COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 331411

Primary Smelting and Refining of Copper

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

12companies1866–1976founding years10still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedNorddeutsche Affinerie AGFoundedNorddeutsche Affinerie AG
1866
FoundedPhelps Dodge CorporationFoundedPhelps Dodge Corporation
1885
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedNV Umicore SAFoundedNV Umicore SA
1906
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedOutokumpu OyjFoundedOutokumpu Oyj
1932
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedGrupo Mexico, S.A. de C.V.FoundedGrupo Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
1965
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedCorporacion Nacional del Cobre de ChileFoundedCorporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile
1976
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Norddeutsche Affinerie AG →
Active · founded 1866 · Germany
Norddeutsche Affinerie AG (NA) is the world's largest recycler of scrap copper and the fifth-largest producer of…
Norddeutsche Affinerie AG →
Active · founded 1866 · Germany
Norddeutsche Affinerie AG (NA) is the world's largest recycler of scrap copper and the fifth-largest producer of…
Phelps Dodge Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1885
One of the largest copper miners in the world, Phelps Dodge Corporation produces 30 percent of the copper in the United…
Phelps Dodge Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1885
One of the largest copper miners in the world, Phelps Dodge Corporation produces 30 percent of the copper in the United…
NV Umicore SA →
Active · founded 1906 · Belgium
NV Umicore SA--known as Union Minière until late 2001--is one of the world's leading producers of zinc, precious…
NV Umicore SA →
Active · founded 1906 · Belgium
NV Umicore SA--known as Union Minière until late 2001--is one of the world's leading producers of zinc, precious…
Outokumpu Oyj →
Active · founded 1932 · Finland
Late 1940s:Flash Smelting is developed.
Outokumpu Oyj →
Active · founded 1932 · Finland
Late 1940s:Flash Smelting is developed.
Grupo Mexico, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1965 · Mexico
Grupo Mexico, S.A.
Grupo Mexico, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1965 · Mexico
Grupo Mexico, S.A.
Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile →
Active · founded 1976 · Chile
: 212234 Copper Ore & Nickel Ore Mining; 331411 Primary Smelting & Refining of Copper Ore The state-owned Corporacion…
Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile →
Active · founded 1976 · Chile
: 212234 Copper Ore & Nickel Ore Mining; 331411 Primary Smelting & Refining of Copper Ore The state-owned Corporacion…
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