CBSA: Copper Shipments Start the Year Strong
January shipments of copper products increased 18.1 percent from the previous month and were 12.3 percent higher than the same month in 2010, according to the most recent data from the Copper and Brass Servicenter Association, Overland Park, Kan. Warehouse shipments of copper products totaled 22.8 million pounds in January.
Service center copper shipments of 9.8 million pounds were up 18.3 percent on December and 17.4 percent over January 2010. Alloy shipments of 13.0 million pounds were up 18.0 percent on the previous month and 8.8 percent on the same month in 2010.
Service centers saw the biggest gains over December in shipments of copper sheet, up 33.8 percent, and 200 series brass sheet and brass plate, both up more than 30 percent. Alloy pipe, down 19.3 percent, and copper plate, down 5.5 percent, were the only products suffering significant declines compared to the previous month.
Backlogs are steadily growing, leading 46 percent of the service centers and 57 percent of the suppliers polled to anticipate increased activity in the second quarter. About half the reporting companies plan to purchase equipment within the next 12 months.
Service centers are seeing increased demand in electronics, energy and machine parts. A recent survey of analysts and experts from various metal industries predicted that the energy segment will be the strongest in 2011.