Nippon Mining & Metals to Expand Cu Wire Rod Output in China

Nippon Mining & Metals will introduce a SCR-type continuous casting and rolling facility in its Chinese joint venture to produce copper wire rod. The firm plans to expand the JV’s output capacity to 300,000 tonnes per year from current 200,000 tonnes with 3 billion yen capital expenditure. The construction of the new facility will start in August and complete in 2010. The JV will stop an existent Contirod-type facility after a SCR-type facility starts production.The JV, Chang Zhou Jin Yuan Copper, produces 8-millimeter diameter copper wire rod for electric cables in Jiangsu, China with 250 employees. The capital is 177.2 million yuan, 58% shared by Nippon Mining & Metals.The JV has a Contirod-type continuous casting and rolling equipment and a 2.6-mm wiredrawing facility. The JV currently produces wire rod at 190,000 tonnes per year and continues full operation for more than a year. Nippon Mining & Metals decided the capacity expansion to meet strong demand from infrastructure construction in China.