Singapore 17/03/2016 - Nine out of ten of the world's largest refined tin producers saw their output decline in 2015, said the International Tin Research Institute (ITRI) in a report on Tuesday.
Refined production at all Chinese companies among the global top ten producers fell in 2015. Despite the continuing increase in supply of tin ore and concentrates from Myanmar, Chinese domestic mine production and secondary refined tin production both faltered during the year due to low tin prices, it said.
Chinese refined tin production is expected to fall further again this year following the announcement of a combined 17,000 tonnes of production cuts by Chinese smelters in mid-January, it added.
China’s Yunnan Tin is the largest refined tin producer in the world last year, with output at 75,500 tonnes. Other Chinese producers include Yunnan Chengfeng which was fifth place among the top ten with output at 16,600 tonnes and seventh-placed Guangxi China Tin at 11,100 tonnes. Gejiu Zi-Li was ranked eighth with production of 11,000 tonnes.
Malaysia Smelting Corp was the world’s second largest refined tin producer with output at 30,260 tonnes, followed by Indonesia’s PT Timah which was third biggest at 27,431 tonnes.
PT Timah saw a 32 percent year-on-year increase in refined tin production to 14,261 tonnes in the first half of 2015, but production fell 7.7 percent to 13,170 tonnes in the latter half likely due to the introduction of new regulation on exports in August and lower tin prices, said ITRI.
Refined tin production and exports from both PT Timah and the private Indonesian smelters continue to be restricted by delays to applications for export permits in early 2016 and this is expected to result in a further reduction in total refined tin production from the country this year, it added.
Peru’s Minsur who was the world’s fourth biggest refined tin producer registered output of 20,224 tonnes last year.
Minsur’s production had declined by 17 percent last year largely due to a fall in head grades from its San Rafael mine but output from its Brazilian operations rose 10 percent in 2015.
Minsur's consolidated refined tin production is expected to increase in 2016, with company guidance of 20,000-21,000 tonnes from San Rafael and 6,000-7,000 tonnes of tin from the Pitinga mine in Brazil, said ITRI.
EM Vinto in Bolivia was the sixth largest producer with output rising 3.2 percent to 12,106 tonnes - the only company among the top ten producers to register an increase.
Production capacity at the company's smelter was lifted following commissioning of a new Ausmelt furnace in September. The company has anticipated production of 14,000 tonnes of refined tin in 2016, according to ITRI.
Thailand’s Thaisarco was at ninth place at 10,502 tonnes, followed by Belgium's Metallo Chimique at 8,863 tonnes.