The industrial metals supply chain has evolved from a traditional raw material delivery channel into a core infrastructure supporting high-end manufacturing, the new energy revolution, and carbon neutrality goals.
1. Resource: Global Restructuring from Geographic Concentration to Diversified Distribution
Copper resources are concentrated in South American countries like Chile and Peru. However, China, through breakthroughs in exploration technology, has discovered large deposits. Guinea, with 32 billion tons of bauxite reserves, is the world's largest supplier. The Bofa bauxite project, built by Chinese companies there, has an annual production capacity of 15 million tons, with direct sea transport to China's coastal smelting bases.
Innovations in resource extraction technology have significantly improved utilization efficiency. Zijin Mining's "bio-heap leaching-extraction-electrowinning" process has increased the recovery rate of low-grade copper ore from 65% to 82%. Chalco's "diaspore pipeline dissolution" technology has reduced alumina energy consumption to 80% of the internationally advanced level. The recycled aluminum industry is rapidly emerging. By 2024, China's recycled aluminum production will reach 12 million tons, accounting for 31% of primary aluminum production, with carbon emissions only 5% of primary aluminum.
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2. Smelting: Low-carbonization and intelligentization drive dual drivers
Traditional smelting processes are undergoing a green revolution. In copper smelting, Jiangxi Copper's "oxygen-enriched side-blowing smelting+multi-lance top-blowing continuous blowing" technology has increased sulfur capture efficiency to 99.8% and reduced sulfur dioxide emissions to below 100 mg/m³. In aluminum smelting, Weiqiao Group uses ultra-large 600kA electrolytic cells, reducing DC power consumption to 12,300 kWh per ton of aluminum, an 8% reduction from the industry average.
3. Processing: High-end Materials Pushing Application Boundaries
The new energy vehicle revolution is driving material innovation. Zhongwang Group's 7075 aluminum alloy, with a tensile strength of 524 MPa, a 40% increase over traditional 6061 alloy, has become the core material for the Tesla Cybertruck's body frame. Nord Group's ultra-thin 6μm copper foil, with an elongation exceeding 12%, meets the high energy density requirements of CATL's 4680 battery.
4. Application: Emerging Markets Drive Demand Transformation
The new energy vehicle industry has become a new engine for metal consumption. Global new energy vehicle sales are expected to exceed 18 million units in 2024, driving the use of 1.2 million tons of copper in power batteries and 4.5 million tons of aluminum structural parts. The all-aluminum body frame of the BYD Haibao model reduces weight by 40% compared to steel bodies and increases range by 15%.
5. Supply Chain Resilience: Global Layout and Local Response
Zijin Mining's Kamoa-Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is converting concentrate into cathode copper on-site through the construction of a 100,000-ton smelter, reducing its reliance on South African ports. Chalco's alumina refinery in Guinea is equipped with a self-contained power plant and port, forming an integrated closed-loop "mining-smelting-export" system.
Digital technology improves collaborative efficiency. China National Storage Corporation's "Metal Supply Chain Cloud Platform" integrates real-time inventory data from 200 storage bases nationwide. Using AI algorithms to optimize transportation routes, it reduces cross-regional delivery response time from 72 hours to 12 hours. In the titanium sector, Baoti Group's blockchain traceability system can track data from the entire process, from titanium sponge production to titanium alloy component processing, ensuring the traceability requirements of aerospace customers.
6. Future Trends: The Convergence of the Materials Revolution and the Intelligent Revolution
Cutting-edge technologies are reshaping the industry. Nanocrystalline copper foil, produced through vapor deposition technology, has a grain size of 20nm and a 15% increase in conductivity compared to traditional copper foil. It has been used in Huawei's 5G base station power amplifiers. Shape-memory titanium alloys are showing potential in the field of heart stents. Baoti Group's NiTi alloy stents can automatically expand to their designed diameter at body temperature, reducing surgical trauma.
Industry chain collaboration is deepening. The recycled aluminum base jointly built by CATL and Yunnan Aluminum directly remelts aluminum shells from recycled batteries into battery trays, forming a closed "battery-recycling-material-battery" loop. A joint laboratory established by AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and Fushun Special Steel is jointly developing high-temperature titanium alloys for fourth-generation aircraft engines, shortening the R&D cycle from five years to three.
Standing at the historic intersection of carbon neutrality and intelligent manufacturing, the industrial metals supply chain is undergoing a profound transformation from "scale expansion" to "value creation." By pushing the limits of material performance through technological innovation, improving collaborative efficiency through digital reconstruction, and strengthening supply chain resilience through a global presence, this industrial metals supply chain, spanning resources, smelting, processing, and application, is providing the indispensable "steel backbone" for global manufacturing upgrades.
