London, May 27, 2020

Final acceptance awarded for copper rod mill supplied to Southwire for China’s largest copper producer

• Highest capacity mill ever supplied by Southwire
• Increased production rate for ETP copper
• Minimum tension rolling (MTR) extends roll life

To expand its production capacity, Jiangxi Copper Company contracted with Southwire Company, LLC, of Carrollton, Georgia, USA, for an SCR 9000 copper rod mill including shearing, rolling, and coiling equipment supplied by Primetals Technologies. This is the first mill to achieve 54 metric tons per hour, the highest capacity system ever supplied by Southwire, which was installed in the Guangdong Province of China. The project recently received a final acceptance certificate after passing all performance guarantee tests. Primetals Technologies was responsible for engineering, manufacturing and commissioning the shearing, rolling, and coiling equipment for the SCR 9000, which produces electrolytic tough pitch (ETP) copper rods for electrical wire and cable applications. The contract included an optimized roll pass for minimum tension rolling (MTR) to increase roll life and deliver superior diametrical tolerances.

Primetals Technologies supplied two roughing mills, one with a 457-mm stand and the second with four 305-mm stands, a 610-mm entry shear and table, a 320-mm intermediate rotary shear and table, an eight-stand finishing mill with independently driven stands, lubrication systems, guide equipment, a pickling line, two pinch rolls, a rod circumferential wax applicator, a rollerized turndown, coiler and a fully automatic recirculating conveyor system for Southwire supplied automatic coil weighing, pallet destacking, compacting and strapping, and stretch wrapping. The mill now runs 54 metric tons per hour for an annual capacity of 353,000 metric tons and is designed to produce 8, 9.5, 12.7, 16 and 18 mm-diameter rods. This is the third copper rod mill supplied to Southwire by Primetals Technologies for Jiangxi Copper Company.

The largest copper producer in China, Jiangxi Copper Company was founded in 1979 in Dexing, Jiangxi Province. The company produces copper cathodes, rod and wire, sheet, strip, foil and cable, and has operations in mining, smelting and processing copper and precious metals.

Southwire Company, LLC is the largest wire and cable producer in North America and a leading supplier of non-ferrous continuous casting and rolling systems through its SCR Technologies group. The company and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad cable, portable and electronic cord products, OEM wire products and engineered products. Primetals Technologies has built more than 120 non-ferrous mills and completed about 40 upgrades for Southwire’s SCR Technologies customers over the past 50 years.

New SCR 9000 copper rod mill produced by Primetals Technologies, highest capacity ever supplied to Southwire Company LLC, for operation by Jiangxi Copper Company.

Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry. The company offers a complete technology, product, and services portfolio that includes integrated electrics and automation, digitalization, and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain—from the raw materials to the finished product—and includes the latest rolling solutions for the nonferrous metals sector. Primetals Technologies is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and partners, with around 7,000 employees worldwide. To learn more about Primetals Technologies, visit the company website www.primetals.com.