Nippon Mining & Metals Further Strengthens Domestic Operations
Nippon Mining & Metals will strengthen its domestic operations while the firm accelerates offshore investment and loan and expands sales under structural severe condition for copper smelting business. The firm restructures domestic operations including cost cut at major Saganoseki smelter by integrating operation and investing to save energy and reducing workforce while the firm expands sales expansion for high grade copper by permanent cathode technology and sulfuric acid at Hitachi plant. The firm focuses on investment for mining countries with higher performance and expands capacity for copper drawing wire at China.

The firm already started integration of converters and will dispose a small dissociation line at Saganoseki. The firm's copper operations focus on high grade copper products with 250,000 tonnes at Saganoseki and 200,000 tonnes at Hitachi. Hitachi plant is expected to increase share in the firm. Saganoseki accelerates to secure fruits of research and development including hydrometallurgy to transfer domestic operation into next generation copper smelting plant.

The firm is trying to improve offshore investment performance by establishing operations combined mined ore and smelting in mining countries though the firm's offshore investment and loan has paid the firm so far. The firm eyes other metals including zinc to invest several projects for 10 to 30 billion yen per project in five years. The firm expands copper drawing wire production capacity to 180,000 tonnes from current 120,000 tonnes at Chinese joint venture to strengthen its sales resources in growing Chinese market.

Nippon Mining & Metals