Outotec has opened a new office in Manila, the Philippines, as part of the company’s expansion in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. The new office was inaugurated by Stuart Sneyd, President of Outotec’s APAC region, in the presence of customers, ministries and industry associations. The Philippines is ranked as the fifth most mineralised country in the world and has some of the world’s largest resources of gold, copper and nickel. Approximately 30% of the country’s total land area is believed to contain important metallic mineral deposits. Outotec says it “is committed to helping the Philippines develop its world-class resource industry in a sustainable way. The new office in Manila will focus on serving Outotec’s customers, driving sales in the growing market, and supporting project implementation in the Philippines.”
Speaking during the event, Sneyd said, “Outotec has sold technologies for copper smelting and concentrating in the Philippines since the 1960s. Through our industry-leading technologies we want to make a strong contribution to sustainable development of the Philippines mining and metallurgical industry. Apart from the mining and metals sector, this market also offers attractive growth opportunities for Outotec in industrial water treatment and renewable energy sectors. With the opening of our Manila office, we will take our capability to deliver sustainable technology solutions and local customer support services to a whole new level in the Philippines.”
Elsewhere, in Mexico the company has has agreed with Cobre del Mayo on the delivery of full anode conversion of the Piedras Verdes copper electrowinning plant in Mexico. The delivery will include over 6,000 of the new mixed metal oxide coated titanium anodes. Cobre del Mayo’s refinery at Piedras Verdes in Sonora, the heart of Mexico’s copper production, produces approximately 30,000 t/y of copper. Outotec’s coated titanium anodes were tested on-site for nine months, and the results verified that Outotec anodes will operate at a significant reduction in energy consumption and provide higher current efficiency than traditional lead anodes. An additional benefit is elimination of lead from the whole electrowinning operation. The end result for Cobre del Mayo is higher quality copper product at lower operating costs.
“This is the fifth copper electrowinning conversion from lead anodes to Outotec coated titanium anodes in the industry. The energy efficiency benefits and lower operating costs of our anodes ensure short payback time for the investment and made it an easy choice for Cobre del Mayo”, says Robin Lindahl, head of Outotec’s Metals, Energy & Water business area. Outotec acquired the mixed metal oxide coated titanium anode business of Republic Alternative Technologies in April 2014. The acquisition complements its offerings for sustainable technologies and life-cycle solutions.