Resumen de Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
That said, it's not doom and gloom for every producer. In its annual results, released in March, Brazilian refractories producer Magnesita Refratarios revealed that losses in its steel, talc and refractories sectors were offset by a rise in dead burned magnesia (DBM) sales.
In China, which is the world's dominant magnesia supplier, the market looks grim however, as Albert Li, Shanghai Analyst, and Laura Syrett, Acting Editor, discuss ( pp28-30 ). The slump in steel production has led to fused magnesia (FM) producers operating below capacity, to a 7% fall in DBM prices domestically, and a slip in exports.
Indeed, at the end of February, refractory materials producer Magnezit Group and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Trade of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Territory signed a socio-economic cooperation agreement, which will see Magnezit increase its FM output in the region from 15,000 tpa to 50,000 tpa.
