Resumen de Iluka 2012 production falls while Rio's rises
"Iluka's observation (...) would suggest that these practices, some of which have had a structural effect on zircon demand, have largely worked through," Iluka said.
"Several lead indicators, including housing completions and sales in China and US manufacturing activity, as well as the avoidance of worst-case scenarios associated with economic slowdown and leadership transition in the former, and the US "fiscal cliff" in the latter, together with some signs of increased confidence levels across parts of Iluka's customer base, provide a basis for a more positive demand environment to emerge in 2013," it said.
Ilmenite, as the cheapest TiO 2 feedstock, is usually less affected by market weakness and substitution as there are no cheaper alternatives. However, when the pigment production begins to fall significantly, demand for ilmenite will eventually fall with it, and Iluka has seen evidence of this. Sales dropped by 22.4% to 443,200 tonnes of saleable ilmenite in 2012, excluding the 288,500 tonnes ilmenite produced to feed the synthetic rutile kilns.
