The results of our latest survey of tin production by company are set out in the table below. Data for 2013 was obtained partly from published information but mainly through direct reporting to ITRI. Ranked according to refined tin production, the top 10 tin companies last year were the same as in 2012. The ordering within the group are also mainly unchanged, with the exceptions of Minsur and PT Timah swapping 3rd and 4th places and EM Vinto and Metallo Chemique changing 8th and 9th places.
| Company | Production, tonnes | % change | |
| 1 | Yunnan Tin (China) | 70,373 | +0.9% |
| 2 | Malaysia Smelting Corporation | 32,668 | -13.6% |
| 3 | Minsur (Peru) | 24,397 | -1.7% |
| 4 | PT Timah (Indonesia) | 23,718 | -19.6% |
| 5 | Thaisarco (Thailand) | 22,986 | +0.6% |
| 6 | Yunnan Chengfeng (China) | 18,300 | +10.2% |
| 7 | Guangxi China Tin (China) | 11,870 | -15.4% |
| 8 | EM Vinto (Bolivia) | 11,253 | +0.1% |
| 9 | Metallo Chimique | 10,344 | -8.9% |
| 10 | Gejiu Zi-Li (China) | 6,000 | -14.3% |
The gap between Yunnan Tin and the other largest producers has continued to widen, with YTC’s production exceeding its target of 70,000 tonnes for the first time. However it should be noted that the total includes the toll treatment of purchased raw materials at overseas plants.
If we were to rank companies by mine production, then YTC would be on a very similar scale to Minsur and PT Timah, with all three companies producing in the order of 25,000 tpy of tin-in-concentrate. Mine production by Minsur and PT Timah has fallen signficantly over the last five years, although both companies aim to stabilise or slightly increase production in 2014. Minsur’s production is from its core operations in Peru only. Its wholly-owned subsidiary Taboca in Brazil produced some 4,200 tonnes last year and could potential expand substantially over the next few years.
Of the top 10 companies, only one – Yunnan Chengfeng – reported a double-digit growth in production last year. For the rest, production was either marginally improved or lower. Six of the ten reported a fall in production. It is possible that one of the larger Indonesian private smelters may have occupied 10th place in the rankings, but reliable production figures for the independent smelters are not available to us currently.
