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.
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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.
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