Enamelled Wire Industry Sees 67.42% Operating Rate in Sept 2026, Below Expectations

SMM, October 14: BHP and the Escondida copper mine Union No. 2 of Supervisors and Staff, representing approximately 1,020 supervisors and employees, failed to reach an agreement on a new collective contract during mandatory mediation, and the union has announced the start of a strike. As of the morning of October 14 Beijing time, the strike had not yet begun, but the union has confirmed that the strike will start at 8:00 a.m. Chile time on October 14, which is 7:00 p.m. Beijing time today.

According to an SMM survey, the comprehensive operating rate of the enamelled wire industry in September 2026 was 67.42%, down 0.53 percentage points MoM and down 0.7 percentage points YoY. Among them, the operating rate of large enterprises was 70.96%, medium-sized enterprises 57.42%, and small enterprises 66.91%, with overall industry operating performance falling short of market expectations.

According to SMM, the comprehensive operating rate of the copper plate/sheet and strip industry in September 2026 was 74.53%, up 1.14 percentage points MoM and up 8.50% YoY. Among them, the operating rate of large enterprises was 84.66%, medium-sized enterprises 57.27%, and small enterprises 63.21%, with actual operating performance slightly exceeding prior expectations by 0.98 percentage points.