Production costs for smelters are highly dependent on the global economic environment, which affects oil prices, and the prices of other commodities, including those that create smelters’ input costs. For instance, during the global economic crisis in 2009, production costs for aluminium smelters decreased between 30 and 40% compared to the record high costs …

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El pasado 4 de octubre tuvieron lugar en la sede de ANFRE en Madrid la Junta Directiva y las reuniones del Comité Técnico y el Comité de Montadores. Como en ocasiones anteriores los asociados de ANFRE no nos han decepcionado y han hecho un hueco en sus apretadas agendas para poder asistir a dichas reuniones, …

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Demand for thecnical ceramics has remained relatively stable over the last few years, but increasingly detailed customer specifications for these materials mean thar manufacturers are having to become more flecible in their product designs. Kasia Patel, North American Editor, examines some of the new developments in manufacturing techniques. More information. Download .PDF

China’s glut of refractory products and subsequent dumping in export markets is subduing India’s growth potential, with domestic players facing trading pressure as buyers opt for cheaper Chinese material. Despite the Indian steel industry registering strong growth in recent years, refractories suppliers continue to bear the brunt of low-cost imports of Chinese material, leading to …

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China’s steel mills, which supply half of global output, churned out less steel in the first two months of the year, extending a decline amid government efforts to reduce reliance on manufacturing for growth. Crude-steel production for the January-to-February period dropped 5.7 percent from a year earlier to 121.07 million metric tons, data published by …

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