You have the raw materials. We have the expertise to process them.
This is the very essence of tolling: an industrial model in which the customer supplies its own raw material—in this case, copper—and entrusts its processing to a specialist. Gindre, an integrated player in the copper industry since 1823, offers this service to its industrial customers and is now expanding it to create a fully-fledged, structured offering accessible to all its partners.
What is tolling?
Toll manufacturing, or contract processing, is a contract in which the client retains ownership of the raw material throughout the process. The client pays exclusively for industrial processing operations such as extrusion, drawing, rolling, machining, or cutting.
This model differs fundamentally from purchasing standard semi-finished products. The customer retains control over its resources, traceability, and book value, while the processor provides the equipment, processes, and technical expertise needed to manufacture the desired finished or semi-finished product.
Why choose tolling at Gindre?
Managing your exposure to copper prices
Copper is one of the most volatile commodities on global markets and is a critical metal for the digital and energy transitions. By supplying their own metal, Gindre’s customers avoid the impact of LME prices on their processing bills. This allows them to independently manage and secure their copper supply through forward purchases, framework agreements, or their own networks, and to autonomously manage their commodity risk hedging.
Making the Most of Your Own Copper Scrap and Waste
Many manufacturers generate copper scrap as a byproduct of their own manufacturing processes. Through tolling, this scrap is not sold off at rock-bottom prices: instead, it is reintroduced into the value chain. Gindre, with its integrated smelters and recognized expertise in copper recycling, is able to reprocess these materials and return them as semi-finished products that meet the customer’s technical requirements.
Take advantage of Gindres’ vertical integration
Few manufacturers are capable of covering the entire value chain, from foundry operations to the production of finished components, including extrusion, drawing, and machining. Gindre is one of them. This vertical integration ensures consistent processing for the customer, full traceability of materials, and a single point of contact, with no loss of information or quality between stages.
Access industrial capacity without investing in it
Tolling allows manufacturers to access heavy-duty processing equipment—such as extrusion presses, drawing benches, rolling mills, and machining lines—without having to tie up capital on their balance sheets. This approach allows companies to focus on their core business: the customer concentrates on the design, assembly, or marketing of their products, while Gindre handles the physical processing of the metal.
A structured service, a long-term partnership
Building on the experience gained with its first tolling clients, Gindre has formalized its offering to make it clear, predictable, and accessible to new industrial partners.
In practical terms, this translates to a transparent pricing structure based on service type and volume, a standard contract covering key points—including ownership of the material at each stage, documented material yield, scrap management, batch-by-batch traceability, and a dedicated contact person who oversees each tolling project from start to finish. The customer can thus check the status of their outstanding material at Gindre at any time and receive a report with every order. This level of transparency is no small matter: it is the foundation of trust in a model where you entrust your own metal.
A service tailored to specific needs
Each service is tailored to a set of technical specifications developed in collaboration with the customer: product cross-sections, types of copper, dimensional tolerances, surface finish, and packaging. Gindre’s technical teams work closely with the customer from the initial requirements definition phase, drawing on decades of experience in non-ferrous metal processing.
This service is specifically designed for manufacturers of electrical equipment, companies in the electric mobility sector, manufacturers of distribution panels, and any industrial company whose end products incorporate copper conductors or components—particularly those that already manage their copper supply and are looking for a reliable processing partner to help them get the most out of it.
Tolling and Environmental Liability: A Natural Fit
At Gindre, tolling is part of a circular economy approach. By reprocessing secondary copper material (scrap, offcuts) rather than selling primary copper derived from mining, this model reduces unnecessary material flows and optimizes the use of resources that have already been extracted. Copper is infinitely recyclable without any loss of performance: tolling takes full advantage of this property.
A transformation partner, not just a supplier or manufacturer
What sets Gindre apart in its tolling services is the depth of the industrial partnership that underpins them. Beyond technical capabilities, it is a long-term relationship built on trust: transparency regarding material yields, accurate reporting of waste generated, and rigorous quality control for every batch.
For two centuries, Gindre has made its mastery of copper its hallmark. Tolling is the most direct expression of this: putting this expertise to work on your material to bring out its best qualities.
Would you like to learn more about our tolling services? Contact our sales team so we can work together to determine the best implementation terms for your business.
