Insulating refractories against a cold steel market

• Autores: Siobhan Lismore-Scott
• Localización: Industrial Minerals, ISSN 0019-8544, Nº. 552, 2013
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Refractory leaders Vesuvius and RHI both reported lower profits in the back of a weaker trading environment and a bearish macroeconomic climate (see p32). Confidence in the steel sector has not returned, Vesuvius CEO Francois Wanecq outlined, while RHI pointed to a still-struggling construction segment.

    It's not all doom and gloom. A look at Magnesita's results this quarter shows that the refractories and raw material producer is not actually doing that badly at all. Profits, revenue and production are all up, despite the luke-warm feeling that persists in many of its key end-markets.

    While the minerals industry might be in for a discernible shift in consumption trends in the medium term, China's influence remains strong both as a major producer and user of refractories, as well as a world supplier of key refractory minerals such as bauxite, magnesia, graphite, fused alumina, and silicon carbide.