GREATER QUAD CITIES CHAPTER
CORPORATE MEMBER PROFILE
Based in Cedar Rapids, IA, PMX Industries is the leading supplier of high quality copper and copper alloys in North America. In 1992, when PMX opened its new rolling mill, the company took a very sustainable business approach to protect the health and safety of employees and mitigate environmental impacts.
The automated production system was designed to most efficiently produce high quality materials. PMX believes pollution is a form of waste. Emissions to air and water as well as generation of waste represent production inefficiencies. Advanced air and water treatment systems were installed that exceeded all state and federal regulations.
PMX was able to eliminate any solid waste going to landfill by recycling or converting the waste to saleable materials. For example, the metal particles captured in our air pollution control system are sold to paint and fertilizer manufactures.
We decided not to use lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, or hexavalent chromium in the wide range of copper and copper alloys we produce. In fact, PMX was RoHS compliant years before the Directive was passed.
Most importantly, copper and copper alloys are 100% recyclable without any loss of performance. At PMX, all of our copper scrap is recycled. Depending on the specific alloy, all of our copper materials contain between 35% and 100% of recycled content.
We Don't Cut Corners
Since our founding, we have been committed to continually improving our safety and environmental performance through ongoing training and new technology. Safety is a top priority. PMX employees also have an active recycling program of metals, cardboard, plastic, and paper. We believe there are direct links between worker safety, quality systems, environmental performance, and economic success.
Business is conducted in accordance with company policies which are based on respect and accountability. PMX has earned a reputation for integrity and consistently meeting high standards. We support our communities and strive to be good neighbors. We know that business success begins with corporate and social responsibility.
By adhering to the highest ethical and legal standards, our talented people have been successful in helping our customers serve their customers. We go far beyond simple compliance with federal and state regulations. We are dedicated to creating value for our shareholders, employees and the customers we serve.
While focused primarily on the North American market, as a Poongsan Corporation affiliate, PMX is supported by the financial and technical resources of a multinational metal producer with over forty years of experience in developing copper and stainless steel materials.
What PMX Industries does:
The manufacture of copper metals begins in the casting shop. Raw materials are weighed according to the required formulation and cast by skilled technicians to create large, rectangular copper slabs. Weighing up to eleven metric tons, these slabs receive numerous quality checks during the casting process and post casting. The slabs are bar coded and then sent to the hot rolling mill for further reduction.
Photo 1: Casting Copper Slabs
Slabs from the Cast Shop are reheated and each glowing piece is hot rolled down to a thickness no greater than a deck of playing cards on our Hot Rolling Mill. This is the centerpiece of the PMX process, distinguishing us from conventional brass mills. Steckel furnaces reheat the metal, keeping it pliable, reducing edge cracking and surface oxidation. Plus, coils greater than 600 PIW can be produced easily. The Hot Rolling Steckel Mill is also equipped with automatic gauge controls, a shape control package and a laminar flow cooling system to maintain gauge, shape and optimal metallurgical properties from beginning to end of every coil. Consistency is the key!
Photo 2: Hot Rolling Slabs
Our two-stand and four-stand tandem mills provide flexible and redundant cold rolling from our hot milled coil gauges down to a thickness of 0.020" while maintaining precision and the highest quality standards. These highly efficient mills are work horses in the PMX production process and they are an important part of our continuous cost reduction program.
The finest batch annealing furnace available, the Ebner Bell Furnace creates a bright, reflective surface without time-consuming pickling. By recrystallizing the metal's grain size, it facilitates further gauge reductions during cold rolling. Atmosphere and temperature control upgrades ensure consistent properties in our high performance specialty alloys. Continuous investment means continuous improvement!
Photo 3: Batch Annealing Coils
Using a special PMX proprietary lubricant, this mill provides gauge reduction to .004" with precise tolerances. Automatic gauge controls, statistical process controls and other levels of computerized systems ensure unerring quality standards and efficiency.
Photo 4: Cold Rolling
Rather than the conventional vertical line, PMX has installed state of the art horizontal continuous annealing and pickling lines that propel the heated metal on a cushion of gas. Shielded by atmosphere from above and below, the metal's shape and finish remain perfectly unmarred throughout the process.
Photo 5: Continuous Strand Annealing and Pickling
The PMX "Z-Mill" produces 2,000 feet per minute of superior quality metal, rolling it down to the thickness of a human hair. Extraordinarily tight tolerances provide a precision product that can be utilized in high speed stamping, continuous welding and plating operations.
Photo 6: Tight tolerance cold rolling with Sendzimer cluster mill
Talented associates and advanced equipment, communications and information technology strategies all support the PMX vision of making a difference today and in the future in the lives of customers and community alike.
Photo 7: PMX Chemical and Impurity Analysis for trace elements with ICP.
PMX copper and brass is carefully packaged to protect our oil free, tarnish inhibiting surface and ensure consistent shelf life. Electroplaters, connector manufacturers, welded tube and electronics producers notice the difference that a PMX oil free surface provides.
Photo 8: Packaging
