Circular supply chain in focus at Metelec stand
Metelec’s industry-leading approach to creating a truly circular supply chain will be the focus as the business exhibits at UK Metals Expo.
Senior members of the team will be stationed at Metelec’s stand, found at B38 next to Theatre 1, across the two days of the show at the NEC Birmingham.
In addition to being one of the UK’s largest distributors of copper bars, busbars, copper profiles and copper components, Metelec is also a trusted supply chain partner and aims to be a pioneer in end-to-end circularity.
Metelec’s copper is sourced via its parent company Gindre, and large-scale primary copper smelting is carried out by Montanwerke Brixlegg in Austria, all from 100% recycled sources within the Group.
More recently, however, the business has turned its attention to upcycling and recycling by encouraging customers to return waste copper to its Wolverhampton headquarters where it can be containerised and shipped back to Group European operations in an efficient manner before it is upcycled and returned to the market, reducing the environmental burden.
Kevin Draper, Managing Director at Metelec, said: “Our team is really looking forward to Metals Expo, which is undoubtedly the leading event when it comes to bringing together the entire metals supply chain within engineering, manufacturing and construction.
“We are eager to meet and explore new connections within the industry and to showcase how we are moving from a vertical to a circular supply chain. It is the right thing to do to safeguard one of the world’s most important metals, while mitigating against the environmental impact and supply constraints of mined material.
“Metelec has been part of the recycling supply chain for some time, but the combination of increased business manufacturing scale and new infrastructure at our new Wolverhampton site, means there is opportunity to collaborate with UK and Republic of Ireland customers and invite them to become part of our own circular supply chain.”
Copper is growing in importance due to widescale electrification and industrial decarbonisation.
With increasing demand, Metelec utilises sophisticated purchasing systems and capacity reservation models to provide industry leading lead times for projects and stock replenishment.
Kevin added: “We are committed to being a supply chain partner of choice and have invested heavily in improving efficiency and effectiveness. Continuous development is required, and sustainability will be at the heart of this as we anticipate heightened customer sensitivity and legislation in the coming years.”