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Tin in the News
Dear readers,In this edition of "Tin in the News" it is important to notify you that ITRI will be changing its name to the "International Tin Association" from 1 February. Further details of this name change can be found below.In other news, we also provide a summary of the Top 10 refined tin producers of 2017, a recent R&D development for tin in lithium-ion batteries, a review of Bolivian refined tin production in 2017 and news of an addition to Stellar Resources tin project portfolio in Tasmania.Tom Mulqueen - Manager, Markets |
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ITRI to change name to International Tin Association
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24 January: ITRI will change its name to International Tin Association Ltd from 1st February 2018. This builds on our heritage as the former International Tin Research Institute but also recognises our evolution towards tin industry leadership with a more diverse range of activities.Established in 1932 in London, UK our organisation for its first 70 years brought together tin producing governments and producers to focus on the promotion of tin and the research and development of new tin-based technologies. During that time our work provided the technical foundations for the development of tin as solder for electronics, as tinplate for food cans, and as chemicals used in plastics. Technology is still an important component of our work to this day.However, over the last two decades we have grown to recognise a broader range of tin industry issues and have expanded activities in areas such as market analysis, conferences, sustainability, and regulatory affairs. Today our members and associate members represent more than two-thirds of global tin production and we have established extensive tin user networks in the major sectors. ITRI opened its China office in 2009, improving our understanding, connections, and influence in this key market.Now, as the International Tin Association, we have a new platform for our members to establish industry leadership. This includes launching a Code of Conduct to support responsible tin sourcing, a major objective for the industry. We remain a not-for-profit organisation that welcomes new members. In providing an informed and authoritative voice to the industry we look forward to an exciting future for tin as a vital metal playing an important role in enhancing the quality of everyday life.
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Top 10 refined tin producers of 2017
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25 January: ITRI reports that six of the top ten refined tin producers saw an increase in production in 2017, including three of the biggest five companies.All Chinese companies in the top ten saw refined production rise in 2017, except for YTC where output declined marginally. Domestic mine production and concentrate imports both increased during the year, supported by higher tin prices. We anticipate that China's primary refined tin production will remain broadly level in 2018, although secondary refined output may increase marginally.In Indonesia, PT Timah reported a 27% increase in refined tin production to some 30,200 tonnes (unaudited) in 2017, the highest since 2011. Improved output by PT Timah and other Indonesian smelters was a result of numerous factors, primarily greater raw material availability due to higher tin prices, but also less disruption from inclement weather and government regulation than in previous years. We expect stricter government regulation of Indonesia's tin industry and long-term production pressures, such as grade decline and resource depletion, to limit shipments this year.Refined tin production by Minsur in Peru contracted by 8% to just over 18,000 tonnes (unaudited) in 2017 as a result of the continuing natural decline in tin grades at the company's San Rafael Mine. We believe production from the underground mine will decline further in 2018 impacting refined tin production. In contrast, Minsur's Brazilian subsidiary, Taboca, saw a significant 12% increase in refined production to 6,600 tonnes in 2017, helped by increased treatment of tin slags.Europe's major tin metal producers, Fenix and Metallo, reported total secondary refined tin production of over 13,000 tonnes in 2017, up 14% year-on-year. We believe the increase was primarily due to greater availability of tin scrap and waste due to higher tin prices.
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Stellar adds tin tenement to portfolio
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25 January: Australian tin explorer and developer, Stellar Resources (SRZ) has added to its portfolio of Tasmanian tin properties with the recent grant of the Mount Razorback exploration license, which contains the historical Razorback and Grand Prize tin mines and a tailings dam.While both historical mines were operational on a small-scale from the early 1900's The Razorback mine was the most significant, producing 153 tonnes of tin-in-concentrate between 1975 and 1978. The license area is 10km from Zeehan in Tasmania via road, with the Renison tin mine 8km to the north. Stellar is positive about the potential to recover tin cassiterite from the tailings dam and to discover further mineralisation below the historical open pit of the Razorback mine and along a 3km fault structure.Stellar's Managing Director, Peter Blight, said "Adding the Mount Razorback EL to the Company's portfolio of Tasmanian tin assets is a great way to start the new year. This is the third significant tin asset in a portfolio that already includes JORC resources at St Dizier and Heemskirk."The company is planning initial sampling work to determine the feasibility of reprocessing the tailings, which it is planning to complete by March 2018, as well as revisiting historical drilling data to establish a JORC-compliant resource and establish new drilling targets.ITRI View: This recent addition to Stellar's portfolio complements the company's advanced Heemskirk tin project and deposit nearby, which has a similar geological structure and mineralogy. The close proximity of the company's existing tenements and potentially similar processing requirements could well justify a centralised processing plant sourcing from each of these sites. However, like any early stage exploration project, it will take time for sufficient exploration activities and technical studies to be undertaken in the recently acquired license area to determine the viability of developing the site.Read the full press release here
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Vinto output falls in 2017
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16 January: The Bolivian state-owned smelter, Empresa Metalúrgica Vinto, has revealed that refined tin production fell by 3.1% year-on-year to 12,637 tonnes in 2017, although revenues increased by 11% to some US$ 255 million, according to local sources.We believe that the small decline in production last year was likely a result of disruption related to a month-long maintenance shutdown at the Vinto smelter in July to replace the brick lining inside its Ausmelt furnace. Official production in the first of 2017 was reported as broadly equivalent to the same period of 2016 and we expect Bolivian mine production in 2017 to exceed 2016 overall, although official annual data is yet to be released to confirm this. The gross weight of tin concentrate exports also declined 84% year-on-year to 115 tonnes in the first nine months of 2017. Based on these two factors we think that the lower Vinto output is unlikely to be related to a shortage of raw material.ITRI View: All three of the tin companies managed under the state umbrella corporation, Comibol, appear to have achieved strong financial results in 2017 relative to the previous year, largely a reflection of higher tin prices. Local media quoted the president of Comibol, José Pimentel, who claimed that both the Colquiri and Huanuni mining companies recorded profits exceeding US$20 million in 2017, while Comibol itself saw profits of US$5 million. Looming over the Bolivian mining sector is the threat of a hefty settlement related to its expropriation of mining assets from Swiss mining giant Glencore, including the Vinto smelter in 2007 and the Colquiri tin-zin mine in 2012. Glencore has recently set US$675 million as compensation for its nationalised assets, which could rise to US$700 million with interest. We remain optimistic about the future of Bolivian tin industry, with benefits of investments in processing capacity and infrastructure at the two state-owned mines likely to be realised in the coming years.
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Nissan patent tin in silicon-titanium alloy for lithium-ion batteries
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10 January: Nissan has filed an international patent application for using tin in a silicon alloy with titanium in lithium-ion battery anodes.The patent application by Nissan Motors, Japan describes an anode composition based on a silicon alloy with titanium in a TiS2 form and about 20% wt/wt tin in solid solution. Silicon alloys are part of a future generation of anode technologies set to replace current carbon anodes in lithium-ion batteries. Silicon has a much higher theoretical charge capacity of 3,600 mAh/g compared to carbon at 372 mAh/g.The research team found that adding titanium is able to overcome some of the issues that silicon has with performance degradation in cycling expansion and contraction of the silicon. However, adding the tin enabled control of the precise crystallinity of the silicon to achieve a high charge/discharge capacity. Other major players including General Motors and 3M have also developed silicon-tin alloys for lithium-ion batteries.Nissan Motors patent application December 2017
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International Tin Conference 2018
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Corinthia Hotel, Budapest, Hungary 23-25 April 2018We are pleased to announce that registration is open for next year's ITRI International Tin Conference. The event will be the first held in Europe for over a decade and is expected to attract a high number of attendees.Many of the leading companies and organisations in the tin business are already confirmed participants and we expect to add more over the coming weeks. Delegates can also be sure that ITRI’s own staff will deliver full coverage of the industry and their views on the future trends for supply, demand and prices, providing a basis for them to make up their own minds on the long-term industry outlook. Please click here to download the programme.Please visit the event website for full event details and to register.
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