Sumitomo Metal Mining Brass & Copper to Expand Reflow Plating Capacity

Tokyo based Sumitomo Metal Mining Brass & Copper converts brass strip and reflow tin plating strip making facilities at Mie plant in 3 years for 1 billion yen. The firm expands the reflow tin plating strip processing capacity from monthly 600 tonnes to 800 tonnes in fiscal 2009 starting April 2009 while the firm makes higher grade products through the conversion. The firm tries to expand the annual sales of all items by 20% to 27,600 tonnes in fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2006. The firm has a reflow tin plating line at Mie and operates the line at full capacity under strong demand for automobile. The firm expands the capacity by more than 30% in 3 years when the market will keep expanding for automobile, which uses more electronic parts. The firm also improves the quality for the upper stream operations. The firm renews control system for a mill of 6 mills to improve the preciseness in gauge and flatness. The firm renews an annealing furnace of 2 furnaces for precise control of conditions to improve the quality. The firm already finished a series of investment for rolled copper foil in 2005 to meet growing demand when the firm added rolling mill and degreasing line for 1.2 billion yen. The firm targets 1.6 billion yen of recurring profit for fiscal 2009, which is same level as fiscal 2006, based on as low as US$ 6,000 per tonne of copper ingot price.