RE:RE:TCs and domestic consZINCInvestor1 wrote: Hi BB,
PS A very useful post on transportation costs. Do you have experience with transportation costs of finished zinc and what smelters are in a positon to make products produced by CEZ?
The North American primary zinc market is about 1.2 million tonnes. NIF’s market share is 25%. The balance (800 ,000 tonnes) comes from Trail, 300000 t, Hud Bay 120000 t, Nyrstar Tennesse, 140,000 t and 2 Mexican smelters 240000t (yes, Mexico is in NA). Very little offshore Zn metal makes its way to NA because of freight and logistics that affect the “pipeline inventory. The short answer is that no offshore smelter can deliver the premium grades and shapes required by the market place so they would be limited to delivering, non-premium bearing, generic zinc delivered to an LME warehouse.
The smelter is responsible for the freight, insurance and storage costs from the smelter to the customer for each delivery, (truck load or rail car load). Most of the metal sold by NIF is "custom built" for each customer. This means that the shape (slab ingot, 2 or 3 different types of jumbo ingots, zinc shot or zinc powder) as well as a multitude of chemical compositions are specified for each customer. The specific shapes and alloys made for each customer and the willingness and ability of NIF to keep the material in consignment in a warehouse local to the customer and/or finance payment terms is the source of the average US$0.07 premium ($60 million CAD per year).
In essence the $60 million premium is a result of the grade, shape and LOCATION of the Zn metal. The only generic product that is produced is SHG (special high grade - 99.995% pure) slab ingot zinc which is delivered to LME ware houses or purchased by alloyers who remelt the SHG ingot to make specific alloys for end customers.
For the year 2016 freight an delivery costs were $21,143 million on 273000 tonnes = $77 CAD per tonne = 3.5 cents CAD per lb = US$0.026 per lb. So it is a pretty good investment when you consider that NIF receives and average premium of US$0.07 for the metal that they deliver.
An offshore smelter would face the same inland inland North American delivery costs (say 2.5 US cents per lb) as NIF PLUS the cost of smelter to tidewater to a North American tide water port. Historically, the cost for seaborne delivery of metal to North American sea port is about 5 US cents per lb. Added to this would be an increase in working capital (finished metal inventory) required to fill the delivery “pipeline” and the financing cost for the increased inventory. Consider that NIF needs 4 – 6 weeks of finished goods (20 – 30000 t) to service their customers. Imagine the cost of the increased inventory requirement and freight that would be required for a smelter that is a 6 -8 week, US$100 boat ride away from a North American tide water port.
A North American smelter on tide water is strategic to Glencore. theyu know it and so do we
BB