Source:  ITRI Ltd

PT Timah expects further decline in production    ( 16 Feb 2011 )    

Indonesia’s state-controlled PT Timah estimated that its refined tin production this year (2011) will be between 37,000 and 40,000 tonnes.  PT Timah produced 40, 413 tonnes of refined tin in 2010, down from 45,086 tonnes in 2009.

The company’s corporate secretary, Abrun Abubakar told Reuters that excessive supply will not be good for maintaining the world’s tin price.  They are also controlling production to conserve reserves.

Interest in physical tin ETF picks up    ( 16 Feb 2011 )    

Interest in the physical tin ETF (exchange traded fund), launched on 10 December last year, is starting to pick up.  Initially sales up to 30 January was only 80 tonnes, but have since moved up to 405 tonnes – all MSC tin in Malaysian and Singapore warehouses.  The tin ETF warrants now account for 2.4% of all live LME warrants, compared to 0.3% for copper and 0.1% for Nickel.

Jump in Minsur sales and profits    ( 15 Feb 2011 )   

Higher tin prices boosted Peruvian tin miner Compania Minera Minsur SA’s Q4 net profit to 315.8 million soles (US$114 million), compared with PEN 202.1 million in Q4 2010.  Total Q4 sales was PEN556.9 million, compared with PEN410.9 million in Q4 2010.


Vinto expansion due for November completion    ( 14 Feb 2011 )   

Bolivia’s Vinto metallurgical complex (EMV) will inaugurate its new smelter with an Ausmelt furnace in November.  The government has already paid the US$25.5 million required for the project, which will increase EMV’s tin concentrate processing capacity by 90% to 38,000tpy.  This would allow Vinto to become the sixth largest tin smelter in the world.  However, the planned increase in production at Vinto is dependent on the completion of a matching expansion of Comibol’s Huanuni mine.

Bolivia’s refined tin production in 2010 amounted to 14,943 and could rise by 50% in 2012.


New stainless steel grade has tin potential    ( 11 Feb 2011 )

Nippon Steel has received a Nikkei award for a breakthrough in ferritic stainless steel technology that uses a 0.1% tin addition as a partial substitute for chromium.  The new product, NSSC FW1 (Forward One) stainless steel, was launched commercially in July 2010 and has a 14%Cr-0.1% Sn coating.

As a further development of this technology, Nippon Steel has commercialized another grade of high corrosion resistance, high-purity ferritic stainless steel, NSSC FW2 (Forward Two), 16%Cr-0.3%Sn) launched in December 2010.
 

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