Umicore Marketing Services visits Asian Metal

Sales Executive Tyrone Zhou visits Asian Metal on Oct. 18th and talks with Senior Analyst Victor Hoo and Analyst Virginia Liu on selenium market.

Umicore is a global materials technology group, focusing on "applications areas where its expertise in materials science, chemistry and metallurgy makes a real difference". It has branches in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu while the Chengdu branch is in charge of national minor metals market. Umicore is on of the leading producers of selenium in global markets and it is also developing in tellurium and antimony markets.

Not expecting the selenium-free manganese to expand much, both sides shared the reviews and perspectives of selenium market. Currently, selenium price is very firm in Europe while depressed by lower manganese prices, Chinese buyers are cautious to make replacement and the market faces pressure of lower selenium dioxide prices. However, with some manganese smelters enlarging production, both sides are optimistic that selenium market would not shrink in the coming years. Umicore is more interested in the crude selenium market.

Later, Asian Metal introduces the work of Minor Metals department and how the prices are formed. Both sides agree to meet again next week in the 7th Minor Metals Summit in Sanya.