The China Tin Group put its tin smelter, located in Laibin, Guangxi Province, into maintenance on Tuesday for three weeks. The Ausmelt furnace started up in March 2013 with a production capacity of 20,000 tpy and produced more than 12,000 t refined tin in 2014.
This is the second period of maintenance in 2015 following a similar pause in production in April. China Tin will focus work primarily on its Ausmelt furnace during the current shutdown. The company is the third largest smelter in China and the seventh largest in the world.
ITRI View: Many Chinese smelters have struggled this year with the fall in tin price, and the recent turmoil in the Chinese markets has not helped the situation. Whilst this new pause in production is temporary, it still equates to lost refined tin production of approximately 650 tonnes, based on the 2014 figure given above.
