Ensure bauxite industry survives - Linmine top man urges workers Guyana Chronicle January 4, 2000 CHIEF Executive Officer of the Linden Mining Enterprise (Linmine), Mr Horace James has advised employees to put in place plans to ensure the bauxite industry survives as the government continues its search for a joint venture partner. Such a partner must bring to the table a sound business plan for the continued operation of the firm with the new markets and an ability to recapitalise the industry, he said. In his year-end message, James said sales targets for this year were significantly higher than the 1999 achievements but can be met. The company plans to produce 150,000 tonnes RASC (Refractory A-grade Super Calcine), 130,000 tonnes MAZ (Metallurgical `A' Grade), 25,000 tonnes CGB (Chemical Grade) and 50,000 tonnes TCG (Tailings Grade) bauxite. Linmine had some 80 per cent of the RASC market/world market during the 1970s but due to the downturn of the industry it has had only a 15 per cent share in recent times. James also reported that after half a decade of not producing MAZ, Linmine during the last quarter of last year reopened the Dakoura mine on the west bank of Linden. So far two barge loads of 6,000 tons MAZ bauxite were sold to Alcoa and Alcan and over the Christmas holidays between two to three more barge loads were to have been transferred to the Berbice Mining Enterprise (Bermine) transshipment storage facility for sale to Alcan. James noted that Linmine was always a better performer when it produced multiple products. With these new developments the top bauxite official said that during this year, "we cannot allow the operations to come to a standstill hoping to regroup in the future". He cited the defunct alumina plant at Linden as a prime example, cautioning that if that happened, it will be extremely difficult to restart the industry once the wheels grind to a halt. James explained that Linmine has both natural and human resources, enough to turn the bauxite industry around and pointed out that its product development unit has done kiln runs on several Alumino Silicate materials found in the mines at Linden. Samples of these and specifications were sent to several customers throughout the world and so far one Australian firm has ordered 1,000 tonnes of one product called GUYCAL 55. According to James, "this can very well signal the turnaround of the industry." (JOE CHAPMAN) A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples