Industrial Minerals

Refractories Hotline

• Refractory dumping: China guilty 11 March 2010

  USA finds China and Mexico guilty of refractory brick dumping; duties imposed Read More

• Cookson refractories recovering 02 March 2010

  Vesuvius and Foseco improve towards end of 2009 on steel recovery and cost cutting Read More

• Asian steel growth led by China March 2010

  Chinese steel output up 13.5%; Chinese refractory mineral exports down 58% Read More

• World steel production rebounds 22 February 2010

  Output increases 25.5% in January driven by the EU, North America and east Asia Read More

• CI plans taphole clay project 18 February 2010

  Australia’s CI Ceramics builds pilot plant for resin-bonded refractory monolithics Read More

• IFGL Refractories back to profit 11 February 2010

  Indian group recovers from loss in fiscal Q3 as steel markets start to rebound Read More

• German ceramics group revamped 04 February 2010

  Trade group renamed BKRI to express wider role in the industrial minerals sector Read More

• Dalmia Cement shares slip February 2010

  Following its announcement to raise INR12,000m.($260m.) by equity sale, cement, magnesia, and refractories producer Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd saw its shares slip almost 7% to INR203.45($4.41) on 19 January 2010 Read More

• RHI wins Siemens VAI contracts February 2010

  Leading refractories producer RHI AG has won a contract worth €4.5m. ($6.4m.) to supply refractory systems for Siemens VAI Metals Technologies GmbH & Co. at two of its steel mill construction projects in India and Russia Read More

• December steel output climbs 20% 22 January 2010

  Global steel shows recovery from downturn but production fell 8% in 2009 Read More

• RHI wins Siemens VAI contracts 20 January 2010

  RHI to supply refractory systems worth €4.5m. for Indian and Russian steel mills Read More

• NLMK builds blast furnace 19 January 2010

  New 3.4m. tpa Russian steel furnace to consume 25,000 tonnes of refractories Read More

• Dyson kiln furniture MBO 12 January 2010

  Loss-making UK kiln furniture business completes management buyout Read More

• APG Fulton plant restarted 08 January 2010

  AP Green restarts Fulton refractory brick plant after surge in steel and cement orders Read More

• POSCO bullish on steel outlook 07 January 2010

  Asian market brightens as South Korean steel giant expands overseas during 2010 Read More

• Global steel output rises 24% 23 December 2009

  China leads across the board recovery in crude steel production in November Read More

• Chinese refractories output down 21 December 2009

  China’s refractory production and refractory mineral exports plummeted in 2009 Read More

• RHI refractories appoints CFO 16 December 2009

  Austrian group appoints former Tyco board member Henning Jansen as group CFO Read More

• Recession impacts Japanese refractory sales January 2010

  Shinagawa and Krosaki incur H1 losses as steel demand recovers but future uncertain Read More

• Bosai increases wages in Guyana 09 December 2009

  Bauxite producer increases wages by 4.5% for six months after negotiations with union Read More

• Gengsheng refractories contracts 01 December 2009

  Renewed refractories and bricks contracts with Shandong Iron & Steel worth $9m. Read More

• Refractories to hit 41m. tonnes 27 November 2009

  Global market seen to cross 41m. tonnes in volume and a value of $26,000m. in 2010 Read More

• Gengsheng steel contracts 25 November 2009

  Chinese refractories producer renews three steel furnace contracts worth $7.3m. Read More

• Non-met refractory recovery will take longer December 2009

  Robin Schmidt-Whitley, president of Fédération Européenne des Fabricants de Produits Réfractaires (PRE), in Brussels, Belgium, discussed with IM about the opportunities and challenges that the non-metallurgical refractories* industry faces by Alexandra Feytis, Assistant Editor Read More

• October steel output rises 13% 20 November 2009

  Global crude steel output rises year on year driven 42% increase in China Read More

• Refractory plant re-developed 19 November 2009

  Mid America awarded tax credits to convert Missouri plans to produce face bricks Read More

• Cookson refractory profits slip 10 November 2009

  Vesuvius and Foseco units post lower sales in line with steel, foundry demand Read More

• RHI refractories down 93% in Q3 03 November 2009

  Austrian producer’s profits remain at low level; sees improvement towards year-end Read More

• Refractories revival November 2009

  Signs of a steel comeback prompt TRL expansion, but it is too little too late for Belgium’s PD Refractories Read More

• EU steel production rises 23 October 2009

  World steel output increases marginally in September driven by 25% EU rebound Read More

• IFGL Refractories to expand 21 October 2009

  Upturn in economy encourages Indian refractories player to expand Read More

• TRL expands refractories 12 October 2009

  Indian producer builds new refractory units; targets double revenue in three years Read More

• Steel shows signs of recovery 12 October 2009

  World Steel Association upgrades global steel demand forecast for 2009 Read More

• Belgian PD Refractories bankrupt 01 October 2009

  Preiss-Daimler Group’s St Ghislain plant to continue production until further notice Read More

• World steel output up in August 21 September 2009

  Production rises 2.5% from July levels driven by China; down 5.5% year on year Read More

• US probes refractory dumping from China September 2009

  LWB Refractories, TYK, and ANH Refractories offers support to Resco in Chinese antidumping case Read More

• Refractories reel amidst recession September 2009

  Minteq restructures with consolidation in the USA, Europe, and Asia, while RHI and Cookson also take hits from demand downturn Read More

• AMP expands precast refractories August 2009 issue

  Expecting market pick-up in H2 2009, US monolithics leader adds furnace capacity and storage to expand precast refractories portfolio Read More

• Chinese refractory exports rise July issue 2009

  Refractory exports up almost 38% in 2008, while refractory raw material exports drop, but their value rockets Read More

• Refractory meltdown June 2009 issue

  Poor financial results and job losses show refractory producers are taking an economic beating of global proportions. But has the bottom now been reached and is a refractory recovery imminent? Read More