Written by : DA L E B E N TO N

IN THE MINING industry , producers and explorers quite literally live and die on commodity cycles and there are a whole host of external factors , often uncontrollable , that contribute to the fluctuating market .

Commodity cycles , and the challenges they present , are inescapable . Some of the world ’ s largest producers have suffered in recent years through a downturn in the market , but it is often the smaller emerging explorers that feel the full brunt of those commodity cycles .

“ Sometimes it ’ s luck ,” says Vince Algar , Managing Director of Australian Vanadium Ltd . “ You can ’ t form miracles , so you have to keep sight of a long-term objective and a vision .”

That long-term objective for Algar and Australian Vanadium is to become a large scale global producer of vanadium , a metallic element that is used for metal alloys