AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. (“AMG,” EURONEXT AMSTERDAM: “AMG”) through its Advanced Materials Division, entered into supply agreements with traditional customers for all of its tantalum concentrate production through the end of 2012 at fixed prices based upon the current market price of tantalum.
The deliveries under these agreements will commence in stages, beginning in the second quarter of 2011, from AMG’s Brazilian operations. AMG’s MIBRA mine in Brazil is one of the world’s largest and most cost efficient tantalum mines and has 30 years of indicated and estimated tantalum resources. AMG is also evaluating steps to improve the production capability of the MIBRA mine through additional exploration and debottlenecking activities. AMG believes that its MIBRA mine is presently the world’s largest producer of “conflict free” tantalum.
In July 2010 The United States enacted the “Conflict Minerals Law”, which requires U.S. listed companies to report and make public the use of so- called “conflict minerals” from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries in their products. In a June 2010 report, The Raw Materials Supply Group chaired by the European Commission declared that tantalum is a “critical raw material”, due to economic importance, potential supply risks and lack of substitutes.
Tantalum is primarily used in capacitors for electronic equipment due to its high capacitance that can be achieved in a small volume, thus helping enable miniaturization of electronics.
About AMG
AMG creates and applies innovative metallurgical solutions to the global trend of sustainable development of natural resources and CO(2) reduction. AMG produces highly engineered specialty metal products and advanced vacuum furnace systems for the Energy, Aerospace, Infrastructure and Specialty Metals and Chemicals end markets. AMG consists of two operating divisions, Advanced Materials and Engineering Systems, and owns interests in publicly-listed companies Graphit Kropfmühl AG (Deutsche Börse: GKR.DE) and Timminco Limited (TSX: “TIM”).
The Advanced Materials Division develops and produces specialty metals, alloys and high performance materials. AMG is a significant producer of specialty metals, such as ferrovanadium, ferronickel-molybdenum, aluminum master alloys and additives, chromium metal and ferrotitanium, for Energy, Aerospace, Infrastructure and Specialty Metal and Chemicals applications. Other key products include specialty alloys for titanium and superalloys, coating materials, tantalum and niobium oxides, vanadium chemicals and antimony trioxide.
The Engineering Systems Division designs, engineers and produces advanced vacuum furnace systems and operates vacuum heat treatment facilities, primarily for the Aerospace and Energy (including solar and nuclear) industries. Furnace systems produced by AMG include vacuum remelting, solar silicon melting and crystallization, vacuum induction melting, vacuum heat treatment and high pressure gas quenching, turbine blade coating and sintering. AMG also provides vacuum case-hardening heat treatment services on a tolling basis.
Graphit Kropfmühl AG is a majority controlled, publicly listed subsidiary of AMG. Based on its secure raw material sources in Africa, China and Europe, Graphit Kropfmühl is a specialist in the production of silicon metal and the extraction, processing and refining of natural crystalline graphite for a wide range of energy saving industrial applications.
Timminco Limited is a publicly listed affiliate of AMG. Timminco produces silicon metal for the chemical, aluminum, electronic and solar industries. Timminco also produces solar grade silicon, using its proprietary technology for purifying silicon metal, for the solar energy industry.
With over 2,300 employees, AMG operates globally with production facilities in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Czech Republic, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Sri Lanka and also has sales and customer service offices in Belgium, Russia, China and Japan (www.amg-nv.com).
Disclaimer
Certain statements in this press release are not historical facts and are “forward looking.” Forward looking statements include statements concerning AMG’s plans, expectations, projections, objectives, targets, goals, strategies, future events, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures, financing needs, plans and intentions relating to acquisitions, AMG’s competitive strengths and weaknesses, plans or goals relating to forecasted production, reserves, financial position and future operations and development, AMG’s business strategy and the trends AMG anticipates in the industries and the political and legal environment in which it operates and other information that is not historical information. When used in this press release, the words “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,” and similar expressions, and the negatives thereof, are intended to identify forward looking statements. By their very nature, forward looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward looking statements will not be achieved. These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. AMG expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in AMG’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any forward looking statement is based.
AMG enters into tantalum supply agreements
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Source: AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. via Thomson Reuters ONE
Comments
Francis Madzinga
please give information on Zimbabwe tantalum. We have potential to get a minimum of 8 tonnes per month at an average of 40% Ta205.
thank you
Francis Madzinga