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Reminder to Delegates: IMnI's Annual Conference Poll

2010 Jul 30

The IMnI has been polling delegates of its 36th annual conference, which took place in Paris last month. Many of you may have already taken the 30-second poll, but the number of responses was lower than expected. 

 

The conference is the premier Mn event and dedicated soley to our industry.

We need your feedback to ensure its continued success and improvement!

 

If you attended the conference and have not yet responded, please fill out the survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7JPMJ8H


All 10 REACH Dossiers Now Submitted to ECHA

2010 Jul 30

The REACH Mn Consortium Secretariat, along with the nominated lead registrants, has successfully submitted 10 full registration dossiers to the ECHA.

 

The next steps are:

  • Issue LoA and security token to consortium Members/Only Representatives (from end July)
  • Provide, for a fee, access to the dossier (LoA) to all other SIEF participants (from August)

 

Some points to note for companies intending to register a substance(s):

  • You, or your Only Rep, will need a letter of access (LoA) from the consortium for each legal entity registrant and for each substance.
  • The IUCLID security token has a validity of 30 days. If you do not use it during this period another token can be easily generated.
  • You have until 30 November 2010 to complete your REACH registration; however, we would recommend you do so before the end of September.
  • For ferroalloys, you will need to obtain the LoA from the Fe and Si consortia if you have not already joined the respective consortium.
  • Remember, your registration will be rejected by the ECHA if you do not pay its invoice on time.

Please visit the REACH Mn Consortium website for all relevant information: http://www.mn-consortium.org/


IMnI to Release 1st Members Directory

2010 Jul 02

IMnI will be releasing its first ever Members Directory. All members will be contacted shortly and asked to provide company information to be included in the directory. Once prepared, the directory will be available to all members through the IMnI website. We ask that all members reply to information requests as timely as possible so that we can post the directory soon.


IMnI Polls Annual Conference Delegates

2010 Jul 02

The IMnI is polling delegates of its 36th annual conference, which took place in Paris last month. Many of you may have already received an email directing you to the brief questionnaire on the Survey Monkey platform. We thank those of you who have taken the time to fill it out. If you attended the conference but have not yet filled out the questionnaire, we would greatly encourage you to do so. Your feedback is highly appreciated and will help ensure that future conferences live up to your expectations.

 

If you attended the conference and would like to take the 1-2 minute survey, please follow this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7JPMJ8H


IMnI Held Its Most Successful Conference To Date

2010 Jun 23


It was befitting that IMnI celebrated its 35th Anniversary in Paris with its largest turnout of delegates ever. There were 185 delegates in attendance for IMnI’s 36th Annual Conference, which took place from June 11 through 13. There were many key features that made the conference such a success.

 

Top-flight speakers…

 

Kirby Adams, CEO of Corus, Jim Lennon of Macquarie and Robert Ward of the Economist Intelligence Unit were only a few of the excellent speakers to give presentations. Robert Ward introduced the delegation to ‘CIVETS’, his list of countries to watch for future growth outside of the ‘BRIC’ countries. Jim Lennon gave an all-encompassing paper on Mn and Kirby Adams enlightened us on the future landscape of the steel industry. Among the other notable speakers were José Carlos Martins of Vale, Charles-Edouard Bouée of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Xin Yaoyuan of SMM Information & Technology Co. Ltd. A wide range of topics were covered including energy, shipping, health and safety and the Chinese domestic ore market. To see all presentations, please visit:

http://manganese.org/events/past_imni_events/2010_imni_36th_annual_conference_-_paris

 

Changes in Leadership…

 

After three fruitful years, Alastair Stalker stepped down as IMnI Chairman; he remains on the Board. The General Assembly approved Peter Toth, of OM Holdings, as his successor. Showing ambition right from the start, Peter has asked all IMnI committees to launch individual 5-Yr Plans to build on previous achievements and ensure the Institute continues to identify and meet the needs of its members. Paul Doetsch of BHP Billiton fills Alastair’s seat on the Executive Committee, joining Arnaud Tissidre of Eramet and the new Chairman Peter Toth.

 

New Committee Members…

 

  • EPD Division: Thomas Gluck, Baja Mining Corp.
  • OHES Committee: G.P. Kundargi, MOIL
  • Statistics Committee: Denny Sabah, Ronly Holdings Ltd.

 

Technical Tour…

 

Vale welcomed visitors to its HC FeMn plant in Dunkirk on Monday, June 14. Two presentations were given: one on the characteristics of the plant and the other on the freeze-lining technology recently installed. These were followed by a tour of the plant.  The day ended with a Vale hosted lunch. Both presentations can be found though the link given above.

 

Finally, IMnI extends its thanks to our sponsors and exhibitors…

 

IMnI would also like to thank its members companies that supported the event by sponsoring part of the social program. Thanks to Ronly Holdings for sponsoring our Welcome Cocktail, Minera Autlan for sponsoring Lunch on the first day, FerroAtlantica for sponsoring Lunch on the second day and to Eramet and Vale for sponsoring the Banquet Dinner at the Abbaye de Royaumont.

 

The IMnI would like to thank the two companies that took out exhibition stands at the event. They were Harlan Laboratories and Euroports / CTB Magemon. To learn more about what these exhibitors have to offer your company, please visit our industry partners and suppliers page by following this link:

 http://manganese.org/events/mn_industry_suppliers_and_partners 

 

A Model was Presented for Predicting Mn Toxicity to Aquatic Organisms

2010 May 31

A model for predicting Mn toxicity to aquatic organisms was presented at the recent Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry meeting in Seville, Spain. The SETAC Europe annual meeting is Europe's biggest meeting on environmental toxicology and chemistry.

Co-author, the IMnI’s Dr Keven Harlow, explains that Biotic Ligand Models (BLMs), which are able to predict toxicity to organisms as a function of water chemistry, have been developed for several metals in recent years, and have been adopted for regulatory applications in some cases. These models are typically developed from laboratory tests and are validated against tests performed on natural water samples. This BLM can closely predict the observed Mn toxicity in natural waters.

To see poster of findings, click here 


Two Companies Apply for Membership

2010 May 22

Italian Trading House, Sineco Spa has applied for IMnI Affiliate Membership. A family-owned company based in Follo, Sineco has appointed Director Andrea Ghezzi to represent it at the IMnI.

Chinese SiMn producer Ningxia Tongji International Trade Co., Ltd. has applied for Ordinary Membership. Founded in 2004, this private company operates a plant in Inner Mongolia and has grown to be a major Mn alloy producer in the region with two new 31MVA furnaces built early this year. The company attended the Annual Conference in Dubai last year. Board Chairman Mr. Chen Tao has been appointed to represent Ningxia Tongji at the IMnI.

 

165 Delegates Now Registered for the Annual Conference

2010 May 19

With roughly three weeks to go, 165 delegates have already registered for our upcoming conference in Paris next month. This will be our biggest annual conference to date. Member companies that have already pledged to sponsor events are Eramet Comilog Manganese, VALE, Ronly Alloy Ltd, Ferroatlantica, S.L. and Compania Minera Autlan S.A.B de C.V.. Exhibitor stands have been booked by Euroports and Harlan, suppliers to the Mn industry.

To see the updated delegate list, program and other conference information, please visit our upcoming IMnI events page by clicking here: 36th Annual Conference 


Highlights of EPD Conference now available

2010 May 06

IMnI’s EPD partner Huacheng has created a webpage with full details of our 7th EPD Conference in Nanning, including summaries of each presentation. The Conference, which took place on March 23, was the best to date, with over 200 delegates in attendance and outstanding presentations.

To visit the webpage, please visit: http://www.hme01.com/hy/mnhyeng.html 


Over 130 Delegates have registered for the upcoming Annual Conference

2010 May 05

This year’s annual conference is only 5 weeks away and the delegation already stands at 131, much higher in comparison to our last two conferences at the same point in time. If the trend of registrations continues, we can expect over 180 in attendance.


Will you be joining us?

 

Find all conference information, including an updated list of delegates by clicking the link below:

IMnI’s 36th Annual Conference 2010 - Westin, Paris 


REACH Deadline Approaches

2010 May 03

Dr Keven Harlow, Mn REACH Consortium Manager, presented to the ferroalloy industry at the Metal Bulletin 25th International Ferroalloy conference in Monaco. Current progress with REACH and key steps for potential registrants were reviewed – the main message being that REACH is here and here to stay; you can’t ignore your obligations. To open presentation, please click here.

 

A New Indian Member

2010 Apr 17

Hira Ferro Alloys Limited has joined the IMnI as an Ordinary member. Established in 1991, the company produces SiMn and FeMn and has its own captive electric power supply.

The company has appointed CEO, Mr. P.N. Khandelwal to represent it at the IMnI.

Hira Ferro Alloys Limited is IMnI’s 12th member from India.


IMnI has released its 2009 Annual Review

2010 Apr 12

IMnI's latest Annual Review highlighting our industry in 2009 is now available at: http://www.manganese.org/about_imni/annual_reviews


Two Active Weeks in Asia

2010 Apr 03

The IMnI took part in four major events in the past couple of weeks.

 

On March 18, IMnI held its 2nd Indian Workshop in Raipur with its Indian members. Marketing & Communications Committee Chairman Brett Suann and Secretary General Anne Tremblay took part and Marketing & Communications Committee member Manish Sarda graciously hosted the event. Seven Indian member companies were represented. Full details of the proceedings will be in the next issue of Mn Matters.

 

On March 23, IMnI hosted its 7th EPD China Conference in Nanning in conjunction with its 4 China partners. With a delegation of over 210, it was the most successful EPD event to date and is now rightfully considered to be the premier global event for EPD. After an excellent line-up of presentations, the conference wrapped up with an interactive forum. All presentations will be available on our website soon, in both English and Chinese, at: EPD Presentations

 

On March 25, IMnI participated in Metal Bulletin’s 11th Asian Ferroalloy Conference. IMnI Secretary General chaired the manganese session. Manish Sarda, of Sarda Energy & Minerals, as well as Market Analyst Mark Camaj both gave presentations. They will be available soon at: MB Conference Presentations

 

On March 31, IMnI held a Safety Workshop at BHPB’s TEMCO Plant in Tasmania. The workshop focused on employee safety through the prevention of furnace explosions. Papers on the furnace leak detection technology developed by Siemens and used at TEMCO were presented and attendees were given a plant tour. There were 25 participants from IMnI member and potential member companies. Presentations will be available on our website by Tuesday April 6, at: TEMCO Presentations

 

IMnI Plans to Raise the Bar on Safety

2010 Mar 20

The International Manganese Institute (IMnI) plans to raise the bar on safety (notably that related to human health) and on environmental protection. To achieve this goal, the IMnI will be organizing safety workshops for its members and the manganese industry at large on a regular basis.

To launch the new series, IMnI is organizing a 2-day workshop at BHP Billiton’s TEMCO plant in Tasmania (Australia), this coming 30 and 31 March. The workshop will showcase TEMCO’s water-leak detection technology as well as other safety-driven technologies.

Statistically, furnaces accidents almost inevitably result in fatalities. Being able to view and understand first-hand the unique overall water leak strategy and Siemens water-leakage detection system installed in TEMCO’s Mn alloy furnaces are crucial for the industry.

Take advantage of this rare offer to learn, share knowledge and improve on safety in your plants. We invite you to register by contacting us at ohes@manganese.org.

For more information on the workshop, please contact IMnI’s OHES Manager Doreen McGough at ohes@manganese.org.


IMnI 2010 Annual Conference Reminder to register!

2010 Mar 18

IMnI's 2010 Annual Conference will be held in Paris at the Westin from Friday, June 11 to Sunday June 13, 2010. Sign up today!

For program and registration, please follow this link: AC 2010 

conference_20101

Copyright Paris Tourist Office - Photographe: Stéphane Querbes 


IMnI 2010 Annual Conference Theme & Program

2010 Feb 27

The 36th Annual Conference will open on Friday, June 11th with the Welcome Cocktail and close on Sunday, June 13th with a Banquet Dinner at Royamont Abbey.  Paris is the host city and the Westin Hotel, the venue.

As in the past few years, the IMnI Annual Conference (Paris, June 11-13) will be planned around two full mornings, each hosting two sessions. This is a popular schedule as it allows attendees to attend the sessions, while giving them plenty of time in the afternoons to plan their business meetings.


Conference Theme: “Where Are We in the History of Industrial Development?”


Session Themes:

Saturday, June 12

Session 1: “Where Are the Great Civilisations Today in the History of Industrial Development?”

Session 2: “Great Civilisations and Their Steel Industries”

Sunday: June 13

Session 3: “The Steel & Manganese Industries: Global Overviews”

Session 4: “Major Global Drivers of the Manganese Business”


Speakers Already Lined Up Include:

Kirby Adams, CEO of Corus

Roger Agnelli, CEO of Vale

Jim Lennon, Executive Director, Macquarie Research

Helen O’Malley, Senior Consultant, CRU Analysis

And more...


For program, please follow this link: Draft Program or visit IMnI's Upcoming Events page to see all conferences and related files.


Sign up today!

 

IMnI 2010 Annual Conference Registration

2010 Feb 18

IMnI’s 36th Annual Conference will be held in Paris, from Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13, 2010.  Optional technical tours are scheduled for Monday, June 14.

Registration information is now available on our website, please click here: IMnI's 36th Annual Conference

Note that:

·         Participation fees are subject to French VAT tax of 19.6%.  IMnI has signed a contract with EASYTAX to help non-French companies recover the VAT.  Documents to do this can be downloaded from our website.

·         The link to the hotel reservation website will be sent to you once you have registered for the conference.

For additional information about registration, please contact Valerie Brelière at events@manganese.org


7th IMnI China EPD Conference Approaches

2010 Feb 13

IMnI is hosting its 7th EPD Conference in Nanning, China on Tuesday, March 23, with the same 4 Chinese industry organizations it partnered with last year. We are expecting an equally successful event, with over 200 delegates in attendance.

For full program and registration please go to our Upcoming IMnI Events section.

Sign up today!


IMnI Creates Electronic Library

2010 Jan 30

There is a growing need to store and manage technical data at the IMnI, mainly for REACH obligations in the short term, but also for ongoing and longer-term OHES activities. Aiming to be a central repository for all Mn related publications, the IMnI and the Mn Consortium have set up an electronic library using the bibliographic software Reference Manager. This software is used by researchers worldwide and is regarded as the only reference management software with a true multi-user network.

IMnI has already referenced 1500 studies and the library continues to grow. In the ever-evolving global market where stringent regulatory requirements are increasingly coming to the fore in a growing number of countries, this tool will allow IMnI and Mn Consortium members to have access to references and related files anytime, anywhere.

Members will have access to the library by this coming March.

For further information, please contact OHES Manager Dr. Doreen McGough at ohes@manganese.org


First New Member for 2010

2010 Jan 16

Sinosteel Raw Materials Co. Ltd. has applied for Ordinary Membership. Established in 1988, the company now belongs to Chinese state-owned Sinosteel Corporation, abbreviated to Sinosteel.

As the subsidiary of Sinosteel, Sinosteel Raw Materials is currently in charge of the global marketing of products such as chrome ore, Mn ore, nickel ore, ferroalloy ferrochrome, ferronickel, silicomanganese, Electrolytic Mn, ferrosilicon, ferrovanadium, ferromolybdenum, ferroniobium, ferrotitanium and ferrotungsten, scrap（HBI, pig iron, coke, coal, electrode and other carbon products, refractory raw materials, non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminium, lead, zinc and nickel plate) sand petroleum products, etc.

The company has appointed Managing Director, Mr. Yuanzhong Li to represent them at the IMnI.

 

Mn REACH Consortium Holding Annual General Assembly

2009 Dec 05

The Manganese REACH Consortium, Chaired by Antonio Salinas (FerroAtlantica) is holding its Annual General Assembly in Paris on Tuesday, December 8.  On the agenda:

 

  • REACH update and consortium progress;
  • Technical plan for 2010, including registration;
  • 2010 budget;
  • Progress of Fe and Si data access;
  • Consortium activities from 2011.

A summary of the minutes will be available on IMnI’s website by the end of the month.

 

 

IMnI Maintains High-Profile at Metal Bulletin's Ferroalloy Conference in Monaco

2009 Nov 20

IMnI was well-represented on the program of Metal Bulletin’s 25th Ferro-Alloys Conference held in Monaco, November 8-10. The Institute’s Chairman Alastair Stalker introduced and presided the opening session, entitled “International Steel and Ferro-Alloys Markets”. Panellists included Rod Beddows, CEO of Hatch Corporate Finance, and Keven Fowkes, Business Manager Steel & Ferroalloys at Integer – both well-known to IMnI members for having presented at our Annual Conferences.

Later in the day, Secretary General Anne Tremblay chaired a session dedicated to “Manganese Ore & Ferro-Mn”. Speakers on the panel included Helen O’Malley, Senior Consultant of CRU Analysis, Manish Sarda, Commercial Director of Sarda Energy & Minerals and member of our M&C Committee, and Keven Harlow, Manager of the Mn REACH Consortium.

 

IMnI Board Meets in Monaco

2009 Nov 20

The IMnI Board met for its third and final meeting of the year in Monte-Carlo last week. Major announcements made and decisions taken during the meeting included:

  • Peter Allen (ConsMin Trade) stepped down as Chairman of the Marketing & Communications (M&C) Committee. He will be replaced by Brett Suann, formerly of BHP Billiton and recently recruited by ConsMin Trade.
  • The results of the first phase of the IMnI’s Life Cycle Assessment for Environmental Performance will be presented at next year’s February Board meeting. This project led by BHP Billiton, involves providing a first set of metrics on energy consumption in all smelters operated by the 6 participating companies: BHP Billiton, Eramet, Ferroatlantica, OM Holdings, Ore & Metal and Vale.
  • Plans are underway to hire an India representative. The job description and candidate profile will be developed by the Marketing & Communications Committee and the Secretary General, before being vetted by the Executive Committee.
  • A safety workshop will be held at BHP Billiton’s TEMCO alloy plant in Tasmania during the 1st half of 2010. The plant boasts a new, cutting-edge technology for detecting water leakage in furnaces. The 2-day workshop will also feature presentations on other safety issues, to be made by participating companies.
  • The IMnI’s newly redesigned website presented to the Board is increasingly user-friendly, with the market research area now housing a database query facility. 
  •  The 7th EPD China Conference will take place at the end of March 2010, in Nanning. 
  •  The IMnI Draft Budget for 2010 was approved.

 

IMnI Website Redesign

2009 Nov 06

The IMnI is proud to announce its re-designed website. The overarching aim of the redesign is to offer members a user-friendly platform with easy access to all of our services and constant updates that attract regular visits.  The website also intends to portray clearly to visitors IMnIs mission and objectives.

On the IMnI homepage, there are two key features of the website. On the left-hand side of the page is a box named Latest Releases, this shows the last five reports or publications, and includes a link at the bottom, which goes to a list of all IMnIs releases. Latest Releases includes:

  • Mn Matters Newsletters
  • China Weekly Reports
  • Market Research Reports
  • Monthly Trade Reports
  • Extra Reports (including a new monthly Steel Production Report)

In addition, on the right-hand side of the homepage is an IMnI News box. This displays the last five IMnI related news articles. These articles include updates on new members, pertinent news about past or upcoming conferences, as well as other IMnI activities. Visitors can also select the link at the bottom to see all news.

We truly hope you enjoy using the new website, find it a more valuable tool and a worthy representative of your industry association. Any feedback on the site, and suggestions for improvement, are most welcome.

 

Two New Members

2009 Nov 06

IMnI’s Board has accepted two applications for membership this month, one affiliate member from Canada, Baja Mining Corp, and an ordinary member from India, Indsil Hydro Power and Manganese. IMnI would like to welcome them both to the Institute. The additions bring total membership to 85. Below are brief descriptions of our new member companies.

  • Canadian prospector Baja Mining Corp. engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Mexico. It holds interest in the El Boleo copper-cobalt-zinc-manganese deposit located in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The Boleo Project consists of 12,000 hectares of mineral concessions and 7,000 hectares of surface occupancy rights. It is headquartered in Vancouver.
  • Indsil Hydro Power and Manganese Limited’s, a producer of SiMn, is a public limited company established in 1990 and headquartered in Coimbatore, in India’s Talminadu District.  Indsil has an associate company named Indsil Energy & Electrochemicals Limited based in Raipur (Chattisgarh State), which also produces SiMn.

 

Two More Members

2009 Oct 19

An additional two companies have joined the IMnI since the last issue of Manganese Matters (released on Sept. 25).

They are:

  • Rusmetali Ltd., a Georgian SiMn producer, comes in as an Ordinary Member. Based in Rustavi, Rusmetali is a private company and was established in 2005. General Director Mr. Temur Miminoshvili has been appointed as the companys representative to the IMnI
  • Erdos Xijin Kuangye Co. Ltd. has taken out Ordinary Membership. (Not to be confused with Erdos EJM, the joint venture between Mitsui and JFE.) Erdos Xijin Kuangye Co. Ltd. only recently started production (HC FeMn & SiMn). A private company established in May 2005 and based in Ordos City (Inner Mongolia), ERDOS XIJIN KUANGYE will be represented at IMnI by Mn Purchasing Manager Zhou Xiafeng.

The company had announced its decision to join at IMnIs Ore & Alloy Banquet in Xian last month. 

Total IMnI membership now stands at 83.

 

IMnI's Asia Tour, China & India - September 12-18

2009 Sep 25

IMnI's Secretary General Anne Tremblay and Market Analyst Mark Camaj recently conducted an Asia tour, during which they participated in 4 events.  The overall aim of the tour was to reinforce Chinese and Indian membership and recruit new members in these two countries.

 

The EPD Division Workshop was held on Sunday, September 13 in Chongqing.  The date was chosen to coincide with a conference organized by the National Friendship Association of Electrolytic Manganese Metal Factory, Presided by Mr Tan Zhuzhong, and which was held the previous day.

Objective of the workshop: To Present IMnIs Value Proposition to the Major EMM Producers & EMD Producers and get their Feedback.  EPD Chairman Buks Botes (MMC) opened the meeting, with Vice-Chairman Li Weijian (CITIC Dameng) wrapping up.

There were 4 presentations: IMnIs SG & Market Analyst presented the Institutes Value Proposition; Johan Kriek (United Mn of Kalahari) talked about current demand and uses for Mn and then introduced his companys Mn mine; Ben Cohen (ConsMin Trade) gave an overview of his companys mines and products; and Madelein Todd (MMC) spoke about sharing best practice and use technology to comply with OHES regulations. 

Besides IMnI participants, representatives from 11 Chinese companies were in attendance.  IMnI had prepared a short (3 question) survey, which 8 companies filled in.  The results of the survey were used to launch the feedback session, which followed the presentations. Of note: 2 of the respondents said they would join the IMnI; 5 answered maybe and one no. 

 

The India Workshop and Lunch were held on Monday, September 14 in Mumbai.  The date was selected in conjunction with IFAPAs Annual Assembly, which took place the following day.

Objective: To Present IMnIs Value Proposition to Indian Members and Discuss How They Can Contribute to and Benefit from IMnIs Services.

The workshop was chaired by Marketing & Communications (M&C) Committee Chairman Peter Allen, and 6 of IMnIs 8 Indian members were represented.  

After the SG and Market Analyst presented an overview of IMnIs services and current projects, the meeting continued with an open discussion highlighting the needs and wishes of Indian members.

The discussion was extremely fruitful and the proposals made by the members from India will be discussed at the next Board meeting on November 8.

 

The Ore & Alloy Banquet Dinner was held on Wednesday, September 16 in Xi’an.  The dinner dovetailed with the conference organized by the CFAIA, where the Secretary General and Market Analyst presented a paper on the IMnI’s services and “value proposition”. 

Objective of the Banquet was: To Meet with China Members and Potential Members and Demonstrate the Close Link between Major Mn Ore Suppliers and the IMnI.

The event was chaired by M&C Committee Chair Peter Allen (ConsMin Trade) and short speeches were given by Statistics Committee Chair Branislav Klocok (Vale), Jaco Venter (Assmang), Seung-Jong Lee (Eramet) and M&C China Sub-Committee Chair Wang Feng (Minmetals). There were around 55 attendees, with delegates from 12 major Chinese companies.  It has become apparent that IMnI’s Banquet Dinner for Chinese members and “would-be members” has become an industry event in China.  The event incites potential members to join, as pressure from their peers, already members, grows each year.

 

Results to Date:  In the past week, IMnI has gained 2 new members as a direct result of the Asia Tour.  Furthermore, we have good reason to expect that another 4 companies met on the tour will also be seeing membership soon.

 

 

Manganese Health Research Program Showcase Conference

2009 Aug 14

The Manganese Health Research Program (MHRP), an IMnI-driven 5 year research program totalling over $5M US, and designed to better understand the effects of Mn on human health and fill in knowledge gaps, is coming to completion.  By the time the MHRP comes to an end on January 31, 2010, it will have generated 17 separate studies, involving a total of over 100 scientists from the USA, Europe, Russia and China. 

 

The MHRP Showcase Conference held outside Washington, D.C, at the end of June, showcased the results of many of the studies.

The research presentations were closely followed by a panel discussion of experts (from academia, regulatory bodies and industry), with the aim of proposing new directions for Mn research. 

 

Professor Len Levy, Consultant to the IMnI, and Dr Doreen McGough, IMnIs OHES Manager, are currently writing an overview of the MHRP with two distinct aims:

1.                               Highlight outcomes of those projects of short-term relevance to industry;

2.                               Propose future directions for Mn research.

 

Their overview will be made available to members in the second week of September.

 

 

IMnI's 35TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE- DUBAI

2009 Jun 15

New Board Member & Vice-Chairman chosen…

 

Peter Toth, CEO of OM Holdings, has been nominated to the IMnIs Board and named as a Vice-Chairman. This is Peters second time on the IMnI Board. Previously he served as John Raubenheimers second, when John was IMnI Chairman and while they both worked for BHP Billiton. We expect Peters contributions will have a positive impact for the IMnI and we welcome him aboard.

 

IMnI Chairman stays on…

 

Due to the unfortunate and unforeseen tragedy involving Marco Mendonça, who had been chosen to take over as IMnI Chairman at the conference, current Chairman Alastair Stalker has agreed to stay on for an undefined period of time (not to exceed one year) until a suitable replacement is chosen. We thank Alastair for his continued leadership; Alastair has served as IMnI Chairman for the past two years.

 

Presentations were extremely well received…

 

Delegates expressed their satisfaction with the speakers and their presentations. A few noteworthy speakers were David Rhodes of Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) covering the world economy, Patrick McCormick of World Steel Dynamics (WSD) looking at the outlook for the steel industry and Dominique Courné of Barry Rogliano Salles (BRS) presenting on the shipping industry and its effects on commodities. Many other great papers were given; please follow this link to retrieve all papers in both English and Chinese: IMnI 2009 AC Dubai Presentations

 

The delegation was much larger than expected…

 

Due to the economic recession and subsequent cost cutting on travel by firms across the globe, uncertainty about attendance loomed. Fortunately delegates recognized the importance of the conference and supported it in numbers. There were 120 delegates in attendance. To see the delegate list please follow this link: IMnI 2009 AC Dubai Delegate List

 

Finally, IMnI extends its thanks to our Exhibitors and Sponsors…

 

The IMnI would like to thank the three companies which took out exhibition stands at the event. They were two industry suppliers, Promtechnologii and Hatch, as well as IMnI member Simpac. To learn more about what these exhibitors have to offer your company, please visit our industry partners and suppliers page by following this link: Mn Industry Partners and Suppliers Page

 

IMnI would also like to thank its members companies that supported the event by sponsoring part of the social program. Thanks to Mogale Alloys (Pty) Ltd for sponsoring our Welcome Cocktail, Vale for sponsoring Lunch on the first day, Oreport (Pty) Ltd for sponsoring Lunch on the second day and to AML for sponsoring the Safari Outing and Desert Dinner.

 

2009 ANNUAL CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

2009 May 25

The conference will open on Sunday, June 7th with the Welcome Cocktail and close on Tuesday, June 9th with a Desert Safari Dinner.

 

The Conference theme is: The Role of the Greater Middle East in the Global Steel Industry.  The main topics to be covered are:

 

  • What has the 2008 Financial Crisis Changed?
  • The Steel & Mn Industries in the Greater Middle East (GME)
  • Health, Safety & Environment Issues

 

IMnI 6th Annual EPD China Conference & Forum

2009 Apr 17

Sunday, March 29th, 2009 Guangzhou, China

 

The Electrolytic Products Division (EPD) hosted its 6th EPD China Conference in Guangzhou on March 29th. The one day conference saw the collaboration of the IMnI and 4 major partners from China, including Huacheng Metals Exchange (HME), the National Friendship Association of Electrolytic Manganese Metal, the National Manganese Industry Technology Committee and the newly created National Friendship Association of Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide. The Event didn't upset expectations, with an estimated 140 delegates in attendance and outstanding papers from expert speakers. It truly was the major international event for Electrolytic Manganese Products in 2009. To see the presentations, please click here.

 

NEW IMnI BOARD MEMBER

2009 Jan 15

The Board of the IMnI has nominated another new Board Member, following the recent appointment of James Choi from Simpac. New Board Member, Sergiy Maxymenko (Privat Intertrading) will be representing the Ukrainian Ferroalloys and Other Electrometallurgy Products Manufacturers (UKrFA), an association of Mn plants with Mn alloy capacities well over 1 million mtpy. This includes the Nikopol Mn alloy plant, the largest in the world. The IMnI is confident that Sergiy will play an integral part in further improving the Institutes knowledge of the Ukraine and its surrounding region.

 

Manganese Sustainability workshop

2009 Jan 15

The OHES Committee has enlisted the help of Hatch Consultancy to help build a Manganese Sustainability Strategy for the IMnI. Hatch will feedback the findings from their benchmarking survey and regulatory review and will facilitate strategy development during the workshop.

IMnI members are invited to help build the Manganese Sustainability Strategy for the International Manganese Institute by participating in the workshop.

 

Draft program and registration form are available at: http://www.manganese.org/index.php