New-Look Crucible Launched
Now Online

This IssueFarewell from Guy Darby
MMTA Conference Preview
The Big Interview
Minor Metals Insider
A day in the Life of…
MMTA on the Roadand much more...

The magazine of the Minor Metals Trade Association

April 2012www.mmta.co.uk

WELCOME TO THE NEW-LOOK CRUCIBLE

Maria Cox, MMTA General Manager

By Maria Cox, General Manager

next edition.

We hope you will agree that our newlook Crucible is quite a departurefrom the previous format. The Crucible Working Group has endeavoured
to make our quarterly newsletter
fresh, relevant and interesting, withmore of a journal feel, so we are very
keen to hear what you think!

Another new feature of the newsletter
is A Day in the Life... Ahead of the
MMTA’s International Minor Metals
Conference in Cologne, Volker
Mertens of Womet (www.womet.de)gives us an overview of a typical day
in one of the MMTA’s German member companies. For this edition,
Volker’s piece is published in German
and English. In each edition, we will
be focussing on the activity of one

The Crucible, in its new, online format, offers not only an overview of

We are very keen to hear what you think of this first edition of the relaunched Crucible!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Welcome .................................... 2
Conference Update ................. 3
Farewell from Chair ................. 4
A Day in the Life ....................... 5
Poliakoff Interview.................... 6

Training .................................9Review ....................................9
New Members........................... 10
Opinion ....................................... 10
Mufulira Letter........................... 12
MMTA on the Road ................. 13
Event Review ............................. 14
Metals Statistics ......................... 14
Member Benefits ....................... 16
REACH Help Wanted ............16

Please send all lettersor suggestions for future issues tomaria@mmta.co.uk
2

the activities of the MMTA, but awide range of comment and opinion.
In this edition, Guy Darby of Darton
Commodities(www.dartoncommodities.co.uk)
offers a short review of his 3 years as
Chair of the Association. I am sure
you will join the Main Committee andExecutive in thanking him for all his
hard work and commitment on behalfof the MMTA. We look forward tocontinuing to see Guy at future
MMTA events.
We have been incredibly fortunatethat Professor Martyn Poliakoff of
The University of Nottingham andVice President of the Royal Society,kindly agreed to share his insights
with us in our big interview.
Our new Minor Metals Insider column offers a personal perspective on
a topical issue from an industry insider. In this first edition, Anthony Lipmann offers his thoughts on the importance of warehouse neutrality.
Whether you agree with Anthony’s
views or not, we look forward to being able to publish your letters in themember company, and we are certain
you will find this as interesting as we
have.
Elsewhere in the Crucible, Tony Bayley of ABSCO Materials(www.abscomaterials.com) has been
engaged in an review of REACH with
the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(DEFRA) to examine the impact of
REACH on the business community,in particular small and medium sizedenterprises (SMEs). To assist in thisinitiative, Tony is asking other MMTA
members to support his efforts byproviding anonymous data. Please
see the back page for more details.
Above all, the Crucible is your newsletter, and we encourage you to contribute your comments. We want toknow what you think of the new
online format, whether there are other items you would like to see in future editions, as well as what you
think about April’s contributions;
there may be other members whoshare your point of view.

MMTA’S MINOR METALS CONFERENCE 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS

If you have not already registered for the MMTA’s International Minor
Metals Conference, this year taking place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in
Cologne, Germany between 23rd and 25th April, time is running out!

MMTA’s International
Minor Metals Conference, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Cologne, Germany
23rd—25th April 2012

Cologne was foundedby the Romans on
the River Rhine almost 2000 years ago
making it one of theoldest cities in Germany. Throughout
history the river has
been an importanttransport link connecting the major
Netherlands
ports
Modern Art Structure, Cologne, Germanyon the North Sea
with the industrial heartlands of Germany and beyond. The region continues to
be at the centre of the minor metals industry and is home to many of the
MMTA’s member companies. It is for these reasons that the Association decided to bring its 2012 MMTA International Minor Metals Conference to Cologne.
The focus of the MMTA’s conference is the programme of speakers, and eachyear we try to include presentations that reflect the pertinent issues for ourmembership and the wider industry. We are fortunate to be able to use thedepth and breadth of our membership’s knowledge to find specialists who provide a high level of insight into our industry’s developments.
This year we are focusing on power and energy, with a session devoted to photovoltaics and the solar industry, which includes speakers from H.C. Starck,
First Solar, Germany’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resourcesand AIM Specialty Metals. We also have presentations on battery materials
such as lithium by Chemetall, as well as developments in the Gas Turbines sector by Alstom Thermal Power. As we are in Germany, it would be remiss not toinclude a speaker on the tool and specialty steel sectors and we are delighted
that Markus Moll of SMR GmbH is giving the keynote presentation on the outlook for these important markets.
The availability of a number of our metals, including rare earths, rhenium andtungsten, is still a key issue. The importance of developing rare earths resources
outside China continues, and Solikamsk Magnesium Works will talk about Russia’s resources. The role of recycling in ensuring the availability of critical metals will be covered by Neo Performance Materials. Consumption trends for theminor metals will be covered by Less Common Metals looking at magnets and
AVX Tantalum Division speaking on capacitors.
For more information, or to register, go to www.metalevents.co.uk or email
sales@metalevents.co.uk.

MMTA’s AGM, HyattRegency Hotel, Cologne,
Germany 24th April
2012 at 16.15



UN Trade & Development Event with dinner, Geneva, 22nd/23rd
May 2012

Informal Drinks, Wheeltapper Patio, Fitzpatrick
Hotel, New York, USA,
14th June 2012



Metallurgy for Beginners Training Course,
London, UK 21st June
2012

Informal Drinks, London, UK, 21st June
2012

DIARY DATES

39th Anniversary Dinner, Intercontinental
Hotel, Park Lane, London, 16th October
2012



New York Dinner, Cornell Club, New York,USA, 5th December
2012

MMTA Christmas
Lunch, Pewterers’ Hall,
London, UK, 12th December 2012

3

FAREWELL MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
As I reach the end of my 3-year tenure as
Chairman of the MMTA, I look back withhuge satisfaction at what we have achievedin that time.
A good barometer will always be membership numbers, which have increased by
50%, but it is also interesting to note thatthe new member companies clearly believe
being part of a vibrant and dynamic industry association is important to their business.

Guy Darby, MMTA Chair 2009—2012

Beyond increasing membership, I have felt
it important to improve every faculty of the
Association, and by doing this we haveachieved a great deal including:-£50,000, which I am very proud of.
We also worked with the LME to evolve analternative price discovery system to thejournalistic type that currently covers non
terminally traded metals. Although a majority of members voted against proceedingwith this system, I personally found theprocess interesting and something thatperhaps can be re-visited in the future.
The issue of warehouse neutrality was felt
to be so important, in an environment
where other bodies had accepted nonindependent ownership, that the Board
decided to canvass the opinion of its membership, a vast majority of whom believed“a wonderful example of members participating... [and]… their voices being heard”.
MMTA MEETSZAMBIAN HIGHCOMMISSIONER
On Tuesday 6th March, the new
High Commissioner of Zambia,
His Excellency Lt. Col. Bizwayo
N. Nkunika, presented his letters of credence to Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II. The MMTA
was lucky enough to be invited
to the Zambian Embassy for the
return of the new High Commissioner and his party from
Buckingham Palace, and to celebrate with them.
After speeches from The HighCommissioner and Dr Scott,wife of the Vice President ofZambia, I had the chance tomeet His Excellency. Once I
mentioned the links between
the MMTA and Mufulira (see over)4Updating the Articles of Association –a vital job as the Association haschanged beyond recognition since theoriginal Articles were written.

An overhaul of the Association’s IT/
communication/website which is ongoing and should be complete during
the course of this year.







Together with Metal Events, theMMTA runs what is internationallyrecognised as THE conference representing minor, rare earth and electronic metals. To anyone that has
attended this now annual event (andthere can’t be many who haven’t) it isclear that the content, location andparticipation is unbeatable.
The globalisation of the MMTA. With
our stated intent to globalise the Association, we now have 30 American
members and in recognition of thatsuccess, we last year held the mostsuccessful conference yet in Philadelphia, proving that the strategy is
working. We now look towards the
Far East as the next growth area.
Establishing a charitable relationshipwith the copper town of Mufulira andthe CMCPT (Cary Mufulira Community Partnership Trust) which includes aschool exchange programme. Thanks
to the generosity of the MMTA members, we have raised more thanthe Association’s key criteria for obtaining
approval to have relevance. In my mind
this was a wonderful example of members
participating in a very important issue ofthe day, and of course their voices being
heard.
By now you all know Maria Cox, our General Manager, and her Assistant Emma
Newman. In Maria and Emma we have adynamic Executive fit for purpose andwhose energy and enthusiasm permeates
through the Association.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to
all those that not only serve on the Main
Committee but the various subcommittees, without whom the MMTA
would not function. Their dedication to thecause should be applauded.
Lastly I would like to thank you, the members, for making the MMTA what it is today: the most dynamic and successful industry association.
In Roy, I leave the Chair in strong hands
and look forward to witnessing the Association’s continued growth and success, butfrom the back seat!
Yours sincerely
Guy Darby
Chairman, Minor Metals Trade Association

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... VOLKER MERTENSTAGESABLAUF...
Was macht man eigentlich den ganzen Tag im Büroalltag eines kleinen Metallhandelshauses?
Der frühe Morgen steht jeden Tag unter den gleichen Vorzeichen: Die Kommunikation undInformation will erledigt werden, also heißt es Kaffee und Emails – das kostet schon recht
viel Zeit. Anschließend noch Recherche: welche politischen Entscheidungen oderwirtschaftlichen Aspekte die Märkt beeinflussen, welche Mine schließt, wo gibt es Knappheit– warum erhöhen die Chinesen die Preise?
Ein Überblick über die Entwicklungen von Marktpreisen und Devisenkursen ist
Grundvoraussetzung.
Nach der Information steht bei mir der Austausch mit meinen Kollegen im Büro auf derAgenda – alle müssen informiert sein, das Tagesgeschäft und Termine abgesprochen werden.
Außerdem müssen die Positionen gecheckt werden – müssen wir nachdecken oderverkaufen?
Meistens ist es dann schon 10 Uhr – den Rest des Vormittages verbringen wir mit der
Abwicklung von Aufträgen und dem Versand von Waren an die Kunden. Wir prüfen jede
eintreffende Ware und ausgehende Ware persönlich, verpacken und machen sie
versandfertig. Oftmals müssen wir ins Lager fahren und Ware begutachten, passt sie mit den
Kundenspezifikationen überein oder müssen wir Partien tauschen. Waren gehen häufig am
gleichen Tag zum Kunden – just in time, wie immer.
Mittags gibt es oft nur eine Kleinigkeit zu essen – gelegentlich nutze ich die Mittagspause für
ein Geschäftsessen mit Kunden und Kollegen.
Nachmittags ist häufig wieder Zeit für die eigentlichen kaufmännischen Aufgaben:
Telefonate, Angebote, Kalkulationen, Bankgeschäfte, Devisensicherung, Emails usw.
Zwischen 17 und 18 Uhr kann ich meistens Feierabend machen, das Mobiltelefon und die
Push-Emails bleiben natürlich an… Bis abends 20 Uhr… Alles was jetzt nicht erledigt werden
konnte, ist morgen früh dran!

A DAY IN THE LIFE
What does one do all day in the office of a small metal trading firm?
The first heading of the day is always the same: Correspondence and Information need to becompleted, so it‘s coffee and emails – which actually takes quite a lot of time. And thenresearch - which policy decisions or economic aspects will influence the markets? Whichmine is closing? Where do shortages exist? Why are the prices from China increasing?

MMTA MEETSZAMBIAN HIGHCOMMISSIONER(CONTINUED)
including supporting the town
through fundraising, and having a number of members andtheir families who have visited- I was ushered away with Mrs
Ikayi Gertrude Sambondu
Mushinge, the Economic
Councillor, to discuss the
MMTA’s continued support ofMufulira.
It was clear that the work the
MMTA has done to support
one of the most polluted
towns in Zambia has not goneunnoticed. The generosity ofthe membership led to me
receiving such a warm welcome, and so, to those whohave donated to the charity inthe past, I would like to thankyou, and encourage all members to help us continue our
support of this town in Zambia.

An overview of developments in market prices and exchange rates is a must!
Next on the agenda is communication with colleagues in the office – everyone needs to beaware, so daily operations and schedules are discussed. In addition, our positions arechecked – must we sell or cover ourselves?
Once all this is done, it is generally already 10 clock - the rest of the morning is spent on
processing orders and shipping goods to customers. Every incoming and outgoing order ischecked and packed in person, to ensure it is ready for shipment. Often we have to go to thewarehouse and inspect the goods,to make sure they meet customer specifications, otherwise
we have to swap part of the order. Goods often go to customers the same day - just in time, as
always.
I often only eat something small for lunch – or sometimes I use the lunch break for a businesslunch with clients and colleagues.
The afternoon is often when I get on with the actual business of trading: phone calls,
quotations, cost estimates, banking, currency hedging, emails, etc.
I can usually call it a day somewhere between 5 and 6pm, of course the mobile phone is on
until around 8pm, and I’m still checking emails! And anything that can’t be done today –there’s always tomorrow!

Volker Mertens is General Manager at Womet GmbH

Emma Newman, MMTA Assistant General
Manager meets His Excellency Lt. Col.
Bizwayo N. Nkunika, High Commissionerof Zambia and his wife at the Zambian
Embassy.

5

POLIAKOFF SPEAKS TO THE MMTA
The scene is The Royal Society, and our interviewee, Martyn Poliakoff, is theman who, together with his team, has ignited a forest fire of interest in physics
and chemistry with his YouTube success www.periodicvideos.com
These are a series of avuncular, genuinely unscripted, videos tackling in précis
form chief characteristics, applications and wonders of each element, and are ofequal interest to both novice and hack alike.
Anthony Lipmann presents Professor Martyn Poliakoff with asample of Rhenium metal and asingle crystal turbine blade in
thanks for his fascinating interview.

Here you will see everything from a Periodic Table made out of cupcakes to asnow covered journey in Sweden to find the quarry near Ytterby (Atomic no 70)
where silvery, lustrous, Ytterbium was first found. For those of you who, likeme, enjoy the trivia of metals and elements as much as the trades, this is for you.
The height of Dr Magnus Pike with the hair of Albert Einstein, Poliakoff clearly
has the genes for this type of work, and thanks to Emma Newman of the MMTA,
an alumna of Poliakoff’s University of Nottingham, he has agreed to be subject-“Elements can’t run out, but they can get so finely distributed that you
can’t recover them.”ed to the razor sharp interviewing techniques of the MMTA.

MMTA UPDATEThe MMTA’s next Annual General Meeting(AGM) will take place on
24th April 2012 at 16.15(during the International
Minor Metals Conference).

All MMTA member companies are welcome toattend.

Full details have been
circulated by email to allmember companies.

6

Today, Poliakoff is in his first year of Vice Presidency of the Royal Society, forwhich he is also roving ambassador, in honour of his services to education. On
the desk in his office overlooking the Mall sits a miniature red pillar box. Poliakoff points to it and volunteers the explanation that ‘it is there because the global population hit 7 billion in October 2011, which is about the number of grainsof sand you could put in a (full size) letter box.’
It is an analogy worthy of the teacher in practice – to hit upon an image that
reduces a subject to its essence. In metals trading, of course, the aim is a financial outcome, but as we sit at the interface between science and industry delivering elements, compounds and alloys into the hands of those who would manipulate them into products, we have a great privilege. One of the paradoxes of ourposition as merchants is that we sometimes see more elements in their metal
form than some chemists see in a life time. So, with this in mind, I present
Martyn with two items, a small sintered 99.9% Rhenium pellet, and a single
crystal turbine blade. Poliakoff feels its density and remarks that he has ‘done
some experiments with Rhenium’ but ‘never seen rhenium metal’. I have alsobrought along a piece of Zirconium crystal bar. Poliakoff hands me in return oneof his business cards which is the photograph of a periodic table printed on ahair. ‘This is one of the smallest periodic tables in the world and it is now in the
Guinness World Records’. Methinks, I have possibly been outdone here…
I am keen to ask Poliakoff if he can see any specific new application on the horizon which will require a minor metal. It is an unfair question, as he is not directly involved with this type of research, but it produces an interesting answer
about the way research can lead to new uses.
He says, ‘I think the answer is that it is quite likely that there will be new applications, but I have no idea what!

And I think there is, as you know, a lot of interest and concern about elements
running out, and….elements can’t run out, but they can get so finely distributedthat you can’t recover them. And so there will be increasing pressure to look atthings that are considered to be under-used to see if they can either substitute,or can make better catalysts or whatever’.
We then touch on an area that gets a lot of discussion in the media, which isoften subject to scare-mongering more than science – that of nuclear power. I
am interested to know whether there is anything to the idea that Thorium
might one day become a replacement for Uranium as the main element for fission. ‘This is not my area of specialty’, he replies, ‘but there is a large question
at the moment on efficient use of nuclear fuel, the question of what you do with
nuclear waste, so the Royal Society has recently produced a report on the nuclear fuel cycle, and I think the obvious question with going from Uranium to Thorium is that there are going to be a whole number of issues beyond the technicalones because people believe, rightly or wrongly, that the problems of Uraniumbased nuclear power and Thorium-based nuclear power would require a lot ofwork to keep them in the same state – but I think it is quite possible.’
Keeping to the subject of energy, he touches upon fuel cells. ‘One of the areasthat have become fashionable recently, is called ‘metal organic frameworks’.
These are very porous materials of organic salts which fit together like a construction toy, that give a very porous structure which could be used for storing
Hydrogen in a Hydrogen fuelled vehicle, and for that you want material as lightas possible….for example Scandium, which is not a metal that has been studied
as heavily as some others.’
I am beginning to get excited. Could this be the reason for the rash of Scandium
enquiries from Japan?
We move on to what is really the core of what minor metals people do, andPoliakoff makes the following observation – ‘I think the problem with your rare
metals is that, as I understand it, most of them are not mined in their own right.
They are products of other things. There was a meeting here a couple of weeks
ago I think, a discussion about ‘fringe metals’.
How interesting, and yet the MMTA would have been unaware of this and thus

“Could this be the reason for the rash of Scandium
enquiries from Japan?”unable to contribute commercial knowledge to the discussion. Suddenly, we
realise that our interview has taken on a further useful purpose - to make us
known to the Royal Society and enhance the cross-fertilization of science andcommerce. Poliakoff even invites us to consider using the rooms from time totime for some of our meetings.
It seems the right moment to broaden our discussion again, as I have read that
Poliakoff has compiled a list which he has called ‘The principles of chemistry fora greener Africa’. It is an area that should appeal to MMTA members who haveso generously supported the initiatives of the Association in the town of Mufulira in Zambia. Poliakoff explains: ‘What happened is that green chemistry,
which is my area of research, is an area where, since 1998,

LETTER FROM THE
UNITED STATES
Dear Members
So, President Barack Obama,
together with the EU and Japanare now going to the WTO
about China and rare earths.
Perhaps confident in their united stance, especially after their
victory against China at the
WTO last year over magnesium, manganese and other raw
materials, all three believe
they’ll now have as much success over rare earths.
For all those who are notbased here, it is as well to remember that, in addition to its
international dimensions, thisalso has domestic political dimensions. Not least, in espousing the cause, Mr Obamademonstrates both to potential
Republican contenders, and theunions, that he, too, is prepared to be tough with China.
If nothing else, the administration’s action shows just how
fast it can get itself up-to-speed
on a complex issue. Back onlyin early April 2010, the UnitedStates General Accountability
Office (the GAO) briefed staff
of both the Senate and House
Armed Services Committees
that: “DOD [Department of
Defense] is in the early stages ofassessing its dependency on rareearth materials and is planning tocomplete its study by the end of
September 2010.”
And other minor metals vital tonational defense? Well, we’ll
just have to wait and see.
From New YorkTom Butcher,
Hard Assets Investor© 2012 Tom Butcher

7

NEW CHAIR FOR
THE MMTA

You will be aware that thecurrent Chair of the Association, Guy Darby, will be stepping down at the forthcoming
AGM in Cologne. The searchfor his successor resulted in
two candidates applying forthe position, Gladys Smith of
SANAB Ltd and Roy Waltonof Darton Commodities. The
Board convened on Thursday
22nd March and after deliberating the merits of each candidate voted, by a clear majority, in favour of Roy.
Unless another candidate
comes forward before theAGM, Roy will be appointed
the next Chair of the MMTA.
Roy has been on the Boardof the MMTA for six years in
the capacity of Treasurer andalso chairs the Conference
Committee.
The Board is extremely
pleased to announce that
Gladys Smith has accepted
the offer of a seat on theMain Committee, with specific focus on building and developing links with Latin
America. Please join us inwelcoming her back.

INTERVIEW...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
there have been twelve principles of green chemistry, beginning with ‘do notcreate waste’ and ending up with ‘trying to avoid accidents’. And in 2008, hecollaborated with Richard Smith, an American chemical engineer working inJapan and came up with a simplified version of the twelve principles where theinitial letters spelled the word ‘PRODUCTIVELY’ and the ‘Y’ represents ‘Yes it’ssafe’. “Then,” he said “in 2010, there was a green chemistry conference in Addis
Ababa and we came up with 13 principles for Africa where the initial lettersspelt GREENER AFRICA. And the point about green chemistry is that Africancountries don’t have an established chemical industry, so they are very keen to
try and build one up and, to do that, they are very interested to try and use thegreenest possible methods’.
Finally, we reflect on the way in which science, art and, maybe, commerce cancome together and how something as simple and extraordinary as the Periodic
Videos can reach people and places one would never have imagined. He tells us,‘The youngest documented viewer was 18 months old in Denmark, and we havequite a lot of children who watch. I had a message, it must have been last August, from a boy called George, who was eight years old. I didn’t know where helived, but George had seen that I had a children’s book about the periodic tableon the bookshelf in my office. He had the same book; so he sent me a photograph of himself
holding it, and I
sent him a photoback holding mycopy of the bookwith ‘HelloGeorge’ written
on my computer
screen. A month
later, I went toAustralia, and wemade some videos in real time
while we were
there. Soon I got
an email fromThe University of Nottingham’s Periodic Table of Videos
George’s mothersaying that they
were coming to my lecture in Canberra. So, George and his little brother were
driven three hundred kilometers each way to come to my lecture! I was very
touched by that.
On that note we reflect that minor metals, the mineral from which they comeand the products which they make are all part of a wonderful world.
Anthony Lipmann

Please send any comments on Anthony’s interview with Professor
Martyn Poliakoff to maria@mmta.co.uk.

8MMTA TRAINING INITIATIVE
You will recently have received a short questionnaire to complete asking you
to indicate whether you would like to see the MMTA develop an education &training programme. The initial proposal is to work in collaboration with the
National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC) to deliver several metalsrelated training courses, as well as offering seminars in Legal Aspects of Contracting, and Security Considerations for the Metals Sector.
As well as the suggested courses, we welcome suggestions for other training
areas.
Please help us to develop and offer the training that would be of most benefit
to you as members, by taking a couple of minutes to complete the questionnaire and return it to maria@mmta.co.uk.

“Do you believe the MMTA has a role in developing a targeted education& training programme for the minor metals community?”

REVIEW—The Elements, A Visual Exploration
Annealed metal people will find it difficult not to be bowled over by the cornucopia of delight that awaits the owner of an iPad loaded with Max Whitby,
Theodore Gray & Nick Mann’s ‘The
Elements’.
Recently featured in Alan Yentob’s
BBC Imagine programme, The Elements was cited as an example of a
new kind of book – the type that migrates to paper following its creationin the virtual world.
MMTA members will perhaps remember the former BBC Horizon producer,
Max Whitby, from his speech at the
opening of our Minor Metals conference at The Mandarin Oriental Hotelin London in 2010, at which he took us
on a tour of the world of elements.
Directed equally at the professional
scientist, metallurgist, student or passing visitor, The Elements App has
something for everyone. From thefront page each element in the Mendeleev table is represented by a pictogram which silently revolves through360° to bring up a full page about theelement in question. Tap again in thebottom right corner to display an arrayof fascinating facts, anecdotes andunusual visual examples of the element in its pure state, mineral or function in an application. Just roll the ballof your fingertip lightly across an image to see it revolve (thanks to thephotographic wizardry of Nick Mann)allowing you to inspect the item fromevery angle and feast the eye and senses. Or, listen to Tom Lehrer’s famoussong of The Elements, parodied to thetune of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Modern
Major General whilst accompanied byeach element in turn as sung.
As Max told the audience at our conference, the aim in the creation of the
App was not just to reach the physics
and chemistry of the elements – but
the soul.
Available from the App Store £9.99(£6.99 for iPhone)
Pictures: Images from The Elements

9MINOR METALS INSIDERNEW MEMBERS
The MMTA would like to extend a warm welcome to its
three newest members.
moredetails,

For
visit

www.mmta.co.uk/members

Brown Brothers Harriman& Co
www.bbh.com
Brown Brothers Harriman &Co is a bank with a practicethat specialises in lending tocommodity trading companies.
Its Merchant Banking
practice dates back to 1843.

Jiujiang Jinxin Nonferrous
Metals Co Ltd
www.jiujiangjx.com
Jinxin specialises in five productlines related with Ta, Nb andtheir derived products, which
include High-pure Tantalum
Pentaoxide, High-pure Niobium Pentaoxide, Common Tantalum Oxide, Nb2O5, Common Niobium Oxide, K2TaF7,
TaC, FeNb and Rare Earth.
Jinxin’s products are sold nationwide, as well as to America, Japan, Korea and Europe.

Beryllium Science & Technology Associationwww.beryllium.eu
The Beryllium Science & Technology Association’s mission isto provide the best available
scientific information related to
Beryllium, and to ensure thatits benefits to society in criticalapplications are realised andembraced and maintained byindustry, governmental authorities and the general public.

10

MMTA approved warehouses– Still independent after allthese years!
It seems so last century, doesn’t it,to think that the MMTA still hangs
on to warehouse independence
when all around others appear totake a different view? Here then iswhat your Association has to say
about this matter. Warehouse registration ‘Rule A’ states:
The Company shall be neutral, notowned or associated with any
Trading Company
Is our lack of movement on thismatter a reflection of an organisation too conservative to change? Is
the MMTA out of touch with the way
the world is going? Why should wehave such scruples? Perhaps a few
reflections as to why the MMTA
hangs onto Rule A will assist to explain MMTA policy or stimulate
discussion and comment. One of
the first things that our founding
fathers wanted to enshrine in 1973
was the guarantee of confidentiality.
Centring the minor metals tradearound the entrepot of Rotterdam
had inevitable logic as the Dutch
had a tradition of acting on behalf ofa wide variety of physical trade businesses.
The MMTA’s rules simply codified
what minor metal merchants of the
1970s were doing anyway. Minor
metals, then, was a smaller businessthan it is today, and members ingeneral needed to sub-contract theservices of warehousing and logistics, as few had the resources to devote to in-house warehousing.
But, as the trade grew, independ-ence of warehouses, removed fromthe interests of traders, was seen tohave a positive effect, as it increased
liquidity – goods such as Cadmium
or Mercury or other minor metals
could come into entrepot from allover the world and change hands
numerous times before being delivered out to an end user. The final
delivery point would not be known
to the original importer. The warehouse would provide the service ofhandling, unique storage references,making goods available on the instruction of the owner to sworn
samplers and assayers, provide safe
transfer of title and finally assist
with all logistics.
Steinweg, founded in 1847, was themarket leader, and other MMTA
approved warehouses followed, creating a diversity of services to ourtrade.
With so many like-minded minor
metal merchants storing within asmall geographical area, a buyer
searching for almost any element in
the periodic table would be able tofind it stocked or potentially deliverable by one of our members. But
with each member specialising indifferent areas where the mere leakof a name would have been enoughto lose a market angle, confidentiality was paramount.
But there are a couple of otherpoints that emphasise the logic behind independence. Firstly, it is that
traders and banks are basically notreally very good at warehousing, letalone the ancillary services that thewarehouse provides: logistics, shipping, stevedoring, hiring anythingfrom barges to panamaxes, trucks torail-wagons, re-packing anythingMINOR METALS INSIDER CONT’D
from a few kilos of minor metals
worth thousands of dollars ‘per kg’,
to discharging thousands of tonnesof alumina or copper concentrates
with a similar value per tonne.
Each of the products has its own
idiosyncrasies. It is an entirely different business from the business ofbuying and selling.
Today, we have seen that in otherareas of metal trading, notably the
London Metal Exchange, big banks
and trading houses now own LMEapproved warehouses while at thesame time having an interest in theoutcome of price via their proprietary trading or managed funds. It is

way? It is with a sense of professional gratitude to our independent
MMTA-approved warehouses that I
cannot remember a time when any
shipment has been delayed for extraneous reasons.
The MMTA, having tested our members’ opinions in 2011, is, I am
pleased to say, sticking with its principles. Independence was voted forwith almost unanimous support.
Long may it continue for the good
health of our trade, but more importantly, all members need to encourage new independent warehouses to come forward for registration.

“a buyer searching for almost any element in the periodic table would be
able to find it stocked or potentially deliverable by one of our members.”

said that Chinese walls between the
trading and warehousing arms willsolve any suggestion of conflict ofinterest and voluminous new rules
have been drafted by the LME.
However, one of the most significant
problems to have occurred since themerging of warehouse and tradeinterests is that stipulated load-out
rates of 1500 tonnes per day havecaused queues to form when it has
not been in the interests of the warehouse owner to deliver out promptly.

Anthony Lipmann of Lipmann Walton & Co www.lipmann.co.uk

DO YOU AGREE WITH
THE POSITION OF
THIS ISSUE’S MINORMETALS INSIDER?

If you wish to comment orprovide an alternative
point of view, please contact maria@mmta.co.uk.

What minor metal merchant, with aprompt order to fill at a super alloy
maker, catalyst maker or steel plant
would for one moment entertain thethought that the warehouse might
limit the time of delivery in any

11Millie Paterson, Ned
Smith and Mary
Clapp have taken advantage
oftheMMTA’s Mufulira linkto gain some valuable
work and life experience during their 3week stay.

LETTER FROM MUFULIRA
Arriving from different parts of the globe and after a few difficult plane journeys, thethree of us met at Ndola Airport on the 27th of February. We were officially welcomed
to Zambia by Ethel Chibende, whose house we were to stay in for three weeks while
we worked in Muleya winter basic school. We were all very excited to see Zambia andto immerse ourselves in this different way of life.
Ethel made us feel very welcome as did her large extended family. Ethel’s niece Maggie and her two children live in Ethel’s house with her, and Ethel’s two grandchildren
were also staying with her whilst we were there, due to the excitement of our visit.
Maggie's cooking was incredible, and she taught us all how to cook 'nshima', the staple food of Zambia, and in return we taught her how to cook some less traditionallyZambian meals. We became very attached to Ethel’s family, and are very grateful tothem for looking after us and teaching us so much about Zambian life and culture.
Our inclusion in their home life is one of our most treasured memories of our time in
Mufulira.

“[we saw] great examples of how enthusiasm and talent prevailed overbad resources.”
Our main purpose in visiting Mufulira was to visit Muleya Winter Basic school andassist there for 3 weeks. It is a small school for Grade 1-9 students located a few
minutes’ walk from the copper mine in Mufulira.
It was difficult to see a school with few resources and comparatively challenging
teaching conditions. However it was heartening to see how well both teachers andstudents coped. They made us feel like very special guests, with the children’s excitement and the staff's care and attention. In some areas such as English and Maths, wewere able to help with the teaching and marking, gaining valuable teaching experience. In others, we enjoyed sitting and learning with the children about Zambian History and Home Economics. A highlight of our days at the school was teaching Grade 1
students the 'hokey-kokey'.

Children at school in Mufulira, Zambia.

12

We were lucky to be able to watch the inter-school and inter-zone athletics, whichwere great examples of how enthusiasm and talent prevailed over bad resources. Most
children competed in bare feet. However both days were interrupted by the sulphuremissions from the nearby Mopani mine. The emissions are uncomfortable, even for
those who are used to them, and were quite unbearable for us who were not. The
sports games were held up both times until the gas cloud passed and we found refuge
in a car. The emissions were clearly harmful to the community, even if they are supposedly not harmful to one’s health, and it was upsetting to see that the mine management hadn't considered the local community. We were also told by locals that thepollution from the mine was harmful to the natural surroundings, which was evident
in the lack of vegetation in the area. An example of the detrimental effects is the lackof Makole trees, native to the region, particularly in the grounds of Makole basic
school, another local school which we visited. However locals had noticed a drop in
the frequency of emissions, one man in particular telling us these were the first he had
experienced since October.
Needless to say, we would love to visit the wonderful people we met in Mufulira again,
which would most likely to happen when we are all finished with University. We'dhope by this time, that the sulphur emissions would have come to their expected end.

MMTA ON THE ROAD
If Only My Fingers Were Stronger by Emma Newman, MMTA
The MMTA Exec set out on Monday 19th March to St Pancras International,
weighed down with luggage, but optimistic about our travels. Ahead of us
lay 3 days of excitement, promotion, and exhaustion, as we spent time withsome of our European members and their guests, and promoted ourselvesin Brussels. We jumped on the Eurostar in London, and two hours later wewere getting into a taxi to drop us at our hotel for the next two nights. A
quick change and off we went again.
We arrived at Luxembourg Square, at a pub called The Beer Factory (where
one of our members had carried out some pre-event research into thebeers—Thank You, Benjamin of Jean Goldschmidt!) We were looking forward to meeting some of our non UK-based members, by holding an informal event (which has developed over the last year), which we like to call
‘MMTA Informal Drinks’. (I have also been told that these types of events
may be referred to as MMTA Drinks A Lot). Our European members began
trickling in at around 6pm, and we were even joined by some of our London members who were travelling. The evening progressed extremely sociably, and the final 8 last men (and women) standing, sat down for a very
enjoyable dinner together.
The sun rose, and we were already back in a taxi to head across Brussels
with our marketing material to the European Raw Materials Conference,
where MMTA had an exhibition stand. We filled our table with information (and sweets) and enticed people to visit the stand with a businesscard raffle. We chattered away to a variety of industry experts, politicians,
Institutes and Associations, creating more awareness of MMTA and enhancing our lobbying weight. By the end of the day we were exhausted, andan early night was had to prepare us for the following day.

Thank you to all the members who spent time with
us in Brussels and to Umicore for a fascinating
visit.
We were on the train early the next morning, travelling not back to London,
but towards Antwerp, to visit the Umicore plant. After depositing ourtonne of luggage in the secret luggage room, we were taken to the‘Tellurium Meeting Room’ where Kris Van Den Broeck gave a presentation
outlining the structure and ethos of the company and offering an overview
of the wide-ranging activities carried out at the plant. Following this, wewere whisked up in a lift to the top floor, to have lunch with a stunningview over the river and the plant. Next, we were taken to the highly guarded precious metals refinery, and shown precious metals in a variety offorms that had been recovered using Umicore’s unique expertise. Kris told
us that if we were able to pick up the 12.5kg gold ingot with two fingers we
could keep it, but try as we might, we could not do it. So the MMTA Execheaded home none the richer, and Umicore kept their gold ingot!

Maria Cox and Emma Newman outside theUmicore plant in Hoboken.

13EVENT UPDATE
On 15th March, MMTA held its
Quarterly Lunch at the Bleeding Heart Restaurant, near
Farringdon, London. An informative presentation wasgiven by Rob Jones from The
Carbon Trust, about the workof the Carbon Trust, in particular how they support government initiatives on new technology, renewables and carbon
reduction in industry. Afterthe presentation, MMTA members and their guests enjoyed adelicious three-course meal, in
the traditional French surroundings, with plenty of wine!
The lunch was kindly sponsored by Crowe Clark
Whitehill.

METALS STATISTICS—INTRODUCTION
Statistical reports on the MMTA website aim to give visitors a pictureof the facts about a market at a glance.
These reports address the following questions:

Which companies and countries are the main producers?

What companies, countries and sectors are the main consumers?

How much of a role does recycling play?

Where is the market heading?

Some of the reports (mainly data-rich markets) are compiled by research companies such as Roskill (an MMTA member company). In
data-poor markets the information given, while drawing on available
statistics where possible, largely draws on commercial knowledge
informed by trading activity.
Public statistics on the flows of minor metals can be notoriously unreliable. An example of this is Rhenium, where the EU tariff code is
the same as for Niobium. In this case, therefore, statistics alone
would produce a false conclusion.
On other small markets, such as Tellurium, Thallium, Gallium or Indium, by-product arisings, recycle and revert loops muddy the waters. No one independent statistical body would be able to produce
any true sense of these markets, and so again MMTA reports will be
informed by trade knowledge.

James Peer & Emma Newman
with our sponsors

Wayde Yeoman and Robert
Baylis

Where statistics are both available and reliable, they will be usedeven if they shed light only on part of the picture. For example, Banco Centrale do Chile is required by the Chilean government to reportexport tonnages, destinations and prices of Copper, Molybdenum
and Rhenium. From these solid figures it is possible to extrapolate
the less reliable ones.
Having said the above, we hope that the reports we are now compiling, if read with these factors in mind, will offer the salient facts, andany further research should be carried out on a case by case basis, as
required.

Do you have specialist knowledge of a particular metal?
Would you like to contribute your knowledge to building up-to-date statistical information on the various minor metals?
During lunch at the Bleeding
Heart

14

If so, please contact maria@mmta.co.uk

METAL STATISTICS TASTER - SILICON (SI)
Although commonly referred to as Silicon metal, Silicon (symbol Si)
is semi or non-metallic, and is sometimes called a metalloid. Pure
Silicon is very rarely found in nature, and it is usually found as aconstituent of Silicon dioxide (silica or quartz) and silicate minerals, such as feldspars. In terms of mass, Silicon makes up about
26% of the Earth's crust and is the second most abundant elementin the crust, after Oxygen. Ferrosilicon is an alloy of Silicon and
Iron containing between 20% and 95% Si. Both Silicon and Ferrosilicon are derived commercially from silica feedstock.
World production of Silicon metal rose by an average of 3.4%py
between 1990 and 1999, and by 4.9%py between 1999 and 2008,
with particularly sharp increases in 1995 and 2003. In 2009 production fell by about 13% to 1.45Mt, with output falling in virtually
all producing countries as a consequence of the global economic
slowdown. In 2010, production recovered to about 1.76Mt (Figure
1).

Figure 1: World: Production of Silicon metal by principal country, 2000 to 2010
(000t)
Source: Roskill estimates

Learn more about Silicon and look out for a growing set of statistics
on minor metals at www.mmta.co.uk/metals/Si/

15

MEMBER BENEFITSMembers-only early-bird discounton tickets for the MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference,
offering substantial savings on thefull conference fee
Significant member discount on all
MMTA event tickets, including theprestigious Anniversary dinner
Access to free meeting/training
room space in central London
Free advertising in members’ directories on the MMTA website andother MMTA marketing publications
25% discount on Gold level membership of REACHReady
A range of educational & social
events offering extensive networking opportunities
A dedicated Mediation & Arbitration service for MMTA members
A network of MMTA-approved
warehouses, each independently
inspected and having Indemnity
Insurance to cover unexplained
lossesRegular updates on the activities &
accomplishments of the Association
Use of the MMTA logo & ‘Memberof MMTA’
Trade Regulations
Lobbying on a wide range of issuesof importance to the minor metals
sectorTHE IMPACT OF REACH ON SMES—HELP NEEDEDOver the last 2 years or so, I, along with about a dozen other people, have held regular meetings under the auspices of the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) with
DEFRA. Initially the meetings were held to discuss the on-going availability of“strategic” raw materials but have evolved to encompass questions relating to what
the government can do to enhance primary and secondary production, recycling
and re-use within the UK metal industry and to reduce barriers to business.
Inevitably, REACH came into the discussions and like it or not, the regulations arebeing imposed. At the last meeting at DEFRA in January the question of disproportionate charges for Letters of Access (LOA) for small importers or producers wasraised. It is still difficult to obtain precise figures for such LOAs but typicalamounts of €50000 per product are not uncommon. However, this amount is forthe largest tonnage band (>1000 tonnes). Discounts for lower tonnage bands aremodest, perhaps 10% discount for the 10-100 tonne band and 20% for 1 – 10
tonnes. As an example:
Letter of Access cost

€50000For >1000 tonnes:

0% discountcost per tonne = maximum €50

For 100-1000 tonnes:

5% discountcost per tonne could reach €475

For 10 – 100 tonnes:

10% discountcost per tonne could reach €4500

For 1 – 10 tonnes:

20 % discountcost per tonne could reach €40000

The consensus at the meeting was that these figures, if verified, could:

Deter some smaller importers from continuing with the importation of certain
materials, thus leaving the market to a few larger players with a resultant reduction in competitionEliminate some materials from the European market altogether, thereby eliminating downstream production and the resultant loss of jobs



Deter innovative companies from developing novel materials if they cannot be
assured of continuity of supply or the price of such materials renders them
uneconomic

The REACH representative at DEFRA had not appreciated the ramifications ofsuch disproportionate pricing and has asked if I can supply him with actual examples of the costs of LOA for various materials so that they can take this up at theirnext meeting in Brussels.
If other members share this view and have actual figures for costs of an LOA which
they would like to share either directly with me or via the MMTA Executive, I willcorrelate these and pass them on to DEFRA.
Tony Bayley, ABSCO Materials

The MMTA promotes essential
elements that add quality,
safety and enjoyment to ourlives.
The MMTA is the world's leading
minor metals industry organisation.

The MMTA has a partner agreement with REACHReady, enabling MMTA
member companies to benefit from a 25% discount on Gold Subscriptions.
To learn more about REACHReady, contact
executive@mmta.co.uk for more information.

Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA)
326A City Road
Angel Gate (Unit 26)
LondonEC1V 2PT

YOUR LOGO HERE

Telephone: +44 (0)207 833 0237/+44 (0)207 713 7099
Fax: +44 (0)207 183 9933
Email: executive@mmta.co.uk