デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス
デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス

November 28, 2003 - Kobe Steel デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスitsubishi Materials to combine copper tube businesses


デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスl, Ltd.
Tokyo Stock Exchange no. 5406

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
Tokyo Stock Exchange no. 5711

Kobe Steel デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスitsubishi Materials to combine copper tube businesses


TOKYO, November 28, 2003 – Kobe Steel, Ltd. デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスitsubishi Materials Corporation have agreed to combine their copper tube businesses in Japan and Southeast Asia into a new joint venture on April 1, 2004. Kobe Steel is to have a 55% share, while Mitsubishi Materials will have a 45% share in the new company.

The venture is forecast to have consolidated sales of 34 billion yen and a domestic market share of roughly 35%. With an estimated 30% share in Southeast Asia, the new company will be one of the largest manufacturers of デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス in the region.

Kobe Steel's Hatano Plant in Kanagawa Prefecture (Japan) デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスitsubishi Materials' Kitamoto Plant in Saitama (Japan) will become part of the new venture. Kobe Steel's Hatano Pipe Center Co., Ltd., also in Kanagawa, will become a 100% owned subsidiary of the new joint venture. Kobe Steel's Kobe Copper (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスitsubishi Materials' MMC Copper Tube (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in Thailand will become 100% owned subsidiaries of the new joint venture. Kobe Steel's U.S. tube operation, KobeWieland Copper Products LLC, is not included in the new formation and will remain part of Kobe Steel.

In production scale, marketing, quality, cost competitiveness, technical capabilities, デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスanufacturing technology, the new joint venture will aim to become one of the leading integrated manufacturers of copper tube in Asia, combining Kobe Steel's metal processing technology デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスitsubishi Materials Group's alloy technology.

デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス is one of the major applications of copper in Japan, along with copper strip for leadframes and other electronic applications and copper rod for fittings, valves, and IT equipment. World demand for デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス totals roughly 1.5 million metric tons per year. In Japan, demand for デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス is roughly 130,000 metric tons per year, amounting to 15% of Japan's total shipments of all copper products.

In Japan, roughly 90,000 metric tons of デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス, noted for its high heat conductance and good bendability, are widely used in the heat exchangers of air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers. Of these applications, inner-grooved デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス is widely used in air conditioners as the inner grooves increase the surface area in the tubes, thus improving the heat exchanging performance. World demand for air conditioners is anticipated to grow 4% per year, and this is anticipated to correspondingly increase the world market for デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス.

Since 2001, Japanese air conditioner manufacturers have been accelerating the shift of production to Asia. As imports into Japan of complete air conditioners and heat exchangers have been increasing, domestic demand for デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス has been dropping. In 1991, デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス demand peaked at 204,000 metric tons in 1991, but decreased to 157,000 metric tons in 2000 and 134,000 metric tons in 2002. With a capacity utilization rate of 70% in fiscal 2002, the industry is faced with substantial overcapacity.

In contrast, the production of air conditioners in Southeast Asia has greatly increased since the last 1980s due to the rise in exports to North America and Europe. Production of 4.4 million units in 1998 grew to 5.6 million units in 2002. With an estimated growth rate of roughly 5% per year, the market for デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス in the region is anticipated to grow steadily into the medium-term future.

デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス for air conditioners is an important product for Kobe Steel. Producing tube with thinner wall thickness and optimum surface shape, as well as prompt response to user needs, Kobe Steel has a proven record of supplying デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス to domestic air conditioner manufacturers and has over a 20% share. In 1987, Kobe established Kobe Copper (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., which backed by Kobe Steel's record in Japan, has been supplying Japanese air conditioner manufacturers in Southeast Asia.

Mitsubishi Materials is an integrated producer with smelting operations and is developing applications in the non-air conditioning field. Mitsubishi has roughly a 13% share of the domestic デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス market. In addition to デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス for air conditioners, Mitsubishi supplies tube for construction and hot water supply. In 1997, Mitsubishi established MMC デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in Thailand, the center for the air conditioner market in Southeast Asia. Following large capital investments completed in 2002, operations have been proceeding smoothly.

The copper tube businesses of the two companies complement each other in the air conditioning and non-air conditioning fields, as well as in their domestic and overseas production bases. In response to the shrinking domestic market, growing Southeast Asian market, and potential growth in the Chinese market, this business consolidation is aimed at creating an optimum manufacturing デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスarketing network for Asia that goes beyond the framework of the two individual companies. The new formation will also take into consideration equipment consolidation and new capital investment.

In Japan, the companies are aiming to build an optimum system that takes into account lower demand in the air conditioning market, including equipment consolidation and the streamlining of duplicate back-office functions. The two companies will also accelerate market development in the non-air conditioning fields. In the Southeast Asian market, with Kobe デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスitsubishi's solid supply record and state-of-the-art equipment, the new joint venture will be well equipped to meet the growing regional demand for copper tube.


Outline of the New Company
Name: Undecided
Head office: Undecided
Capital: About 10 billion yen (consisting of common stock and additional paid-in capital)
Equity share: デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスl 55%, Mitsubishi Materials 45%
President: Undecided
Employees: About 370 in Japan & 680 overseas
Production: Hadano, Kanagawa; Kitamoto, Saitama (both in Japan)
Products: * デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス for air conditioners (inner-grooved, smooth-bore, and deformed heat exchanger tubes)
* Tube for construction and hot water supply (smooth-bore and plastic-insulated tubes)
* Other general-use tube
Production: (In Japan) About 5,000 metric tons per month in fiscal 2007
(Overseas) About 3,000 metric tons per month in fiscal 2007


Outline of Current Group Companies

Kobe Copper (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
Location: Shah Alam, Malaysia
Established: October 1987
Capital: 1.1 billion yen (デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナスl 70%)
President: Terumi Kiriyama
Employees: About 450
Estimated production in fiscal 2003: 800 metric tons per month

MMC デュエルビッツ 初回入金ボーナス (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Location: Rayong, Thailand
Established: November 1996
Capital: 3.4 billion yen (Mitsubishi Materials 100%)
President: Naokazu Yoshiki
Employees: About 230
Estimated production in fiscal 2003: 1,700 metric tons per month

Effect on Financial Results
This business consolidation will take place on April 1, 2004. Therefore, it will have no effect on the financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2004.




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