Refractories are materials that withstand extreme heat and chemical attack, retaining their strength and rigidity even at high temperatures. They enable modern life, because nothing we use to construct the world around us – steel, glass, cement, paper, or aluminum – can be produced without them.
The three main elements in the supply chain of refractory production create an extraordinary level of complexity. The first is geology – where the raw materials come from. The second is the manufacturing process itself, and the third is the logistics of supply and maintenance. Magnesite, for example, is mostly found in Russia, North Korea, and China, with just a few smaller pockets in countries like Brazil and the United States. This makes the industry highly dependent on relations with China.
As opposed to other industries where more and more raw materials are being recycled to reduce the need for virgin materials, refractory production is a “hard to abate” industry. To address the key issues of reducing waste and minimizing the need to mine new materials, the company is investing heavily in acquisitions and robotic technologies. The goal is to develop the necessary infrastructure to manage brick collection and recycling in an economically viable manner while helping to reduce CO2 emissions.