住友金属鉱山会社案内_英

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Sumitomo Metal MiningCorporate Profile7The Toyo Smelter & Refinery shortly after it openedThe Hishikari Mine, which has been producing gold ore since 19851985Hishikari Mine inherits SMM’s traditions and technologiesThe 1970s were a watershed for SMM. The closure of the Besshi Copper Mine in 1973 and of the copper mine at Sazare in 1979 brought about a hiatus in the domestic mineral resources business, which had operated continuously for nearly 300 years. However, a gold deposit was discovered in Hishikari Town (now Isa City) in the Isa District of Kagoshima Prefecture in 1981, and ore production at the newly developed Hishikari Mine began in 1985. The Hishikari Mine, which produces high-grade gold ore, remains in operation and continues to support SMM’s growth, carrying on the history of the mineral resources business begun at Besshi Copper Mine and playing an important role in maintaining SMM’s accumulated mining technologies.1971A copper smelter and refinery that met domestic demand while achieving global competitivenessWhen Japan entered the post-war period of high economic growth, domestic demand for copper rose sharply. To meet this demand while simultaneously increasing international competitiveness, in 1971 Sumitomo established the world’s most advanced copper smelter (the Toyo Smelter & Refinery). The flash furnace at the Toyo Smelter & Refinery was lit in a ceremony using a flame taken from the smelting furnace at Shisakajima Islands, and before that from a calcination kiln at the Besshi Copper Mine. Thus, as the inheritor of the Sumitomo spirit, the Toyo Smelter & Refinery championed further technological innovation by applying SMM’s accumulated experience in smelting technology. Today, more than 50 years after the start of operation, the Toyo Smelter & Refinery has developed into a facility that, as SMM’s principal smelter, is globally competitive in terms of production capacity and cost. The plant is also utilized as a site for interaction and information sharing among the Group’s engineers and strives to maintain and improve the Group’s technological capabilities.