On 27 August 2024, ITA CEO Helen Prins, Market Analyst Freddie Mitchell, and Technologist Georgia Laurie visited Thyssenkrupp’s tinplate plant in Andernach, Germany.
ITA was hosted by Thyssenkrupp’s Vice President of Procurement Klaus Roos, Head of Raw Materials Procurement and Warehouse Management Jochen Zenz, and Purchaser Kerstin Vitale, who took ITA staff on a tour of Germany’s only tinplate plant.
Thyssenkrupp is Germany’s largest consumer of refined tin, and its Andernach plant is the world’s largest single tinplate plant with a production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year, making the company an important user of refined tin serving a market of over 80 countries.
The day consisted of discussions regarding responsible sourcing, including the standards and scope of ITA’s Tin Code, global tinplate demand and trade, and recycling trends. ITA received a tour of the plant to see the process from hot rolling of steel and recasting of tin ingots into anodes through to electrolytic tinplating—a process invented by Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein in 1934.
Sustainability is a key focus for Thyssenkrupp, and the company was recently nominated for an award for its use of ‘bluemint’ steel in tinplating which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 69% compared to conventional tinplate. The company intends to fully decarbonize its primary steel route by 2045 with its Duisburg site planned for conversion from blast furnaces and coal to direct reduction plants and green hydrogen in 2027.
We thank Thyssenkrupp for their openness and generous hospitality. ITA represents producers of tin worldwide and remains committed to engaging with market participants across the whole value chain.