Controversy over Jerusalem construction work

Jerusalem, one of the most sacred and religious cities in the world is about to get a slightly modern makeover. Due to a surge in housing demand and the quickly increasing housing prices within the city, a private developer has been granted permission to build 100 new homes. Construction within the city has long been a controversial issue with construction work only ever taking place if it factored renovation works or was a reconstruction of traditional builds.
Washington, a close friend of Israel, has always been against governmental decisions to complete any modern construction work within the city, due to its religious standing. Nevertheless, the country believes the time has come where their capital city now needs to begin moving with the times. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said, “The US is a big friend but in the end, Israel needs to do what is beneficial for itself as a country.” The newly constructed buildings are expected to accommodate growing populations, imcorporate new technologies and provide a better economic future for the city.
A number of construction companies will be bought in to embed the essential skills and technology expertise required within the region and reduces the time ofconstruction. Portuguese company Mota-Engenharia e Construcao, SA and Turkish company Yilmazlar Construction Group will undertake vital works, alongside a multitude of Chinese construction firms: Beijing Construction Engineering Group International, Jiangsu First Construction Corporation, Everbright International Construction Engineering Corporation, and China Huashi Enterprises Company.
It must be a difficult position when you are home to one of the most religious, and sentimental places on earth to find methods of enhancing your countries future without damaging the past.

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Base Metals shows a collective decline

Across the board on Monday, base metals saw a decline which is a reflection of weak stock markets in Asia whilst also suggesting a revival from the dollar.
In Asia, the Shanghai Composite was last down 1.76 percent at 2,980.429 while the dollar index was last at 95.39 having recovered from selling pressure last week following news that the US Federal Reserve would not raise interest rates his month.
Last week all market eyes were on the FED of the US and the Bank of Japan, whom were both making significant policy announcements. However, all eyes have taken a turn towards politics with the highly anticipated first debate of the Presidential election race taking place between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump; it will be interesting to see how the base metals market reacts on Tuesday.
In the metals, copper at $4,820 per tonne was down $35 on the pre-weekend close, while around 4,000 lots have changed hands on Select so far. There were further deliveries into listed warehouses in Busan, Gwangyang, Port Klang and Singapore – total stocks rose a net 7,250 tonnes to 364,125 tonnes and are holding around one-year highs.
Aluminium at $1,626 was $11 lower although stocks continued to fall. Inventories were down 10,700 tonnes to 2,136,025 tonnes due to decreases in Vlissingen and Singapore. Cancelled warrants rose – metal that had been warranted into Asian sheds was cancelled – to 881,350 tonnes, up 14,250 tonnes.


Lead at $1,910 was down $19.50 on talk that Trafigura will rewarrant large tonnages into Europe. Moves today, however, were marginal, with just 300 tonnes arriving into Leghorn. Stocks rose 250 tonnes to 191,250 tonnes while cancelled warrants fell 50 tonnes to 66,150 tonnes.
Zinc at $2,251 was down $14; stocks fell 650 tonnes to 442,000 tonnes. Nickel was $200 lower at $10,460 although it continued to find support from news of mine closures in Philippines. Traders also noted that the metal looks positive from a technical perspective.
Tin at $19,630 was $15 lower. Stocks were unchanged at 3,715 tonnes but cancelled warrants rose 95 tonnes to 1,955 tonnes, dropping on-warrant material to its lowest since 2005 at 1,760 tonnes.
Still, investor sentiment looks brighter – according to CFTC statistics, they nearly halved their net short positions on Comex to 19,600 contracts in the week to September 20 mainly via short-covering.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE COPPER ART MUSEUM!

The Copper Art Museum is located in Clarkdale, Arizona. The town was built and founded in 1912 by Senator W. A. Clark “America’s Copper King” for the mass-production of industrial copper from 1915 to 1953, which was exported throughout the world. The museum’s collection is the “largest return of copper,” “back” to both Clarkdale and the “Copper State” and showcases what man created with the red-metal while it was away.

copper3copper2

The Arizona Copper Art Museum features exhibits of copper art and collections for study, which were made by coppersmiths, soldier artists and braziers; many of whom were masters in their trade. Artifacts displayed have an emphasis on American and European works-of-art from the 16th – 21st century. The affinities and history of copper is also featured and is very fascinating, bringing forth forgotten stories, legends and mysteries.

copper1.jpg

The Arizona Copper Art Museum features what man created with the metal copper.  The museum in divided up into 7 major categories:

  • Information Room
  • Military Art Room
  • Art & Architecture Room
  • Religious Art Room
  • Kitchenware Collection
  • Drinkware Collection
  • Distillery & Winery

 

So, will be interesting to know about the background history of all these beautiful pieces, right?

Copper can be used for lots of products, even for furniture and roof coverings. Copper as a part of metal products can appreciate art too. Shanghai Metal Corporation which is based in China is one of the leading businesses in the manufacturing of metalworking industry. We can produce and export the best quality of copper and any other metal products and service. We prioritize the efficient of manufacturing and environmental sustainability.

Want to know more about our company? Please visit our website and you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Feel free to download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.QR

IMPORTANCE OF METALS IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

Whether you like it or not, metals play a BIG PART in our everyday life. We interact with them differently as each of them has it’s own properties : some are used as supporting elements for buildings, smartphones, transportation. Some are used for decoration by artists and sculptor or some are used to display wealth, like gold for example.

That being said, we have tendency to overlook the importance of metal because we confront them directly or indirectly everywhere, therefore perceiving their presence as self-evident. Oh and also, some of them are imperceptible to human eyes so this may contribute to our lack of understanding metal in our life.

So let’s explore these hidden but common metals we interact with everyday shall we ?


COPPER for example, is a type of cheap metal used by companies to conduct electricity. The average American will use more than 1,000 pounds of copper in their lifetime ! You can find them in your ALARM CLOCKS, DENIM JEAN BUTTON, PORTABLE AUDIO DEVICES or your DOORKNOB and even in your GRANOLA BARS ! Copper is essential not only for everyday objects but also for our own body.

Next on the list is STEEL. Like Copper metal, you can find it almost everywhere too. Taken for granted, they are in buildings, machinery, cars, galleries and statues. So can you imagine our world without these elements ? It would be hard to conceive another element as useful as these metals. When the word Steel is pronounced it also means RECYCLING. Each year, the US alone recycles no less than 80 million tons of steel, which works out to about 70% of the world’s total steel recycling

Another metal important for our future is ALUMINIUM. Thanks to its strength, low weight and good potential for recycling Aluminium is as useful and flexible as it’s other metal brothers. It’s properties also allow to build high buildings, transportation and also for packaging, the most common use that this metal is known for.

Not to mention other types of metal, these three principles are maybe the most commonly known by public although people easily tend to forget their usefulness.

Apart from the referred objects we just mention, the crazy thing about  metal is that it has a really wide range of function and can be used by any types of profession. Physicians and architects take advantage of these metals by constructing impressive buildings industry while some artists see these elements as pure physical support in which they transfer their imagination and creativity.

See how great metals are ? As representatives of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the global field. As a major producer of copper, aluminium, steel and other metal products and service, we essentially are committed to the universal use that metal can offer by delivering overseas and promoting environmental sustainability.

To know more about our company please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

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Maria // SMC Editor

#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Maria // SMC Editor

Reasons why you should DRINK in COPPER mugs!

Did you know that mugs MADE OF COPPER are benefit for your own health ?

Well here are some reasons why you should drink in these Copper made cups or mugs:

Source: http://theawesomer.com/

1. Copper acts as necessary components of some enzymes for us. This element is therefore vital because we cannot synthesize it ourselves.

2. It helps the digestive system perform better: having properties that kill harmful bacteria, cleanse and detox your stomach Copper performs waste elimination which helps regulate your liver and kidneys.

3. Aids in weight loss: it helps your body break down fat and eliminate it. Try drinking water stored in a copper vessel regularly.

Source: http://www.napastyle.com/

4. Slows down ageing: getting old is a natural process of life. But Copper mugs can be an natural remedy against this process. It prevents the skin from ageing, stimulates the production of new and healthy skin and replaces old cells.

5. Can fight cancer: a very common and deadly disease. How does Copper help? Well, by having very strong antioxidant properties that helps fight off free radicals and negate their ill effects – one of the main reasons for the development of cancer, some studies have shown that copper complexes have a considerable anti-cancer effect.

Aside of these reasons, any copper mug with a tin lining or stainless steel will be very safe to be used for any drink even at a high temperature. So be your drink be HOT or COLD, Copper mugs are made to resist different temperatures of your beverage !

As an integrated global manufacturer, Shanghai Metal Corporation provides and distributes Copper and a large range of Steel products of high quality all over the world. For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

Let us know your opinion about Copper mugs !

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Maria // SMC Editor

Image source: http://www.fourstjames.com/

Article source: http://gomoscowmule.com/ and http://www.thehealthsite.com/

Iron-air batteries: a cheap and eco-friendly solution for energy storage

After more than 40 after preparing the first prototype of a cheap , rechargeable, high energy density iron-air battery, researchers at the University of Southern California are now finishing the job of the patent-pending design of the battery.

The technical characteristics of the batteries look particularly well-suited to the kind of large-scale energy storage that could accelerate the adoption of renewable energy sources.

lithium-air-battery

Back in the 70’s, researchers were already working on environmentally friendly rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and only recent advances in materials technology have made this technology into one of the most common, high-performing solutions for today’s portable electronics.

Iron compared to other materials has a few advantages: it’s durable, it has a great capacity to pack energy (per unit of mass), it’s recyclable but most importantly it’s cheap with costs around US$1/kg (2.2 lb).

Iron-air batteries were first expected to be used for electric vehicles and military applications after the 1973 oil crisis. However, research stopped abruptly only years later, when scientists realized that iron-air batteries presented a serious  limitation: whenever the battery was being charged, a wasteful process of hydrolysis drained away about half of the battery’s energy.

iron_air_battery

With today’s technology and advanced research, University of Southern California found a solution to this  problem. They learned that adding a small amount of bismuth sulfide into the battery shut down the harmful reaction and reduced the waste of energy more than tenfold, from 50 down to just 4% .

The other good characteristic cost-effective design of its iron electrode. The researchers combined iron powder with a polyethylene binder, heating the mix to obtain a “pressed-plate” electrode that is simple to make and has high specific energy.

The iron-air battery is exhibiting very promising durability, with a target life of 5,000 charge-discharge cycles. Even more importantly, the batteries seem to retain good performance when they are being drained quickly: at a two-hour rate of discharge, the batteries are showing a twenty-fold increase in capacity compared to commercially available electrodes.

Shanghai Metal Corporation encourages the development and innovation of new technologies. You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal.

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Houria // SMC Editor

China, Second Biggest Producer of Copper In The World (List of Top 10 producers)

copper bloomberg
copper tubes    source: bloomberg.com

Most copper is mined/extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in porphyry copper deposits that contain between 0.4 to 1.0% of copper. This is the case in some mines in Chile and the United states .

According to the British Geological Survey The amount of copper in use is increasing and the quantity available is barely sufficient to allow all countries to reach developed world levels of usage.
It was reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS),  the global production of metal increased by 400 million tons between 2013 and 2014 reaching 18.700 million tons, although the demand for copper decreased compared to the previous year.

1. Chile (Mine Production: 5.800 million tons)

Chile’s copper production has been increasing for the last decade although technical and regulatory issues could slow down the trend. between 2013 and 2014 the production increased from 5.780 to 5,800 tons.

2. China (Mine production : 1.620 million tons)

china's copper mine production 2006-2014
china’s copper mine production 2006-2014 Source: statista.com

China is the largest refined copper producer, but it lacks copper mineral deposits. It has to import unprocessed copper ores and copper scrap.
China increased its copper production in 2014, putting out 1,620 million tons of the metal compared to 1,600 million tons in 2013. Reuters reports that notes that the country’s production increased during the second half of the year, due to the re-lauching of a 100,000-tonne-a-year smelter Liaoning province (North east of China) after 5 years of inactivity.

3. Peru (Mine production: 1,300,000 tons)

between 2012 and 2013 peru’s prodcution didn’t change much. In 2013 the country produced 1.300.000 tons.  But it is expected that the mine production could rise by as much as 10 percent in 2014, and Peru’s energy and mines minister, Jorge Merino, has projected a 17-percent increase in copper production alone thanks to several new projects and also the the expected increase of foreign investments in the mining industry.

copper factory source: cnbc.com
Copper factory – Source: cnbc.com

4. United States (Mine production: 1,220,000 tons) 

5. Australia (Mine production: 990,000 tons)

6. Russia (Mine production: 930,000 tons)

7. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Mine production: 900,000 tons )

8. Zambia (Mine production: 830,000 tons)

9. Canada (Mine production: 630,000 tons)

10. Mexico (Mine production: 480,000 tons)

Being at the heart of the booming copper industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of copper products . You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal.

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Houria // SMC Editor

China to end export tax on rare earths and other metals

On April 23, 2015, China decided to eliminate tariffs on rare earths and other such as tungsten, molybdenum and fluorspar starting from May 1 according to the Chinese Ministry of Finance. This might be the end an international trade dispute caused by this controversial policy.

sands cones - minerals of mining industry
sands cones – minerals of mining industry

China is the biggest producer and consumer of rare earths and responsible for approximately 93% of the world’s rare earth output, but in 2009 the country imposed export restrictions in an attempt to develop its own industry. As a reminder, rare earths are crucial elements for the manufacturing of a wide range of high tech devices, mobile and smart phones, products in the automotive industry etc.

After the implementation of the export tax ,an abrupt reduction in export quotas in 2010 left traders short and froze a high demand on the global market.

As a response to the abolishment of the tax , Bejing will put in place reforms to keep a certain control on its market: today’s chinese rare earth export tax rates currently range from 15 to 25%: 15% for light rare earth elements and 25% for heavy rare earth elements  but Bejing will implement a rare earth resource tax on domestic rare earth products.

rare earth minerals found in China- bloomberg.com
rare earth minerals found in China- bloomberg.com

The abolition of this restriction could push up the demand of rare earth demand on the global market and has already pushed a number of market speculation.

Forecasting the boom of demand and export of rare earth products , Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of rare earth metal products . You can visit the company’s website , contact us and follow us on twitter and facebook for more information and news on metal

source: bloomberg.com and www.mining.com

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Houria // SMC Editor

The attraction for copper nowadays

Du cuivre
Photopqr – Le Parisien – Daboval Adeline

It’s a good and an unfortunate assessment at the same time that we are able to do each year.

In fact, the attraction for copper have increased the business of this type of metal for manufacturers but unluckily for our customers, the steal of copper is a real problem in Europe, until the point that it became a scourge for European countries.

Italy is one of the most important victims of these thefts in Europe. According to the newspaper Le Figaro, between 2010 and 2011 the number of thefts has known an increase of 300%, from 408 to 1226 cases. These thefts represent almost 631 tons of copper which have been stealed during this period. And the numbers are not decreasing. In Belgium the observation is even worst, from 290 cases of thefts in 2009, the Infrabel Group reported 1 362 cases in 2012. The value of the copper robbed was approximately of 8 millions of Euros which is significant for the Infrabel Group according to the Fedra newspaper.

In the United Kingdom, France and other European countries, the observations are the same. In the UK, the police have made of this problem their second preoccupation after terrorism, which is quite representative of the scope of the thefts.

From thorneandderrick.com

The railways are not the only targets of the organized gangs. Electrical communications, communication networks, construction sites or private houses, are also concerned about this problem. The fact of stealing is not the only problem for these companies, there is many consequences for the companies’ victims of the piracies.

These thefts are creating delays for the companies, and for the railways companies, the cost is huge. In the United Kingdom, the thefts and delays of the trains have created 770 million pounds or 900 million Euros in 2011 of loss. In Belgium these thefts have resulted of 66 440 minutes of delay for the SNBC Group.

From LeSoir.be

The cause of the increase in the attraction for copper is that the copper is becoming rare and as a consequence the price is sharply rising. In 2011, the price of a tone of copper represented 8 000 Euros, five times more than ten years before. Sold in the black market the copper means a lot of money for the organized gangs.

The copper is not the only metal attracting these groups, zinc, steel and nickel are also famous metals experiencing a resurgence of thefts.

From Europe1.fr

Shanghai Metal Corporation, as a manufacturer, exporter and supplier of different types of metals as copper, steel, aluminum, etc, provides you, considering the actual issues encountered by many companies, products with competitive  prices and a high quality incomparable to the harmful effect surrounding the label “Made in China”.

For more information about our products, feel free to visit our website to discover a large range of products that could probably match with your needs. And do not hesitate to contact us for specifications.

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Damien / SMC Editor

Copper Bracelet and Its Healing Ability

Have you ever heard about a magical bracelet that has a healing ability ? Over thousands of years, many medical practitioners have used copper to treat health problems. In ancient Egypt for example, various copper compounds were used to hasten wound healing, treat headaches & epilepsy and sterilize water. Interested to find out more about copper’s mysterious healing ability ? Let’s find out more.

Photo from MostBeautifulThings

Worn by Pharaohs, Indian Rajas, Chinese Emperors, Persian Kings, Alexander the Great, and so many others, the copper bracelet has had more than just a cosmetic purpose!

Some people believe that copper kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms. There is a record from The Smith Papyrus, one of the oldest book ever discovered, mentioning the ability of copper to sterilize chest wounds and drinking water. Wearing copper bracelets for medicinal benefits has a long history and has been popular in folklore for thousand of years. But what do modern scientific studies says about that ? 

What Are the Benefits of Magnetic Bracelets?
Photo from Livestrong

Different mechanism of action about the effect of copper bracelets has been proposed (this list is not exhaustive and should be taken as provisional) :

  • There is none: all effects are imagined
  • Psychological: the placebo effects explains the results, meaning that believers are more likely to obtain better outcomes.
  • Copper has the components that provide iron for the formation of hemoglobin and help form collagen for wound healing
  • Correcting copper deficiency can help optimize the body’s resistance to disease
  • Copper has a beneficial effect for reasons not understood at present. This would explain why some arthritis sufferers seem to obtain benefit from copper bracelets while others do not.

Conclusions are not unanimous and even though the myth of copper bracelet seem highly attractive, not everybody is convinced about its benefits. Even so, over thousands of years, many medical practitioners have used copper to treat a wide range of health problems. Their claims of success are not just anecdotal. However, the quality of much of the evidence does not meet modern standards, so more studies must be done to define and validate the effects, side effects, and mechanisms of the various copper compounds in various indications.

Have you ever tried to use copper bracelet ? If yes, what is your opinion about it? If you’re interested in testing the ability of copper bracelet or to discover more about copper products, you might want to visit Shanghai Metal Corporation. We have a wide selection of copper products that can be used for many kinds of application. Contact us if you need further information and don’t forget to follow us on social media to get our latest update and offer.

Sources: Scientiapress, WMFonline, Net Planet, EzineArticles

    

Ayu P.//SMC Editor