AFRICA
and this will run between a suitably located depot and the mine . We are going to have to consolidate all our supplies and logistics at one depot , and that will be everything from diesel right through to consumables . These will then be packed into specially designed containers for the trip to the mine . Once unloaded they will return with twenty tons of tin concentrate packed into them .”
According to Kamstra , logistics and transport are less important than they would be for less valuable materials which require efficient bulk transport systems . “ We manage logistics in a pretty basic and fundamental way ,” he says . “ We ’ re using a combination of existing technologies and readily available solutions in the area , and we incorporate the relevant ones that work for us into our operational plan .”
Far from wishing to corner the DRC market for itself , Kamstra hopes that Alphamin will prove to be a catalyst for other companies to come to the area : “ If other businesses come in , that ’ s to our advantage and to that of the North Kivu province . The more companies you have operating , the more business will emerge . This has multiple effects in terms of economic activity ; it ’ s like a snowball . It continues to roll and makes everything easier for everyone .
“ We are in the tin market because we believe the price pressure for tin is going to come from the supply side rather than the demand side . The reason for that is historic ; tin was largely a forgotten commodity until its incorporation into solder , and it ’ s rather tricky to find economically viable deposits of tin . Prices have flown up recently ; they did die down a little reaching a low point at the beginning of the year , but we ’ re delighted to see they have started to improve recently .
“ It is estimated that the industry needs tin prices of about $ 22,000 a tonne in order to provide sufficient feed from 2018 onwards , because
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