The China Tin group was ahead of budget in both refined tin and tin-in-concentrate in the first quarter of 2010, according to Antaike. The company’s Laibin smelter produced 3,154 tonns of tin metal in January-March, 26% ahead of target. However a maintenance shutdown of its largest furnace from March will result in lower output for 1-2 months. The Number one reverberatory furnace had just set a production record of 51 month’s continuous operation, producing some 33,000 tonnes in that period.
China Tin’s two ore dressing plants provide about 60% of the feed to the Laibin smelter, where a project to install an Ausmelt furnace has just commenced. The project is due to be completed in 2011-2012.
