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ICA Annual Meeting Focused on Growth Opportunities
and Challenges to Copper Markets
NEW YORK, June 18 -- With an increased operating budget and an ambitious
nine-point five-year Strategic Plan of action, management at the International
Copper Association (ICA) detailed at its June Annual Meeting how ICA's
market-based initiatives now being implemented are expected to deliver
an additional 750,000 MT/Y of copper, over and above natural growth,
by 2005.
"Over the past eight years, copper has performed extremely well
in absolute terms and in comparison to other nonferrous metals,"
said Jan Smolders, President of ICA. "Copper demand growth is
accelerating, thanks in part to the contributions of ICA.
All of the initiatives in the Strategic Plan support ICA's mission
to increase the awareness and usage of copper worldwide. The initiatives
are both market- and region-focused, and include important internal
service benefits, such as market intelligence, peer-reviewed scientific
research, regulatory liaison, proactive communications, and program
measurement and evaluation. Details of the Strategic Plan are summarized
in ICA's 2000 Annual Report, which was released at the Annual Meeting
and is now available.
Smolders spoke about how copper will reap additional benefits from
three developments now taking place. First, the Global Mining Initiative's
(GMI) new International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), which
was formed last month, will underpin the copper industry with a cohesive
structure and a credible position on sustainability; ICA will work
closely with ICMM, particularly in areas of advocacy, environment,
and health. A second important development is the joining of ECMIs
(European copper smelters and fabricators) environment and health
activities with ECI, a union that will strengthen coppers presence
in Europe. ECI is the joint venture for Europe between ICA and IWCC.
And in China, currently the world's largest growth market for copper,
the copper industry joined forces with ICA to establish a Chinese
Copper Development Center with the specific goal to penetrate opportunities
in all potential product sectors.
Smolders welcomed Chilean mining company Empresa Minera de Mantos
Blancos S.A. as a new member of ICA. Mantos Blancos joins some twenty-nine
other member companies which together represent over 80% of the worlds
refined copper output.
A list of new Directors elected to ICA's Board was provided to members
at the meeting.
ICA's Global Program directors spoke about how ICA is moving forward
with aggressive actions on several fronts in building construction
and industrial, electrical energy efficiency, emerging high-tech applications,
health and the environment, and communications.
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The International Copper Association, Ltd. (ICA) is the leading organization
for promoting the use of copper worldwide. ICAs promotes copper by
communicating the unique attributes that make this sustainable element
an essential contributor to the formation of life, to advances in
science and technology, and to a higher standard of living worldwide.
The Associations thirty-two member companies represent about 80%
of the worlds refined copper output, and its five associate member
companies are among the worlds largest copper and copper alloy fabricators.
For further information, contact ICA at:
Contact: Michael Hennelly,
Tel: 212-251-7259,
E-mail: mhennelly@copper.org
260 Madison Avenue, 16th floor,
New York, NY 10016-2401.
Tel: (212) 251-7240
Fax: (212) 251-7245.
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