Aurubis Profile
Aurubis AG engages in producing, processing, and recycling copper in Europe and internationally.
Business Units
The company's business units include Primary Copper; Recycling/Precious Metals; and Copper Products.
Primary Copper
The Primary Copper Business Unit involves in the production of copper in the form of marketable copper cathodes from the primary raw material, copper concentrates. This includes the smelting and refining operations at the production sites in Hamburg, Olen (Belgium), and Pirdop (Bulgaria), as well as the subsidiaries Peute Baustoff GmbH and Retorte GmbH Selenium Chemicals & Metals, which produce specialty products. It also engages in the production and marketing of sulphuric acid.
Recycling/Precious Metals
The Recycling/Precious Metals Business Unit engages in the production of copper cathodes from various recycled raw materials. Recycling activities are performed at different locations, including the recycling centre is located in Lunen, Westphalia. Other subsidiaries and affiliated companies are active in raw material trading and treatment, such as Elektro Recycling NORD GmbH (E.R.N., 70 % holding) and CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH. This division also produces the by-metals and co-products contained in the copper raw materials, including gold, silver, and platinum group metals, as well as lead, nickel, bismuth, tin, antimony, zinc, selenium, and tellurium products and compounds.
Copper Products
The Copper Products Business Unit engages in the production of copper products. In the first processing stage, the company produces continuous cast wire rod from cathodes and continuous cast shapes. In the affiliated company, Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG (50 % investment) and the subsidiary, Prymetall GmbH & Co. KG, Stolberg, continuous cast shapes are processed into pre-rolled strip and subsequently into strips and shaped wires. Slitting centers in Dolný Kubín (Slovakia) and Smethwick (Great Britain) complement its service range and supply strips in the required dimensions. Complex specialty profiles are produced at Swiss Advanced Materials SA (SAM) in Switzerland.
Customers
The company's customers include companies in the copper semis industry, the electrical engineering, electronics, machine, automotive, and chemical industries, as well as suppliers of the construction and car industries.
History
The company was founded in 1866. It was formerly known as Norddeutsche Affinerie AG and changed its name to Aurubis AG in April 2009.