Sepon copper can now be traded on the London Metals Exchange (LME), having joined a list of 80 ‘Grade A' copper brands which conform to LME specifications covering quality, shape and weight, according to MMG LXML Sepon. Awarding ‘Grade A' status has increased the number of potential customers for Sepon copper.
Sepon copper is produced at MMG LXML Sepon, the copper and gold mine in Savannakhet province.
Director of MMG LXML Sepon, Saman Anneka, said “This is truly an achievement for Laos to be proud of. Copper that is produced in Laos, by Lao people, can compete on the world stage.”
Sepon's official listing as “Grade A” copper followed an extensive period of review by the LME, including testing by independent copper consumers in Europe and Asia, as well as the certification of LXML production and sales processes under the globally recognised ISO9001:2008 quality management system standard.
The LME is the world's premier non-ferrous metals market, with around US$11.6 trillion in annual trade. Non-ferrous metals are those which do not contain iron in appreciable amounts; metals of this type which have been certified as meeting the LME's quality standards can be delivered in settlement of futures contracts traded on the LME.
LME registration increases the number of potential customers for Sepon copper, as some buyers will only purchase copper that is LME-registered; the listing is a standardised guarantee of quality in the metals industry.
Most customers of Sepon copper are in neighbouring countries, predominantly Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Sepon copper is widely used in the production of copper cable, wire and tube.
Copper from Sepon is sold as cathodes, which are sheets about one metre square. Since copper production began in 2005, Sepon has produced over five million cathodes, with a total weight of more than 575,000 tonnes.
