Mike O'Driscoll

About Mike O'Driscoll

Mike has over 30 years experience in the international mining and minerals industry, specialising in industrial minerals and markets, for which he is widely recognised as a leading expert. After serving 26 years at Industrial Minerals (IM) magazine – 17 years as Editor – Mike left IM in 2014 to pursue an independent career in the industrial minerals business, and launched IMFORMED in January 2015 with Ismene Clarke. Read more >

China’s mineral supply to global markets: dominance, diversity & disruption

COVID-19 impact continues as mineral consumers ponder future supply mind set Hand sorting high grade magnesite from the underground mine of Haicheng Haiming Mining Co. Ltd, one of Liaoning's newest state-of-the-art producers of CCM, DBM and FM. It’s happened a few times before: during the SARS outbreak of 2003, the Beijing Olympics of [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Thursday, 5 March, 2020|Newsfile|1 Comment

UPDATED Advisory: Covid-19 Virus & IMFORMED Forums 2020

Ensuring the health & safety of our attendees, exhibitors, partners, & staff is our top priority POSTPONED TO 2021: IMFORMED RENDEZVOUS | MAGFORUM | OILFIELD MINERALS FORUM | CHINA REFRACTORY MINERALS FORUM | FLUORINE FORUM (HANOI) FLUORINE FORUM 2020 REVISED PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES FOR FORUMS IMFORMED is diligently monitoring the situation, assimilating advice from relevant authorities, and [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Thursday, 27 February, 2020|Newsfile|0 Comments

Magnesia supply sector consolidates further

Refra buys QMAG to boost captive magnesia supply & eyes non-refractory markets QMAG's plant at Parkhurst, near Rockhampton has a combined production capacity of >300,000 tpa of high grade fused (FM), dead burned (DBM), and caustic calcined (CCM) magnesia. Courtesy QMAG The long awaited outcome of Sibelco’s sale of Queensland Magnesia Pty Ltd [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Wednesday, 12 February, 2020|Newsfile|2 Comments

Logistics key to industrial minerals market success – UPDATED

Port of Amsterdam is Lead Sponsor for IMFORMED Rendezvous 2021 IMFORMED is delighted to announce Port of Amsterdam as Lead Sponsor to our IMFORMED Rendezvous “Vision for Industrial Minerals”, Noordwijk-Amsterdam, 12-14 April 2021 - full details here (Note: this Forum was postponed from 6-8 April 2020). One of the primary gateways to Europe’s markets, Amsterdam has a substantial industrial [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Tuesday, 11 February, 2020|Newsfile|0 Comments

IMFORMED Rendezvous 2021 Programme – UPDATED

The Vision for Industrial Minerals IMFORMED is delighted to announce its programme for the IMFORMED Rendezvous “The Vision for Industrial Minerals”, at Noordwijk (Amsterdam), 12-14 April 2021 (Full details here).  Note: This Forum was postponed from 6-8 April 2020. We intend to retain as much as possible the original excellent programme of speakers for IMFORMED Rendezvous, 12-14 [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Wednesday, 5 February, 2020|Newsfile|0 Comments

Mineral Recycling: Today’s Waste, Tomorrow’s Resource

FINAL WEEK EARLY BIRD RATE SAVING US$500 Latest confirmed speakers ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | MINERAL SUPPLY OPPORTUNITIES  The strive towards the Circular Economy has boosted the evolution of recycling industrial waste. In turn, this has increased the potential of recycling industrial minerals from certain waste streams as technical and economic challenges in their sourcing, processing, cost, and [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Monday, 20 January, 2020|Newsfile|0 Comments

So, farewell then Industrial Minerals magazine…

…you served the industry well First issue out! October 1967: (left to right) Peter Rowbotham, first Editor, IM; Mike Cordero, Production Manager; Peter Church, Circulation Manager; Brian Orbell, Advertisement Manager. The end of an era for those in the mineral media world. The October-November 2019 issue of Industrial Minerals magazine marked its final [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Friday, 13 December, 2019|Newsfile|2 Comments

2020 Vision for Industrial Minerals

Announcing IMFORMED 2020 Forums - Mark your Diaries Mineral Recycling | Global Outlook | Magnesia | Oilfield | Fluorine | China Refractories IMFORMED is delighted to announce an exciting portfolio of high profile conferences for 2020, providing the global industrial minerals business with topical and informative speaker presentations combined with invaluable networking opportunities to develop your [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Thursday, 5 December, 2019|Newsfile|0 Comments

India’s mineral markets potential dances to the Bollywood Beat

Indian Minerals & Markets Forum 2019 Review They call it the “City of Dreams”, or Mayanagri: Mumbai, rich in history and trade, is India’s financial and business hub as well as home to Bollywood. Last week the city was host to a major gathering of international leading lights of the industrial minerals sector attending IMFORMED’s [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Thursday, 28 November, 2019|Newsfile|1 Comment

Fluorspar market outlook: Pitch-perfect in Prague

 Fluorine Forum 2019 Review The great and the good of the global fluorine raw material supply chain gathered in Prague last month for an excellent three days of high profile presentations, discussion, and invaluable networking. IMFORMED’s Fluorine Forum 2019, 21-23 October, was held at the centrally located and iconic Alcron Hotel in Prague. Now in [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:17+00:00Thursday, 14 November, 2019|Newsfile|0 Comments