Thursday, December 2, 2010

A nickel mine of BHP Billiton in Australia

It was not a good year so far for Hans-Joachim Welsch. Of course, even the boss says the Rogesa Roheisengesellschaft Saar Dillingen, like all German industrialists on the current recovery, but more as a private citizen. Even if Welsch hut runs under full load, the boom is in the best of Saarlanders subdued.
About the blast furnaces, from the head of one had a beautiful view over the Natural Park Saar-Hunsrück to nearby France, hangs heavy weather. Since the beginning, the prices of key raw materials iron ore and coal have more than doubled. The hut Welsch hits the mark, because these precursors along with energy costs as the - also becoming more expensive - current account for 80 percent of the cost.
The problems is not alone Rogesa. "Raw material prices and rising concern terminal, almost all sectors of the German economy," says Joachim Rotering, commodity expert at consulting firm Booz & Company.

Germany is at risk
This is for Germany a matter of survival. "Are not the raw materials to us, in the end produced where there are commodities," said Rainer Thieme, chairman of the board of the steel group Salzgitter, who is also active in the copper business. And that threatens the base in Germany, fears Ulrich Grillo, "If we do nothing, our industry has shrunk with millions of jobs and therefore our prosperity," says co-owner of the Duisburg zinc producer Grillo-Werke. In addition to work he is leading the commodity committee at the Federation of German Industries (BDI) in Berlin, this week hosted a conference on the subject.
Although there are initial signs of improvement, as is likely to increase thanks to new mines in a few years back the offer. In addition, the mining companies already play because of the growing political headwinds their power less. For an all-clear but it is still too early: "To save the high-tech location Germany have long term, the company and the German policy change fundamentally and promote remedies such as recycling and substitution," says Stahl Manager Thieme.
Peak-to-metal is nonsense
German companies have a lack partly to blame. Many had long as ThyssenKrupp own mines. "But the confidence that there would be no globalization with the increasing shortage of raw materials more, have all separately," says consultant Red Square.
They have forged the threat but four men, whose desks are up to twelve-hour flight apart. The best known is China's Premier Wen Jiabao, for its growing industry and the construction of roads or houses always need more raw materials and already imports more than half of world trade volume of iron ore and coal.

Equally important are the lesser-known leaders of the world's largest mining concerns: Roger Agnelli, Vale of Brazil, Marius Kloppers from Anglo-Australian mining giants BHP Billiton and Tom Albanese also by the British-Australian Rio Tinto. Because from the pits of the trio between the Amazon and Australia are about three quarters of the ore or coal-black-red life blood of the earth, they can determine quantities and prices almost at will.

Threat of failure in metals is less because as with oil would exceed the peak-oil-called climax of the reserves. "The talk of peak metal is nonsense, because the earth has been explored only to a small extent on possible deposits," says Peter Buchholz, Department Head Extractive Industries of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources in Hamburg. Dangerous for the terminal because it is often brought about artificially.

Biggest culprit is China. While German companies themselves have to take care of their raw materials, is active in China for its operations as a central purchaser. Needs, depending on the commodity up climbs to 80 percent in the year ensures competitive prices to the government with hoarding. Beijing linked in Africa or Latin America aid with delivery guarantees for metals.

At the same time, however, China secures its own minerals and semi-finished goods in the country: through open violation of the free trade such as export taxes or export bans, such as the rare earths, to which the country has almost a monopoly. "The list of violations is 450 positions," complains hut manager Welsch.

Commodity victims convened primarily to reflect the federal government speaks to the conscience, which underestimated the view of many members of the BDI-mineral deficiency. "As we speak Minister Rainer Brüderle before his trip to China earlier this month, almost manic in the conscience, and then he brings the issue of trade fouls at best, on the edge of language," laments a manager.

But the BDI congress is domestic policy. Some members of the Union the issue is burning less under the nails, because they experience the current situation is less dramatic. Thank fills the coffers of the boom, so they feel they can afford the price hikes sooner. In addition many expected in the near future with a relaxation.

This is supported by a lot: "Given the record prices it pays back, opening up new mines and those who revive the mothballed especially of smaller mining companies, as with the economic downturn two years ago, prices, expert Buchholz said of the commodity-Bundesanstalt . That should ease in two or three years, evident in almost all the minerals the deficiency, even in the rare earth metals mentioned, which are essential for high-tech products from the smartphone to laptop. There is worldwide up to 100 new mining projects that could promote to 2015 again.
Also seen in the powerful mining corporations steel Manager signs of rethinking and gentleness in price negotiations. "They see that they gradually saw off the branch on which they sit," says consultant Red Square.

The mining companies know that too high prices to their customers to encourage not only to seek new suppliers to use in future less scarce alternatives or to develop more economical methods in which to cook some steel companies also from ingredients lesser quality steel of highest quality. They provide the end even that the cabins are with the car industry and other steel customers a powerful united front and play the archdukes easily against each other. "The first signs are already there," says Stahl Manager Thieme.

In addition, the mine kings also appear in the public differently. "Almost all look back a stronger close to politicians and their home countries," says Lars Immerthal, commodities expert supply chain management consulting Brainnet. CEOs like Cynthia Carroll of Anglo-South African Anglo American want to represent their company as a responsible player. "Our contribution to developing countries is larger than development aid in many OECD countries," says the only woman to head a giant resource.

Whether BHP, Rio and Vale and - through its subsidiary De Beers - the diamond leading Anglo and with this year, probably around 170 billion dollar heavy network of the Swiss commodities trader Glencore, and its participation in Xstrata: They all seem like the new masters the world. But they need more urgent than ever, a good image and the support of the governments of its principal producing and consuming countries such as Australia, South Africa and the EU in order to approve acquisitions and new mines without stifling conditions. Every new pit is highly risky and usually pays off at the earliest in ten years, as the Serra Sul project in the Amazon, in the Vale 11.3 billion U.S. dollars for development and infrastructure, and a railway line connected.

Farewell to ex-miners

At the same time, the mine owners need help if they botch countries like China in their business. Example Rio Tinto: The Middle Kingdom was in 2009 on the state-owned Chinalco to acquire a larger share. When that did not work, Rio Tinto's senior staff were arrested in China for corruption and espionage and sentenced in an opaque process for high sentences.

So far, the image of the commodity giants in public is negative. Environmentalists complain that the mine operator with a blot on the landscape and their pits often contaminate and consume in areas without adequate drinking water a large quantity.

Governments, mining is now too powerful. Ten years ago the sector consisted mainly of small digger. But from 2001 replaced the first to BHP in the management up to that crude ex-buddy with the big shovel hands by deal-hungry ex-consultants such as the current chief Kloppers with youthful charm and a look at the edge of an ironic grin. Kloppers and his predecessor, Chip Goodyear formed in 1860 in The Hague, founded Billiton through acquisitions of iron dust Schaufler's diversified Erzkonzern. The commitment in many minerals BHP makes it less vulnerable if the economy is unstable or strike a new pit or later is completed.

The goodwill of the antitrust spoiled the corporations when they used after a decade of mergers worth almost a trillion dollars their market power to massive price increases. Most recently, almost all the major fusion projects such as BHP / Rio-Vale / Xstrata or Anglo / Xstrata failed not least due to the competition watchdogs.

However, the greater reserve of the mining concerns and new sources of raw materials for German industry are still no grounds for complacency. Ores remain scarce because of the growing global demand increases and in particular, China will continue to do almost anything to meet its needs.

Although the country is flexible when the pressure is too high. Recently was able to enforce the rest of the world a little appreciation of the Renminbi currency. But in commodities is not expected that China may be hoarding.

For behind the strategy lies neither pure evil nor the will to challenge the West, but a survival strategy. China can remain politically and economically stable only if it creates new quality jobs through growth in emerging industries.
Illegal mines

industry to secure the necessary resources in order to care little about the Chinese human rights or environmental standards in African countries - and certainly not fair world trade, "says a German industrialist. He even understanding. "The work basically like Germany to build the industry in the fifties."

Even if China complies with international standards, which often promotes the shortage, such as rare in the earth. The high-tech metals are now often made of small, illegal mines without regard for nature and safety. When cleaning up the damage China faces enormous challenges because the coveted metal is often washed with highly toxic substances such as hydrocyanic acid from the ore. In Inner Mongolia, where according to Chinese media reports, there are about 450 illegal mines, whole regions are uninhabitable. That is why Beijing wants to close many mines gradually, but that the supply shortage.

To secure the German need for raw materials in the long term, companies and policy come to fundamental changes not pass. This includes, in addition to hedging against fluctuating prices for oil, especially as an active resource management.

Consultants such Immerthal advise companies to own competence centers that know not only the trends in commodity markets. These bodies also explore which vendors could have problems, such as products live on less critical raw materials and how to secure the end essential minerals. "This reduces raw material costs by an average of five to ten percent," says Immerthal.

Second way out of the terminal is more recycling. "This is for many metals of copper to the rare earth almost without losses," says Stahl Manager Thieme.

So far, this failed in high-tech metals, the lack of supply. sort out a good 20 million mobile phones and five million computers that German consumers and businesses each year end up rarely in recycling specialists such as Umicore in Hanau, but in the domestic waste or by-nosed traders managed in other countries where the valuable contents are removed under high environmental impact - and often land in China. The export is indeed illegal, but is in practice often declared as a donation, and if he blows up, barely punished.

Therefore, the BDI here stricter controls and governmental regulations, such as a lien on equipment such as car batteries. "If things get old money," says Christian Hagelüken, chief strategist of the recycling department at Umicore, "she always manages to a collection point."

Unique in the world markets
take over the job would like Gerd Slotta, head of the specialized recycling collections Reverse Logistics Group. The Munich collect already subject to a deposit of automotive batteries, empty printer cartridges and old catalysts or are setting up a collection system using Express Post service and leading European companies.
In the long term the best way out is to research for technologies that use less critical metals and alternative materials. This not only reduces the dependence on imports, "that Germany is a unique position on the world market," says consultant Immerthal "and a strong currency in negotiations with producing countries."
For while, especially a country like Bolivia, China can only provide money for its supplies of lithium, which is in the batteries of electric cars, Germany is able to provide just and technology. To help the countries adjacent to the mining and industrial building with high-quality jobs. "This would require the German foreign policy experience a little more confident," says Immerthal.

industry Corresponding ideas does the federal government, at least Peter Ramsauer. "German politicians and industry have regarded the entire commodity supply too much as a matter of course," said Secretary of Transportation last week, when he visited Mongolia in the copper mining Oyu Tolgoi. "You can never do enough for it to secure raw material supplies." There is the hope that German businesses are not the masters of the world perhaps, but also do not have to be the servants.

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