Sepon Copper Categorised as ‘World Class’ Product

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.

Sepon copper is produced at MMG LXML Sepon, the copper and gold mine in Savannakhet Province.

 “This is truly an achievement for Laos to be proud of,” said Saman Anneka, Director of MMG LXML Sepon.  “Copper that is produced in Laos, by Lao people, can compete on the world stage,” he said.

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 recognized 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.

Awarding ‘Grade A’ status has increased the number of potential customers for Sepon copper
Photo by Bart Verweij

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 standardized 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 approximately 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.

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