The country’s tin reserve is estimated at RM30bil.

Today, there are 13 active tin mines in Malaysia with annual production about...

Today, there are 13 active tin mines in Malaysia with annual production about 3,000 tonnes tin-in-concentrate compared with nearly 1,000 mines producing about 70,000 tonnes in the 1970s!Even though Malaysia is no longer a major tin exporter, Malaysia Smelting Corp Bhd, the country’s sole tin company, is ranked the world’s third-largest tin refiner based on its operations in Malaysia and Indonesia.Outside Indonesia and China – the two world’s largest producers – ITRI has identified mine projects with combined annual capacity of some 38,000 tonnes a year and possible projects with a capacity of around 35,000 tonnes a year.Virtually, no new projects will come on stream over the next three years and most of the ones identified are not economically viable at current tin prices trading about US$15,700 per tonne.Having said that, a return to a longer term trend growth in demand and production will largely depend on China and other emerging Asian markets, which are expected to increase their uptakes.Most of the refined tin is used in the production of solder (particularly, lead-free solder), an essential component in the manufacture of electrical and electronic (E&E) products. The other major consumers of refined tin are manufacturers of tin plate and pewter.However, despite carrying the stigma of a sunset industry, the tin industry in Malaysia is still surviving on increasing solder demand from the local E&E industries.