On November 25, Leandro Campos, chief technology officer of Cronimet Brasil, a subsidiary of German scrap supplier and processor Cronimet, told Argus that Cronimet had begun producing ferrotitanium at its existing ferroalloy production site in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
The Santa Catarina plant began producing ferrotitanium in August and currently produces 200-250 tons per month. If Cronimet can obtain enough raw materials and steel mills, the plant's monthly production capacity will be 1000 tons. Cronimet will use its operations in the United States and Europe to ensure the amount of necessary raw material titanium scrap.
The company will initially sell ferrotitanium to the China market. Since it previously produced ferromolybdenum and ferrotungsten in China, the company has close ties to its China factory and sells ferrotitanium to Europe. The company hopes to expand sales to other markets in Latin America, South Africa and Asia in the future.
As of last month, Cronimet had also started core-coated wire production at the plant. Cored wire is a low-carbon steel sheathed wire containing powder iron alloy. Compared to traditional ferroalloy blocks, cored wires reduce losses and achieve higher composition accuracy during steel production.
Founded in 1999, Cronimet Brasil is a stainless steel waste recycler in São Paulo. Subsequently, the company purchased the site for its Santa Catarina factory in 2018.
