Yunnan Tin Company (YTC) is planning to stop production of the Ausmelt furnace at its main Gejiu smelter by the end of September in order to examine and repair the equipment. The company says the overhaul period will be around 30 days.
Normally, YTC has a maintenance shutdown in December every year, but they advanced this to late September this year. Refined tin production by YTC in 2010 is now estimated to drop to 56,000 tonnes from 60,000 tonnes originally planned. This may tighten tin supplies in the Chinese market in the final quarter.
