ISRI Convention: Chinese Delegates Anticipate Ongoing Demand

At the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI) Annual Convention, held in San Diego in early May, representatives from the Chinese metals industry transmitted a message that they anticipate remaining strongly in the market.

Shang Fushan, a vice president with the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CINA), remarked that China imported less copper-bearing scrap in 2009 compared to 2008. But he said that “as the market conditions got better, there was fast growth in nonferrous metals production” as 2009 progressed.

Shang noted that 35 percent of the copper produced in China is secondary copper, and that “imported scrap metals will be the major source for China’s nonferrous metals industry for a long period of time.”

The Recycling Metal Branch of CINA (CMRA) also provided time at the podium for representatives of member companies that import scrap metal. A vice president of the Ningbo Jintian Copper (Group) Co. Ltd., stated of his company: “Our requirement of scrap is huge and stable.” His company consumes 500,000 tons per year of copper scrap in its production of wire, plate, tube and sheet, he commented.

China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association-Recycling Branch (CMR) Vice-President Ma Hongchang provided attendees with that group’s insight into a new Chinese regulation.

China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) recently issued Notice No. 119 with changes to documentation required by overseas suppliers of scrap materials to China.
According to Ma, an application form (available online to ISRI members though that organization’s Web site, www.isri.org) is a key document that will be important to those making shipments. Additionally, the agency is requesting certain tax registration documents from all scrap shippers.

Information being requested by AQSIQ includes an “explanation of the company’s organizational structure,” a floor plan of processing sites, and documents verifying ISO9001 or RIOS certification.
Ma added that companies that comply with Notice No. 119 must then seek renewal of their Notice No. 119 approval 90 days before their initial approval expires.

The 2010 ISRI Annual Convention was held May 4-8 at the San Diego Convention Center.