Source:  ITRI Ltd

The following is a summary of the information circulated by ITRI Ltd.  For more details and the original text please visit http://www.itri.co.uk.


Tin production by Bolivian state companies falls (Thursday, 17 November 2011 )

For the period January to September 2011, tin-in-concentrate production at the Huanuni mine fell by 7.7% year-on-year to 6,714 tonnes, while refined tin production at the nearby Vinto smelter declined by 1.1% to 8,421 tonnes. Bolivia’s total tin-in-concentrate production in the nine months to September was 14,735 tonnes, down 1.2% year-on-year, with the fall in Huanuni's production partly offset by a rise in output from the Colquiri zinc-tin mine. Total national refined tin production fell 1.1% to 11,154 tonnes, with the fall at Vinto countered by higher production by OMSA.

Latest news on Indonesian export halt (Tuesday, 15 November 2011 )

Indonesia’s ministry of trade data revealed that 5,442 tonnes of refined tin were checked prior to export by trade ministry surveyors in October, although the "halt" in sales was supposed to have started in early October. The five smelters responsible for this tonnage were PT Timah's two plants in Bangka and Kundur plus three independent smelters: PT Refined Bangka Tin, PT Eunindo Usaha Mandiri and PT Singkep Timas Utama. The latter two and Timah's Kundur plant operations are located in the Riau islands, which are outside the coverage of the agreement reached by producers in Bangka-Belitung province.

Timah is continuing to ship tin to contract customers and the company plans to export about 4,000 tonnes per month in November and December. The company forecast that 2011 sales would be some 35,500 tonnes, implying sales of a little over 10,000 tonnes in the current quarter. Demand from Timah’s customers remains strong and their buyers were reported to have not reduced orders yet. The company is predicting an annual average tin price of $23,000/tonne in 2012.

A spokesman from the country's tin association said that a planned new physical tin market in Bangka-Belitung (Babel) can act to regulate trade. He added that a quota is ineffective and would be unfair for producers because it may limit their ability to do business. The country wants all tin trade from Indonesia be managed through the Babel Tin Market. It will use a price mechanism to control exports. So far, seven buyers have expressed interest in joining the Babel Tin Market, which will conduct physical trading of the metal and create a benchmark price for Indonesian tin.

Cookson upbeat on solder sales  (Monday, 14 November 2011 )

Cookson Group plc the world's largest producer of solder, reported a 2% year-on-year increase in sales for the Electronics Division, with solder pastes up 7% y-o-y and bar solders down 12%.

Cookson commented that “Electronics division experienced a strengthening of demand through the period, in line with normal seasonal trends but with the improvement being slightly stronger than previously expected. It continues to benefit both from its strong market positions in the faster growth market segments within consumer electronics, such as tablets and smartphones, and also the increased market penetration of related, innovative and higher margin products such as advanced solder pastes and 'tape and reel' packaged solder pre-forms”.

Pirquitas tin reserves cut to zero  (Monday, 14 November 2011)

Silver Standard Resources, in its latest resource and reserve estimates for its Pirquitas mine in Argentina has excluded tin from its reserve estimates and cost calculations until a reliable processing method is implemented. The mine had been expected to produce up to 3,000 tonnes of tin annually as a by-product of silver mining. In 2010, the start-up of a tin processing circuit at the mine was delayed and then stopped because of the daunting task in achieving an acceptable recovery rate. The mine will produce up to 7.6 million ounces of silver this year, together with some by-product zinc.

Renison produces more ore, less tin  (Saturday, 12 November 2011)

The Renison joint venture operation between Metals X and Yunnan Tin Group and other Chinese investors reported record ore throughput but reduced contained tin production in the September quarter. The Renison mine produced nearly 131,000 tonnes of ore in the three months and almost 54,000 tonnes in September, the highest monthly production since the mine was acquired by Metals X.

Tin-in-concentrate production in the quarter was 1,251 tonnes, down by 6% compared to the previous quarter and 22% lower than in the corresponding period of 2010. The lower average ore grades of 1.63% Sn in the current period was due to contractor under performance, equipment availability in the mine and processing issues in the concentrator. However, tin production in the near future should increase as new trucks has been purchased and access to higher grade sections of the mine from the current quarter through 2012 has started.

Help this site to stay free & run by buying me a cup of coffee!mfBeer Joomla! Plugin