A holiday of KGHM smelter workers’ community

May 4 is the day of Saint Florian, the patron saint of smelter workers and firefighters, and a holiday for KGHM workers. KGHM cultivates the traditions of industry holidays and the Smelter Workers’ Day is, next to Barbórka, the miners’ holiday, one of the most important holidays in the company.

This year’s celebration of the holiday began on May 4 with the traditional laying of flowers at the St. Florian statue in front of the Głogów Copper Smelter. Later today, the smelter’s band will play for the region’s residents at several locations in Głogów.

SMELTER WORKERS’ DAY 2023

The main celebration at KGHM is scheduled for May 12. The day will begin with a loud welcome to the company’s management board and the chief executives by the Głogów smelter’s band and a group of majorettes. During a ceremony at the Muza Cultural Center in Lubin, state decorations and industry badges of “For distinguished service to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.” will be awarded. Traditional events are planned in Legnica and Lubin: an inn dinner and a traditional feast (comber).

On Sunday, May 14, a solemn Mass for smelter workers’ and their families will begin at the Legnica Cathedral at 1 p.m., followed by a Smelter Concert, open to the public, at 7 p.m. The artists who will perform at the Legnica Market Square are Kasia Cerekwicka, Olga Szomańska, Mateusz Ziółko, Łukasz Zagrobelny, and the Symphony Orchestra comprising 25 musicians and conducted by Tomasz Szymusia. The audience will also see young artists from the region, as well as the Głogów Copper Smelter’s band lead by Bandmaster Bartłomiej Nienartowicz, along with a group of majorettes. The event will be hosted by Małgorzata Tomaszewska and Aleksander Sikora. The concert is one of the elements of this year’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Legnica Copper Smelter.

KGHM’s smelters are among the most modern in Europe. Thanks to the production capacity of these divisions, KGHM is one of the global leaders in the metallurgical industry. The company ranks as the world’s second-largest silver producer and is one of the top ten global copper producers. The Legnica Copper Smelter is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

THE NEW IMAGE OF THE OLDEST SMELTER IN POLAND

Work is underway at the Legnica Copper Smelter to implement the Legnica Hybrid Smelter program. The idea behind the program is to utilize the potential of scrap copper by implementing the assumptions of the Closed Circuit Economy. This will allow the smelter to process recycled materials, with the ability to melt its own concentrates or concentrates from external sources. The division is already a leader in KGHM in the area of cathode copper production based on non-primary source feedstock (ore). The electrolytic copper produced at the Legnica Hybrid Smelter contains 70 percent of various types of scrap.

SMELTERS WITH A QUALITY MARK

KGHM owns copper smelters in Głogów and Legnica, and a copper smelter and rolling mill in Cedynia. The production processes carried out in each of those plants are based on different technologies. In 2022, KGHM’s smelters employed more than 3,600 people.

The Legnica and Głogów copper smelters have been awarded the Copper Mark, a prestigious guarantee of responsible manufacturing. The certificate confirms efficient copper production carried out in compliance with the highest standards. Soon the Cedynia smelter should also join this prestigious group.

In addition to copper, silver, and gold, KGHM’s smelters produce crude lead, refined lead, sulfuric acid, nickel sulfate, and selenium.