishing mill in 1992. The new expenditure is to improve the upper stream operations to renew electrical control system including motors for the hot rolling and 2-high cold rolling mill. With the renewal, the line can improve the gauge control with pr?cised thickness control. The firm tries to improve the brushing process of continuous annealing and pickling line to remove oxidized layer and to uniformize the surface. The firm expects the renewal also improves the productivity. The firm tries to meet the higher demand for quality when automotive industry needs better quality year and year. The firm tries to improve the quality for brass and phosphor deoxidized copper strip and sheet keeping the monthly 4,000 tonnes output. The firm also builds new automation products warehouse in later the year at Ageo to utilize the space. The firm started the working in April for the 200 million yen of investment to start the operation in September. The multi layered warehouse with 600 square meters of floor space can stock 1,400 tonnes of products. The firm also improves the shipping operation through the automation warehouse.