2012 Events

December 4, 2012

Annual Holiday Event with free drinks, light bites, market forecasts and SME networking!
"2013 AFund Commodity Forecasts"


Henry Weingarten
Managing Director, 
Astrologers Fund

Would you have wanted to buy gold at $271? Or buy silver in 2010 and then sell it at $49.42 in 2011? Check the AFund world class forecasting record!
We can’t promise you similar profitable trades of a lifetime but we can promise you a fun and informative talk/discussion led by SME - The New York Section Programming Chairman Henry Weingarten

Henry Weingarten has been Managing Director, from May 1988 to the present, of the Astrologers Fund, Inc., which employs astrology as the primary analysis tool to manage investment funds. Mr. Weingarten is the author of Investing By The Stars and The Study Of Astrology. He writes a weekly email newsletter: Wall Street, Next Week, and is online on his website at www.afund.com.



October 16, 2012

Henry Krumb Lecture Series:
"Water Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink, Nor Do I Know Its Whereabouts"


Robert Dunne, Fellow Metallurgical
Newmont Mining Corporation

The demand for water is driven primarily by population and concomitant economic growth. Water requirements are predicted to grow considerably in the next decades while supplies will remain relatively constant or decline due to over pumping of aquifers, changing weather patterns and increased water pollution and contamination. Mining activities are often located in remote, arid environments, with limited access to high-quality water. The water used in mining operations comes from a variety of sources and the sources and quality of the water varies from operation to operation. Mining impacts on water quantity and quality are among the most contentious aspects of mining development. The main problem for the mining industry is to generate confidence in developing a responsible, sustainable and transparent water management strategy that is recognized as such by all stakeholders. The presentation provided an overview of water in the wider global arena and compares this to how the mining industry has dealt with water stewardship over the last couple of decades.

Robert Dunne is the Fellow Metallurgical for Newmont Mining Corporation having recently moved from his previous position of Group Executive-Metallurgy Development and Technology and is based in Denver, Colorado, USA. He is a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and is an Adjunct Professor at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia. Over the last 30 years, Robert has worked for a number of mining companies, including Anglo American, Anglovaal, and Newcrest Mining, and also spent time lecturing at the Western Australian School of Mines, and at Mintek, where he was involved in introducing new technologies into the mining industry.



January 26, 2012

“Emerging Workforce Trends in the US Mining Industry”

Dave Kanagy, Executive Director,Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration

Mr. Kanagy reviewed the recently released results from the SME “Emerging Workforce Trends in the US Mining Industry” report. He reviewed how US mine labor has changed over the past 30 years and what the projected need for the next 18 years would include. He highlighted the factors that are currently driving the mining business in the US as well as issues that are anticipated to drive the business in the near future.

Dave joined SME in March 2004 and has tripled the revenues of the organization making a real difference in turning around the SME financial situation. He also improved staff coordination and cooperation, and is positioning SME to provide greater value for its members with the development of new products such as OneMine. He was instrumental in developing a merger of the Woman's Auxiliary to the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, the Underground Construction and Tunneling Association, the Minerals Information Institute and the International Marine Minerals Society into SME.

He has a B.S. degree in industrial education from the University of Maryland and a MS degree in technology education from Eastern Illinois University. He is also a certified association executive by the American Society of Association Executives. He has also completed a six-year association management-development program from the University of Delaware’s Institute of Organizational Management.

Dave has worked over 28 years with nonprofit organizations. His level of responsibility has progressively increased, culminating in senior management and chief staff officer positions. With his solid association background, Dave is knowledgeable in all aspects of the day-to-day business operations at SME headquarters. He is familiar with membership issues, technical conferences, expositions, industry statistics and information technology.
Please click here to view the presentation.

November 5, 2012

"Doing Business In and With China Inc. by an Industrial Minerals, Mining & Processing Executive"

Bill Wilkins


For the past 20+ years, China has been the leading producer and exporter of Magnesium Oxide (MgO) - a key ingredient of the refractory industry that is an essential component of the Global Metals, Steel and Cement making industries.

China came to dominate the production and sale of MgO as a result of its minerals reserves, availability and relative 'low' cost of production, along with the government of China’s tacit support of a cartel of producers in Liaoning Province. The cartel has influenced market pricing at the expense of other producers’ willingness to invest capital in the production capacity elsewhere in the world. As experienced in other metals, materials and industrial sectors, MgO producers outside of Liaoning Province were forced to shut down thereby creating a dependency on China as the major source of this industrial mineral.
Bill Wilkins discussed the importance of refractory minerals and materials to Steelmaking and other Basic Industries along with key drivers impacting operating and capital costs based on his prior experience as President of a leading, global refractory business.

Bill Wilkins is an operating executive who has led global companies that manufacture highly engineered materials, directed at serving customers in industries as diverse as steel, power generation and mining. Bill held the position of President and CEO at Minteq International, a leading provider to the global steel industry of engineered refractory materials, on-site furnace/ladle maintenance services, metal purification technologies, and laser measurement and control systems. More recently, Bill has been working as a consultant to industrial clients, as a private equity Operating Partner and also serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Barton International, a leading minerals and mining company engaged in the manufacture and distribution of garnet abrasive products.



April 24, 2012

“Does Transparency Really Improve Mining Industry Performance and Revenue-raising?"
Simon Handelsman


Dr. Handelsman discussed transparency as one means to address perceptions of the mining industry's susceptibility to fraud and corruption, reduce borrowing costs, increase access to capital, and improve public revenue-raising

Dr. Simon Handelsman is an international minerals development engineer and advisor. Working for the United Nations Mineral Resources Group, a hundred-plus advisory missions took him to over forty developing countries during ten years. Simon is an adjunct professor in the mining department at the University of British Columbia.

Please click here to view the presentation



March 20, 2012

"Will Iron Ore Prices Soon Implode Near Levels Prior to China's Boom?"

A looming glut of iron ore looks poised to swing the supply/demand balance into surplus for this commodity. Substantial investment in new capacities globally, both by steel producers and mining companies, combined with slower steel demand growth prospects in China over the next decade are powerful reasons to anticipate such a scenario. To what degree might the quasi-oligopolistic structure of the iron ore mining industry resist this development? WSD presented its views on this subject, along with a demonstration of our various analytical capabilities in the space of steelmakers’ metallics.

"Is India's Steel Industry Fast Becoming an Explosive Exporter?"
WSD’s observations from a recent trip to India have led us to conclude that the country’s steel industry may soon become a major force on the global export market. Domestic steel demand is highly unlikely, in WSD’s opinion, to replicate the growth trajectory of Chinese steel demand for a variety of reasons. Economic structure and bureaucratic “rigidities” which impede the implementation of India’s growth plans are among the key reasons. However, the steel industry is much better positioned to execute on its ambitious growth plans, in WSD’s opinion, setting the foundation for the country to become a major low-cost “machine” for steel product exports.

Philipp Englin, Manager - Special Projects
World Steel Dynamics


World Steel Dynamics is a "Strategic Information Service" providing critical and new perspectives on possible and probable steel industry developments. WSD regularly analyzes and publishes reports on steel prices, steelmakers' costs, steel supply/demand and steel finances. WSD's steel experience, steel database and availability of steel statistics are unmatched. The WSD international client list includes major integrated and non-integrated steel companies, steel users, equipment and raw material suppliers, financial institutions, money managers, government agencies, metal traders, steel service centers and trade associations.

Please click here to view the presentation.