ANDRITZ Maerz sells its global copper furnace business
Düsseldorf, Germany – ANDRITZ Maerz, based in Germany, and SMS group have entered into an agreement to transfer the global copper furnace business, including the related intellectual property (know-how, references, patents, etc.) and service activities, from ANDRITZ Maerz to SMS group.
SMS has been supplying equipment for the copper industry – ranging from smelting and rolling equipment to presses and forging equipment for the production of bars, tubes, wire, sheet, slabs and other shapes.
During the last few years, under the New Horizon initiative, SMS has markedly expanded and intensified its activities in supplying holistic solutions to the non-ferrous metals industry. The integration of the copper business is a significant milestone in becoming the leading partner for full-line solutions in non-ferrous metals production.
ANDRITZ Maerz brings 60 years of experience and more than 70 references of smelting and refining furnaces for primary and secondary copper production, including tilting refining furnaces, elliptical furnaces, shaft and hearth-shaft furnaces, drum-type furnaces (including Peirce-Smith converter and anode furnaces), bath smelters as well as Top Blown Rotating Converters (TBRC).
The tilting and drum type furnaces enable high-quality wire, tube and section production, as well as production of anodes for electrolysis.
Copper is essential to our everyday lives and to the electrification of the world. Its high thermal and electrical conductivity, good ductility and formability make copper a key industrial metal. Copper can be extracted from ore or recycled – without loss of quality – from copper products. Today, about 30 percent of the copper used worldwide is copper recycled from scrap and waste. With its extensive portfolio of copper furnace technology, the company aims to increase the recycling rate by closing the loop of resources, thus making a significant contribution to promoting the circular economy.
