Mexican mining company Mineral Autlán resumed temporary production of manganese ferroalloys at its Gómez Palacio plant in Durango this month.
The plant, which has a production capacity of 33,000mt per year, had halted operations in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company’s sales by volume fell by 1pc to 213,900mt of ferroalloys in 2020, from 218,300mt in 2019, due to weak demand for ferroalloys especially in the first half of the year, Mineral Autlán indicated in its earnings reported to Mexico’s stock exchange (BMV).
Manganese sales in 2020, on the other hand, rose by 55pc to 193,200mt, from 124,700mt in 2019, while precious metals sales dropped by 56.1pc to 30,200 ounces in 2020, from 68,800 ounces in Q3 2019.
The company’s sales by volume in Q4 2020 rose by 1.3pc to 53,800mt, from 53,100mt in the same quarter of the previous year. Manganese sales during the quarter climbed by 498.5pc to 41,300mt, from 6,900mt in Q4 2019, while precious metals sales dropped by 63.1pc to 4,900 ounces in 4Q 2020, from 13,300 ounces in Q4 2019.
The company’s sales by value dropped by 18pc to $346.2mn in 2020, from $420.1mn in 2019, and declined to $82.4mn in Q4 2020 from $91mn in Q4 2019.
Autlán posted a net loss of $15.2mn in 2020, compared to a net loss of $12.2mn in 2019. Its net loss in Q4 2020 totaled $19.4mn slightly below a loss of $20mn in the same prior-year quarter.
The company’s Ebitda reached $68mn in 2020, from $79.3mn achieved in 2019.
($1=MXN20.94)