Service centers' shipments of copper and copper alloy products declined by 6% in May from April and dropped 10.2% from the same month as year earlier. Copper products shipments were down 4.3%, while alloy shipments were off 14.3%. After the first five months of the year, total red metal shipments by service centers were down by about 4% to 165,399 net tons from 172,383 tons in 2007

Frank Brown, executive director of the Copper and Brass Servicenter Association, says that "one of the few bright spots affecting the distribution industry is related to energy exploration, both oil and gas, and to some extent coal mining." He adds that these three segments have been outperforming most other key customer bases. "The farm equipment industry had been doing fairly well into the second quarter of the year, but with the recent flood problems throughout the Midwest, farmers will have very limited resources to purchase new equipment," Brown says. He adds that sales to metals stamping operations continue to be soft.

Brown says CBSA members, mills and distributors alike, have reported that "their significant customers don't appear overly optimistic about the balance of the year."