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Antimicrobial Benefits of Copper Boosting Demand

Tony Uphoff
1/27/2019 | 5 min read
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Antimicrobial Benefits of Copper Boosting Demand

This Thomas Index Report is sponsored by DiCo Manufacturing, a woman-owned, leading provider of custom-made laminated welding shunts since 2006.

Hello again. This week we’re going to take a look at sourcing for Copper by users of the Thomasnet.com platform. Our data shows that over the past 12 weeks, sourcing activity for this category is up 15 percent over its historical average.

Our firmographic buyer data shows that the top industry driving this sourcing trend on our platform is Healthcare & Medical.

According to Bloomberg Markets, the demand for copper for public health applications could grow by as much as one million tons per year over the next 20 years. Certain copper alloys have significant antimicrobial properties, and they’re being implemented more and more as a hygienic construction material in public areas such as hospitals, gyms, and schools, to help prevent the spread of disease. While tests show that bacteria can live for weeks or even months on surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel, testing under EPA protocols supported the claim that antimicrobial copper can kill 99.9 percent of disease-causing bacteria within two hours of contact. For this reason, hospitals looking to eliminate or reduce hospital-acquired infections are using copper for everything from doorknobs, faucets, and countertops, to handrails and bed railings. Some have even introduced copper-infused bed linens to prevent the spread of infection.

In addition to the healthcare and medical industry, copper demand is being driven by the automotive industry, particularly for electric vehicles, and the construction industry, where copper is ubiquitous in electrical and plumbing systems. Our data also shows that in addition to the broad category of Copper, sourcing activity is up 18 percent or more, month-over-month, for Copper Wire, Copper Tubing, and Scrap Copper.

Moving on from these categories, here’s a look at the top ten industrial product and service categories being sourced on the Thomasnet.com platform over the past four weeks:

  1. CNC Machining
  2. Steel
  3. Injection Molded Plastics
  4. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)
  5. Lumber
  6. Plastic Bottles
  7. Metal Fabrication
  8. Tube Fabrication & Bending Services
  9. Fasteners
  10. Metal Stampings

The best way to get this weekly Thomas Index Report is to sign up for our daily Thomas Industry Update by visiting Thomasnet.com/updates.

Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next week.

 

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