Ningbo Jintian Copper (Group) Co Ltd (NJC) has signed contracts with Southwire Company LLC for two identical Southwire Continuous Rod (SCR) 7000 copper rod mills to be supplied by Primetals Technologies in 2019.

A press release said that the order from NGC will enable the company to expand into new geographic markets. The first new mill will operate in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and the second mill will be installed in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Start-up is expected in the summer of 2019 for the first mill and early 2020 for the second. The new orders bring the total number of copper rod mills supplied by Primetals Technologies to Southwire for Ningbo to four, increasing their total annual installed capacity to nearly 1 million metric tons.

Primetals Technologies, the release said, is responsible for the engineering, manufacturing and commissioning of the rolling mill and coiler equipment for the rolling mills to produce electrolytic tough pitch (ETP) copper for the building construction wire and cable market. The contract calls for a Morgan No-Twist mill with 13 independently driven roll stands that will produce two- to four-ton coils of 8 mm, 9.5 mm, 12.7 mm, 16 mm, 18 mm and 25 mm diameter rod from 8,200-sq-mm cast bar at a production rate of 48 metric tons per hour. Each mill will have an annual capacity of approximately 315,000 metric tons.

 The contract also includes for each mill a 24-inch entry shear and table, one 18-inch roughing mill stand, four 12-inch roughing mill stands, and eight 8-inch finishing mill stands, all with hydraulic roll mounting, a rod cooling and cleaning system including injectors and air wipes, rollerized turndown, two pinch rolls, coiler, designs for a conveyor with rotary turntable, and two lubrication oil systems. The arrangement will also include the latest inline recirculating coil handling system.

 Founded in 1986 as a copper bar manufacturer, NGC is one of the largest copper processing manufacturers in China and is an industrial conglomerate among the top 500 companies in China. Southwire has worked together with Primetals Technologies for more than 50 years. During that time, the company has built more than 110 nonferrous mills for Southwire customers, in addition to completing more than 40 upgrades.