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December 2015
21 December 2015
A roundup of the year's main events in the global oilfield minerals industries.
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October 2015
22 October 2015
Change is a constant in the industrial mineral world, but it is accelerating in some sectors in particular – a fact that has implications for the calcined bauxite supply chain. Liz Gyekye, Chief Reporter, investigates.
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August 2015
26 August 2015
Essen, Germany-based Cofermin’s dispersed yet nimble network of operatives can expand the market reach of suppliers and multiply sourcing options for buyers of speciality minerals. With the recent launch of two new businesses, the group is delving into even more niches than it was in before. Cofermin spoke to IM how people are at the heart of its reputation for transparency, efficiency and trust.
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26 August 2015
While some refractories producers are seeing revenue decline, Pittsburgh, US-headquartered United Refractories Co. is maintaining its sales. Kasia Patel, North American Editor, spoke to the company about its strategy of creating new product blends according to customer requirements and remaining diverse in a number of markets.
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26 August 2015
A strong US dollar, China’s economic slowdown and environmental issues are just some of the challenges that today’s refractories producers are having to contend with. Liz Gyekye, Chief Reporter, looks at what companies in the sector are doing to stay ahead of the game.
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May 2015
28 May 2015
The UK is actively looking at the potential production of shale gas and, as a result, the country’s extractive minerals industry is looking at the role it can play in providing minerals that could be used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking). One such mineral is silica sand, which is used as a proppant, commonly referred to as “frac sand”. Clive Mitchell, Industrial Minerals Specialist, provides an educated guess as to where this frac sand could come from in the UK.
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28 May 2015
The US has long enjoyed a successful fracking industry, having drilled more than a million wells to date. Yet, with plummeting oil prices causing some to question the short-term success of this process, Vasili Nicoletopoulos* provides an executive summary of IM’s latest research report on the US proppants market.
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27 May 2015
Gardanne, France-based Alteo is a leading supplier of speciality alumina products to the global refractories and ceramics industries, but its main focus is on abrasives, as it seeks to capitalise pockets of “tightness” in supply. In order to take advantage of slim opportunities in what is a fiercely competitive market, the company has had to reinvent itself as a business with a reputation for reliability and consistency, Diego Audemard, commercial director for Alteo ARC Fused Aluminas, told IM.
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January 2015
24 January 2015
China’s Shanxi province is the world’s biggest producer of refractory grade bauxite, but it is also one of the most corrupt and dysfunctional regions in the country. Albert Li, Shanghai Analyst and Laura Syrett, Prices Editor, examine the problems the region is facing and the measures being taken to reform the sector.
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24 January 2015
Specific consumption of refractories in the steel,
glass and cement industries has been steadily declining worldwide, while the market has increasingly shifted towards higher quality products. Antonio Torrisi explores how advanced technical ceramics can benefit from new market trends globally.