Kosaka Smelting & Refining to Raise Recycling Materials Rate

DOWA Holdings group’s Kosaka Smelting & Refining increases the recycling raw materials rate to 60-70% from current 30% after commissioning new furnace in March 2008. The firm improves the competitiveness for the smelting business when copper ore price increases under tight supply and stronger bargaining power of mineral majors. The firm started test running of 12 billion yen new furnace in August. The firm starts the full production line test in October starting commercial operation in March 2008. The firm, which produces annual 70,000 tonnes of copper, 20,000 tonnes of lead, 800 tonnes of silver and 200 tonnes of bismuth, reduces the copper output to annual 25,000 tonnes after the commissioning of the new furnace. With the new furnace, the firm increases the output of precious metals, bismuth, selenium, tellurium and antimony from recycling materials. With the furnace, DOWA group increases the recycling metals number from current 17 elements to 19 elements. DOWA group has recycling base in China and USA to secure the materials. The group will establish new recycling base in Europe and studies to make recycling system for collection from Southeast Asian countries.