Sumitomo Metal Mining Plans 23% Higher Nickel Output

Sumitomo Metal Mining announced on Thursday the firm plans to increase electrolytic nickel production by 23% to 41,000 tonnes in fiscal 2010 starting April from fiscal 2009. The firm increases the ferronickel output by 12% to 18,800 tonnes. The firm plans to produce around 400,000 tonnes of electrolytic copper as same as fiscal 2009. Mitsubishi Materials plans to increase electrolytic copper output by 8% in April-September from same period of 2009.

Sumitomo Metal Mining plans full capacity operation of electrolytic nickel through fiscal 2010 after the firm established annual 41,000 tonnes of output capacity at Niihama plant in fiscal 2009. The firm plans to make 7,800 tonnes of ferronickel in the first half year and full capacity of 11,000 tonnes in the second half at Hyuga plant due to ongoing renewal working through August.

Sumitomo Metal Mining plans to make 404,000 tonnes of electrolytic copper at Toyo plant in fiscal 2010, which is slightly higher than fiscal 2009. The firm increases the output by 15% to 78,000 tonnes for zinc and by 3% to 24,400 tonnes for lead. The firm plans to reduce silver output by 12% to 238 tonnes while the gold output is 35 tonnes as same as fiscal 2009.

Mitsubishi Materials plans 157,512 tonnes of electrolytic copper output in April-September. However, the firm is still middle of the production recovery when the demand is still very slow for building industry. The firm plans to increase the lead output by 7% to 12,780 tonnes in the first half from same period of fiscal 2009.