Copper

Industry Trends

Despite high copper prices, worldwide copper consumption is expected to grow at a steady rate over the next few years. Expanded copper consumption by a growing consumer base, increased usage intensity in copper-consuming products, the development of new products in which copper is a component, and China's return to the copper market after exhausting national stores are all contributing factors.

In recent years, copper production has not kept pace with demand, causing tight supply and increasingly high copper prices. Today, copper inventories remain critical, although this situation is expected to change as new yield comes on stream. In this dynamic market, there are numerous factors that complicate production and contribute to price fluctuations.

Coping with Negative Industry Trends

With new capacity coming on stream, it is crucial for copper manufacturers to optimize the entire copper supply chain and to minimize production process disturbances and delays in raw materials transport.

At the same time, with copper consumption increasing and copper prices sky-rocketing, copper manufactures must aim for high throughput with low inventory, without sacrificing quality or delivery performance.