160 years of Aurubis: Metals for Europe’s industrial future  

The history of Aurubis can also be read as a history of industrial megatrends. The metals produced by Aurubis were essential for expanding the railways and electricity grids, for industrial manufacturing and urban infrastructure, and later for the globalization of the economy and society.  

An affiliation that still holds true today. Whether it is high-power data centers for AI applications, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, or the expansion of European power grids — all these systems are built on a reliable supply of metals. For decades, Aurubis has played its part, producing and refining metals and increasingly returning them to the loop. As a multimetal company, Aurubis extracts over 20 metals and elements from exceptionally complex materials. Metals and elements crucial for a wide range of industrial applications. 

Since its founding, Aurubis has produced around 32 million tons of copper in total. A number that highlights the industrial dimension of this achievement: 
This is enough copper to encircle the globe roughly 160 times with high-voltage copper cable — a figure that coincides strikingly with the anniversary and a symbol of Aurubis’ industrial power and continuity across the generations. 

Aurubis sees itself as an industrial enterprise focused on the future and a responsible corporate citizen. Resource efficiency, the circular economy, and technological advancement are not short-term trends; they are integral elements of our business model. The company combines primary production with recycling, contributing to safeguarding raw materials and industrial supply security — and uses additional resources sustainably, such as by supplying carbon-free industrial heat to up to 28,000 Hamburg households. The development of the sites reflects this direction: Aurubis is also celebrating 110 years of the Aurubis Lünen site this year. The plant was acquired by Aurubis in 1999 and exemplifies the ongoing enhancement of industrial expertise and the expansion of the Group’s recycling activities. 

Today Aurubis is represented in over 20 countries on three continents with our global production and sales sites and employs around 7,200 people worldwide. They are the cornerstone of the company’s success. Their knowledge, experience and identification with Aurubis shape the company’s development and secure its competitiveness. 

At this 160-year milestone, Aurubis is doing more than just reflecting on its story; it is consciously positioning itself in the larger industrial context: as a company with a legacy, a robust business model, and a pivotal role to play in a world in which metals will remain essential to technological and social advancement.