Resumen de Refractories production could reach 46m by 2017

Industrial Minerals

• "Year-on-year, the lower volume of magnesite sinter sold during Q2 2013 was offset by the increased sales of talc, caustic calcined magnesia (CCM) and other minerals, as well as the exchange rate depreciation in 2013," Magnesita explained.

  "The trading environment in the first half of 2013 was stable overall, although there were significant geographic and sector variations across both the steel and foundry end-markets. Generally there was no further deterioration in endmarket demand, following the sharp falls seen in the third quarter of 2012," Francois Wanecq, CEO, said.

  Looking ahead, Wanecq said Vesuvius "has limited forward visibility of demand", adding that "the most important driver of performance for the rest of the year will be the levels of activity seen in September, when major steel and foundry customers in Europe usually resume full operations after the summer".