Japan's Sumitomo Copper business not to be hit by merger plans

Metal Recycling News  |  2012-09-11 09:01:10   |   By

The production of copper tubes will be continued by Sumitomo Light Metal, Japan's aluminum rolling mill, even after merging with the country's largest rolling mill Furukawa Sky in October 2013.

TOKYO(Scrap Monster): The production of  copper tubes will be continued by Sumitomo Light Metal, Japan's aluminum rolling mill, even after merging with the country's largest rolling mill Furukawa Sky in October 2013.

Its subsidiary Sumikei Copper Tube's product portfolio will complement the strategy of Furukawa-SLM according to Sumitomo Light Metal spokesman Kozo Yamasaki.

At the Yokokawa plant in Aichi prefecture, 4,000 mt/month of copper alloy tube products are produced by Sumikei Copper Tube.  Around 70% of its monthly tube shipments are used for air conditioners.

The aluminum sheets has been supplied by Sumitomo Light Metal  to Air-conditioner manufacturers, and also selling them in a combination set with copper tubes to end-users.

The plants in Malaysia and China will be maintained by Sumikei Copper Tube.  The final processing of semi-finished copper tubes is done I these plants.

The merging plan of   Sumitomo Light Metal  and Furukawa Sky was announced on August 29.  Sumitomo Light Metal is  Japan's second largest aluminum rolling mill  and Furukawa Sky is  the country's largest. The aim of merging was to become the world's third-largest aluminum sheet manufacturer after Alcoa and Novelis