Supplies for large-scale copper mining are a permanent necessity in the industry. For this, ME Elecmetal has built and acquired plants on different continents worldwide that not only produce the steel needed to supply mining clients but also add value through sustainable practices.
With strong expansion and diversification since 2001, various plants have been built and developed in North and South America, Africa, and Asia. Two of these plants celebrate milestones in 2024 and 2025, reflecting the company's consolidation:
- ME Elecmetal China, Changzhou plant, northeast of Shanghai. It began operations in 2014 and since then its market has rapidly grown, delivering excellent solutions for mining clients from different countries, with 310 employees working at the plant to achieve a capacity of 33,000 metric tons.
- ME Elecmetal Chile, Rancagua plant located in the O’Higgins region. It started operating in 2003 when it was partially acquired from Codelco, reaching full ownership a few years later. In 2015, its remodeling began and was completed in 2016. Currently, it has 600 employees working daily to supply inputs to metal mining in Latin America, with a production capacity of 32,000 metric tons.
Clients are constantly seeking not only to supply their plants with spare parts for operations but also a partner that provides comprehensive solutions, part of ME Elecmetal’s challenge in its various operations. At the same time, they value ME Elecmetal’s ability to serve different markets, bringing the Company closer to the client regardless of the geography of operation.
In these 10 years in China, and soon in Chile, highlights include:
In these 10 years in China, and soon in Chile, highlights include:
ME Elecmetal China is committed to finding the balance between people development, customer needs, responsibility, sustainability, and the proactive pursuit of excellence. At the people level, this has meant standing out for the third consecutive time with the Great Place to Work China award. The Plant's commissioning involved an investment of USD 45 million, producing 30,000 tons supplying products in China, Europe, Asia, Africa, and 90 mining clients, including BHP, B2Gold, Teck, First Quantum, Kinross, Barrick, and Sumitomo, among others.
ME Elecmetal Chile
ME Elecmetal Chile continuously works towards Integrated Solutions in mining, promoting participation spaces to identify improvements that may result in operational efficiencies for clients. At the people level, LEAN teams have raised initiatives that test and implement ideas to identify options for operational implementation and scaling. Additionally, part of the culture is working on Health and Safety with the global premise of Zero Harm, which in Chile is supported by a 24/7 first aid room. Likewise, all workers are covered by work accident and occupational disease insurance, with ongoing training and supervision. The Rancagua Plant was acquired in 2003, and after 11 years of operations, a remodeling was defined to address current and projected demands in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, among others. The Plant serves clients such as Escondida from BHP, Anglo American, Collahuasi, and Codelco, among others.
Since the beginnings of ME Elecmetal in 1917, sustainability has been key through the constant circularity of metallic raw materials, innovation, and collaboration among parties, basically in two stages, marking 2001 as the pivotal year:
- Foundation and Development (1917-2001): milestones include the birth of the Electrometallurgical Company in Chile as Elecmetal in 1917. In the United States, Minneapolis Electric Steel was founded in 1912, reopened in 1917 after a fire in its finishing areas, and later expanded with the acquisition of Capitol Castings in Tempe. In 2001, the year when the acquisition of Minneapolis Electric Steel by Elecmetal was consolidated, the global company we know today as ME Elecmetal was born.
- Expansion and Diversification (2001-Present): notable are the acquisitions of foundries in Duluth (Minnesota) and Tempe (Arizona), becoming ME Elecmetal. Then, entry into China through a 50/50 Joint Venture with Long Teng Steel, creating ME Long Teng, while establishing the new grinding ball plant in Changshu, China. Followed by the modernization and expansion of the Rancagua Foundry Plant; and the establishment of a new Foundry Plant in Changzhou, China, wholly owned by ME Elecmetal in 2014, accompanied two years later by the opening of a new Grinding Ball Plant in Zambia (2016-18). Finally, in early 2024, the Funvesa foundry in Peru was acquired, and the Global Sustainability Committee was launched, establishing the worldwide implementation of ME Elecmetal’s Global Sustainability Strategy.
- Partner for Sustainable Mining (2024 – Forward).
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“The unique aspect that distinguishes the success of our teamwork lies in the deep respect for the dignity of people.”
ME Elecmetal’s work has been to map the needs of the mining industry and locate operations that can add value from the perspective of the quality of the supplies provided, as well as the final value associated with proximity, transportation, and also the capacity to recover raw materials from the mining client.
