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International Manganese Institute (IMnI)

Aloys d’Harambure

IMnI Executive Director

adharambure@manganese.orgPhoto: Tshipi

Monthly ReportJanuary 2020

Upcoming IMnI Event

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IMnI Annual Conference 2020June 2 to 4, 2020, Cape Town (South Africa)

Register here

• 9 technical visits available on June 1 and June 5:

• South32 Mamatwan

• Tshipi

• UMK

• Kudumane

• Assmang Gloria

• Assmang Nchwaning

• Transnet Port Elizabeth & Coega

• Manganese Metal Company (MMC)

• Transalloys

• Presentations by industry experts (major Manganese producers and consumers)

• 200+ international delegates of the Manganese industry expected to attend

22 new IMnI Members in 2018 & 2019

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22 companies joined IMnI in 2018 and 2019, including 10 from China and 3 from India:

• most of these new IMnI Members are producers of Manganese (Ordinary or Chemical category),

• and the others are traders or industry service providers.

IMnI now represent 80+ major Mn companies,

including 21 Chinese, ensuring a better coverage of this major market for the Mn industry.

More details on these

companies are available

here (for IMnI Members)

1 – Crude steel production

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In 2019, a total of 1.88 billion mt of crude steel were produced, 2.9% higher than in 2018, mostly driven

by China’s output growth. Production in the other regions contracted due to a worldwide economic

slowdown, except for the Middle East where steel output was driven by construction projects last year.

• China: total output in 2019 continued rising, reaching 996 million tonnes (Mt), 8.3% higher on 2018,

Worldsteel said. According to a first estimate based on CRU data, the total output in China was 1.01 billion

tons, 7% higher on 2018, and China’s share of global crude steel production increased from 52% in 2018 to

54% in 2019.

• Rest of the world: total production in 2019 reached 866 Mt, 1.6% lower than in 2018, and representing

46% of global output. Crude steel production contracted in all regions in 2019 except for the Middle East,

against a slowing global economy.

Monthly steel production figures by country are available here (for IMnI Members)

2 – Silico-manganese (SiMn) production

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Global SiMn output increased sharply in 2019, reaching a new record high close to 18 million mt, up by

13% from 2018. However, only Asia recorded an increase in production, while all other regions cut

output last year.

• Asia & Oceania: 2019 production rose by 17% to 15 million mt, driven by China, Malaysia and Japan, while

India and South Korea cut production. Asia & Oceania now represent 85% of global output.

• CIS: 2019 output decreased by 9% to around 1.5 million mt, due to production cuts in Ukraine, Georgia and

Russia, which offset the production increase in Kazakhstan.

• Europe: supply contracted by 8% in 2019 to 533,000 mt, as a result of production cuts in Norway and Spain,

compensating increasing output in France and Slovakia.

More details on SiMn statistics are available here (for IMnI Members)

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Global HC FeMn production remained stable in 2019, around 4.4 million mt. Output increases in Asia,

Africa and the Middle East was compensated by production cuts in the CIS, Europe and the Americas.

• Asia & Oceania: production rose slightly in 2019 to 3.4 million mt, up by 1% from 2018. Output expanded in

China and Vietnam but contracted in India, Malaysia, South Korea and Australia.

• CIS: supply dropped by 9% in 2019 due to production cuts in Russia and Ukraine.

• Africa & Middle East: output expanded significantly by 13% driven by Iran and Egypt, compensating

production cuts in South Africa.

• Europe: output contracted by 5% as a result of decreasing output in France, Spain and Slovakia offsetting

rising supply in Norway.

3 – High-carbon ferro-Mn (HC FeMn) production

More details on HC FeMn statistics are available here (for IMnI Members)

4 – Refined ferro-Mn (Ref FeMn) production

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More details on Ref FeMn statistics are available here (for IMnI Members)

Global refined ferro-manganese production declined significantly by 14% in 2019 to 1.4 million mt, due

to production cuts in Asia. Supply dropped slightly in Europe and the CIS but expanded in the Americas

and Africa.

• Asia: output fell by 20% in 2019 to 934,000 mt, driven by China and India, and to a lesser extent in Vietnam,

although output increased in Japan.

• Europe & CIS: production contracted by 1% to 297,000 mt in 2019. Production cuts in Norway offset higher

output in Spain and Ukraine.

• Americas & Africa: production in 2019 was 8% higher than in 2018, to 207,000 mt. Increasing supply in

South Africa and the USA compensated contracting output in Mexico.

5 – Manganese ore production

8More details on Mn ore statistics are available here (for IMnI Members)

Global Mn ore supply expanded by 6% in 2019 to 20.1 million mt Mn units, driven by higher output in

Africa and the Americas. Supply from other regions declined.

• Africa & Middle East: supply expanded by 12% to 12.3 million mt (= 55% of global production), with higher

output in Gabon, Ghana, South Africa. Smaller suppliers in Ivory Coast, Kenya and Namibia also ramped up

production last year, driven by high prices in Q1 to Q3.

• Asia & Oceania: output fell by 8% to 6.6 million mt. Production was cut in Australia, India, Malaysia and

China, while supply increased in Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia.

• Americas: supply increased by 38% to 2.1 million mt, due to rising production in Brazil. In 2019, Brazil

replaced India as the world’s 4th largest Mn ore producing country.

6 – Manganese metal production

9More details on EMM statistics are available here (for IMnI Members)

Global manganese metal production increased by 4.3% in 2019, to 1.6 million mt, from 1.5 million mt in

2018. As EMM prices were high in 2018, new capacities were put in production in 2019. And in

Indonesia, Tshingshan plant started two more EMM production lines.

• China: EMM supply increased by 2% in 2019 to 1.53 million mt, from 1.5 million mt in 2018 due to new

capacity in southern China. China now represents 94% of global EMM output in 2019, down from 97% in

2018 because of rising production in the rest of the world.

• ROW: production increased substantially by 94% in 2019 to 91,000 mt, from 47,000 mt in 2018. Tshingshan

plant in Indonesia ramped up the production, and South Africa increased output by 2%, compensating for

slightly lower production in Gabon and Ukraine.

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International Manganese

Institute (IMnI)

Aloys d’Harambure

IMnI Executive Director

adharambure@manganese.orgPhoto: Tshipi

your partner to

succeed

in the Mn business