The manganese mining industry can be divided into three levels: ore mining, alloy production, and steel production. Manganese mining ore industry can be further based on the ore grades. About two-third of the total manganese mining market is shared by high-grade ore producers and low-grade ore producers make up the rest.
Alloy production is shared by both integrated (involved in both smelting and ore mining) and independent alloy smelters. Steel producers can be segmented into integrated mills, mini mill long producers, mini mill flat producers, and specialty mills.
According to Chandrakumar Badala Jaganathan, lead analyst at Technavio for metals and minerals research, Assmang, BHP Billiton, Consolidated Minerals, ERAMET, and Vale are some of the major vendors in the market.
Assmang
Assmang was established in 1935 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is involved in the mining of iron ore, manganese, and chrome ores. The majority of the company's production is exported to the Far East, Europe, the US, and India. Assmang is jointly controlled by African Rainbow Minerals and Assore.
Assmang through its manganese ore and alloys business division carries out crushing, mining, washing, and screening of ore. It is also involved in the smelting of ferromanganese minerals and production of refined ferromanganese. The company's mines (Nchwaning and Gloria mines) are located in Black Rock, near Kuruman in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The company develops natural resources worldwide. It has projects in Australia, the Americas, and globally. It manages two iron ore mines in Brazil and Australia, and five copper mines in Peru, Australia, and Chile. The company also has a potash development project in Canada and operates coal mines in Australia, Colombia, and the US. In addition, it explores, produces, and markets oil and gas from assets located in the Gulf of Mexico, Australia, the US, the UK, and Pakistan.
The company operates manganese mining operations in Australia and South Africa. In May 2015, it completed demerger of its coal, aluminum, manganese, nickel, and silver-lead-zinc assets.
Consolidated Minerals
Consolidated Minerals was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Jersey, Channel Island, UK. The company is involved in the exploration, mining, processing, and marketing of manganese ore. It carries out production of manganese ore with operations in Australia and Ghana.
Consolidated Minerals carries out business operations through exploration, mining, and processing. It is involved in the production of manganese ore with two key metallurgical applications. Manganese oxide ore is used in the production of alloys, including silicomanganese and ferromanganese, which are key components in the manufacture of steel to enhance abrasiveness and hardness. Manganese carbonate ore is used in the production of electrolytic manganese metals (EMM), which are key components in the manufacture of stainless steel.
ERAMET
ERAMET, a mining and metallurgical company, was established in 1880 and is headquartered in Cedex, Paris, France. It develops alloys for diverse markets. It also carries out recycling and reuse of industrial waste materials.
The company is involved in the production of high-grade manganese ore through its subsidiary, COMILOG. It operates the mine at Moanda in Gabon and extracts manganese ores. Its product offerings include high-grade manganese ore, manganese alloys, and manganese chemistry, including batteries, recycling, agrochemicals, and electronics.
In addition, COMILOG sells directly to customers that use manganese. In FY2015, the company recorded manganese ore and sinter production of 3 billion metric tons.
Vale
Vale was founded in 1942 and is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a diversified mining and metal company. The company produces and markets iron ore and pellets, fertilizer, copper, nickel, ferroalloys, coal, manganese, cobalt, and platinum group metals.
The company is involved in the production of manganese and ferroalloys through its ferrous minerals segment.
Vale operates manganese mines and plants through its subsidiary, Vale Manganes and Mineracao Corumbaense Reunida across the states of Para, Minas Gerais, and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. It also manages ferroalloy plants across Minas Gerais and Bahia, Brazil. Approximately 90% of manganese produced by the company is used in the steel industry and for animal feed, fertilizers, cars, and food. It provides three types of manganese products: metallurgical ore, chemical ore, and natural manganese dioxide.
Source: businesswire.com