Asian Metal visits Minchem LTD

On 7th May 2013 Mark Moore, minor metal analyst from Asian Metal, visited the offices of Minchem Ltd at The Old Pottery in Aldershot, meeting managing director Charles Skidmore, sales manager Mike Hoy, accounts coordinator Michelle Strokes and shipping manager Kevin Newland. Minchem Ltd are a trading and refining company supplying chemicals to a range of industries with a strong focus on zirconium based products. Subsidiaries also included Minchem HMP Ltd which produce zircon refractory products and ACCS Limited a specialist in high quality corrosion, thermal and abrasion-resistant materials.

After arriving at the site and being introduced to the team, Charles showed Mark around the site and explained the history of the buildings which the Minchem offices now occupy. Sitting in his office after making a cup of tea Charles advised of his background from his initial education in chemistry through a range of job roles which lead him to become an industry renowned expect on zircon and zirconium chemistry.

Charles went on to advise of the history of Minchem, initially called Zirconia Sales (UK) Ltd they were owned by Rio Tinto and were the sole distributor of baddeleyite for Palabora mining, which was a by product of copper mining. Following changes to the processes used by Palabora mining Baddeleyite was no longer producer and forced Zirconia Sales (UK) Ltd to work with zircon sand from other sources, at which time Charles and his partner Trevor Slater, now managing director of Minchem HMP, purchased the company from Rio Tinto and registered the Name Minchem.

Mark and Charles then discussed the current situation in the zircon sand and zirconium chemicals market, discussing the possible direction the market might take depending on the influence of producers and downstream consumers on the market, agreeing that producers might be looking at pushing the prices of zircon sand up but recent substitutions by a range zircon sand consumers have reduced consumption rates, which means the market price will remain flat or show a slow decline.

Charles also discussed the possible benefits of zirconium based products across a range of industries. One key area for development are the medical applications due to the limited health risks of zirconium when compared with those currently used such as aluminium which have been linked with Alzheimer’s.

Charles expressed his admiration to see Asian Metal providing coverage of the zirconium chemicals market which historically has seen limited analysis due to its size, but research and development is likely to show growth produce growth in the consumption of zirconium products over the next decade.