Organizer: SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (SMM)
Information Release and Participation Platform: , SMM APP, SMM Official Account
As the "lubricant" and "buffer" in the industry chain, traders are important "price discoverers" in the spot copper cathode market. Against the backdrop of new copper cathode smelting capacity additions in China in 2025, many new copper cathode brands have been successively produced; traders have also contributed to the cultivation of new brands. Under the context of the US siphoning global copper cathode in H1, traders actively coordinated supply sources to provide assistance for industrial users.
To help promote the sustainable, healthy, harmonious, and efficient development of the domestic nonferrous metals industry, highlight high-quality enterprises, and set industry benchmarks, SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. will conduct the 2025 SMM Nonferrous Metals Industry "Top 20 High-Quality Copper Traders" selection activity. We sincerely invite industry professionals to nominate high-quality trading enterprises in their minds. SMM will appoint relevant leaders from metal industry authorities, industry experts, leaders from upstream and downstream enterprises, and related supporting enterprise representatives to form an expert judging panel. The panel will conduct expert scoring on nominated enterprises, and combined with online voting results, SMM enterprise rating model scores, and other dimensions, finally select the 2025 SMM Nonferrous Metals "". The selection process strives to be objective and fair, and industry colleagues are welcome to actively participate in supervision.
I. Selection Targets, Involved Industries, and Quota Setting
1. Selection Targets: Supply & trading enterprises engaged in nonferrous metals copper trade nationwide
2. Involved Industries and Quota: 20 Copper Enterprises
II. Activity Process Arrangement
1. Activity Preparation Phase:
• Release the selection notice document, announce the selection rules and schedule;
• Form an expert judging panel (planned to invite leaders from government authorities and industry associations, industry experts, smelters, downstream producers, warehouse enterprise representatives, etc.);
2. Activity Execution Phase:
• Enterprises register for evaluation, submit materials online, SMM verifies the authenticity of materials submitted by participating enterprises;
• Launch "online voting" (through multiple channels including website, social media, WeChat groups, SMM APP, etc.), allowing industry personnel to publicly vote for qualified participating enterprises;
• Rate and score participating enterprises through the "SMM Trader Rating Model";
• The expert judging panel uses enterprise-provided materials, online voting results, SMM rating results, etc., as references (sensitive information from interested parties will be desensitized or subject to confidentiality agreements), and scores and votes on participating enterprises;
• According to the published scoring principles, calculate the total scores of each participating enterprise, and based on the ranking, finally select the high-quality traders;
3. Final Stage of the Event:
• At the 2025 SMM Shanghai Metals Week, the award ceremony for the "Top 20 High-Quality Copper Traders of 2025" in the SMM nonferrous metals industry will be held, with plaques presented to the winning enterprises;
• A summary report on the selection activity will be produced;
• The selection results will be displayed year-round on various channels including the SMM official website, APP, and official account;
• The SMM industry chain map will be published;
III. Event Schedule
Selection Launch Date: September 12, 2025
Application Period: September 12, 2025 – September 26, 2025
Online Voting Period: October 13, 2025 – October 20, 2025 (closing at 24:00)
Evaluation and Scoring Period: October 22, 2025 – October 29, 2025
Announcement of Results & Award Ceremony: November 25, 2025
Note: The deadlines for online nominations, material submissions, online voting, and other activities are all at 24:00.
IV. Selection Details
1. Eligibility Criteria for Participating Enterprises
• Legally established for more than 2 years (including 2 years);
• Enterprise registered in China;
• No serious negative records in the past 2 years.
2. Selection Dimensions: Expert Scoring Dimensions
• Business Operations (company background, registered capital, trade scale, number of employees, business model, years in the industry, etc.);
• Honors and Qualifications (industry reputation, system certifications, awards received, etc.);
• External Credit Data and Public Opinion (negative records, tax credit rating, dishonesty records, etc.);
• Social Contribution (charitable expenditures, etc.).
3. Materials Required from Participating Enterprises
• Business License (with red seal), LOGO;
• Company Profile (within 200 words, highly summarizing the current status and advantages of the enterprise, for voting purposes, may be submitted separately in priority);
• Supporting materials for the scoring details.
4. Scoring and Selection Rules (each of the following items has a full score of 10 points)
• Expert Review Score A (weight 40%):
Based on the participating enterprises' operations from 2024 to 2025, experts comprehensively evaluate multiple dimensions and provide scores. The highest and lowest scores are removed, and the arithmetic average of the remaining scores is taken.
• Online Voting Score B (weight 30%):
Based on the ranking of online voting results, the top 10% of participating enterprises receive 10 points; those ranked 11–20% receive 9 points, and so on. If there are fewer than 10 participating enterprises, scores will be assigned in descending order of ranking: the first place receives 10 points, the second receives 9 points, and so on.
• Score C of the "SMM Trader Rating Model" (weight 30%):
The "SMM Enterprise Rating Model" includes dozens of rating dimensions, covering basic enterprise information, operational status, external credit status, industry reputation, and influence. Data is collected through materials voluntarily submitted by participating enterprises (verified by SMM for authenticity), SMM's historical industry database, SMM surveys, and third-party data providers such as Qichacha that collaborate with SMM. After importing the data into the rating model, scores are automatically calculated.
• Final score S for participating enterprises:
S = A * 40% + B * 30% + C * 30%
• By industry, the total score S of all participating enterprises is ranked; according to the announced quotas, the top-scoring enterprises in each industry are selected as the award-winning enterprises for this selection.
If multiple enterprises have the same total score, the review committee will vote to decide. To ensure fairness, each participating enterprise is scored by at least five review committee members.
The final award-winning enterprises, regardless of ranking, are all granted the honorary title of "2025 High-Quality Metal Industry Trader" and awarded a plaque.
5. Privacy Protection and Data Confidentiality
For enterprises participating in this selection, all submitted materials will be strictly kept confidential by SMM, accessible only to relevant event staff and expert reviewers. For stakeholders (if any) among the expert reviewers, sensitive information can be desensitized or confidentiality agreements signed upon the request of the participating enterprises.
V. Event Communication Channels
• Homepage banner advertisement on the Nonferrous Metals Network:
Event promotion with a static page link (early stage)
Post-event announcement (late stage)
• Nonferrous Metals News:
Event promotion with a static page link (early stage)
Post-event coverage (late stage)
• SMM APP splash screen advertisement:
Link to the voting page (mid-stage)
Link to the static results page (late stage)
Link to the voting page entry
• Relevant official accounts:
Link to the voting page (mid-stage)
Link to the static results page (late stage)
Link to the voting page entry
• Mini-program:
Link to the voting page (mid-stage)
Link to the static results page (late stage)
Link to the voting page entry
• 2025 SMM Nonferrous Metals Industry "Top 20 High-Quality Copper Traders" Selection Award Ceremony:
On-site awards (late stage)
Nonferrous Metals News, event promotion with a static page link (late stage)
• WeChat H5:
Event promotion page, including enterprise registration entry (requiring contact information and company name) (early stage)
Event voting results page, with QR code entry (mid-stage)
6. Other Notes
• This selection process adheres to the core principles of openness and fairness, and nominated enterprises can decide whether to participate based on their own wishes;
• There are no fees charged to enterprises for participating in this evaluation;
SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd.
September 12, 2025
Contact Information for the Selection Process
Evaluation Contact:
Ma Yao 18321395342 mayao@smm.cn
Zhang Wencheng 18766457954 zhangwencheng@smm.cn
