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 >

Are you on the Magnesia Map? NEW 2024 EDITION PUBLISHED!

Magnesia World Sources Map® Primary world sources & production capacity of key magnesia raw materials Magnesite | Caustic calcined magnesia | Dead burned magnesia | Fused magnesia | Magnesium hydroxide | Brucite | Huntite | Dunite | Olivine | Kieserite Distributed to attendees at all IMFORMED conferences and all relevant industry events | Extra print & PDF copies for sale In the supply [...]

By |2024-05-28T06:39:14+00:00Tuesday, 13 February, 2024|Newsfile|Comments Off on Are you on the Magnesia Map? NEW 2024 EDITION PUBLISHED!

Squaring the Circle: Challenges & opportunities in recycling refractory minerals

“Squaring the circle” is a problem in geometry that was first proposed in Greek mathematics. The expression “squaring the circle” is also sometimes used as a metaphor for trying to do the “impossible”, and can also mean to bring together two things which are normally thought to be so different that they cannot exist together [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Wednesday, 31 January, 2024|Newsfile|Comments Off on Squaring the Circle: Challenges & opportunities in recycling refractory minerals

Let IMFORMED bring the mineral markets together for you in 2024

REFRACTORIES | RECYCLING | MAGNESIA | BARITE | OILFIELD | FLUORINE | CHINA | SALT As IMFORMED nears its ninth anniversary, Mike and Ismene would like to thank all our customers, sponsors, friends, and families for their unstinting support during 2023. We considered 2023 to be the first "normal" year post-pandemic as most delegates were able to [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Tuesday, 2 January, 2024|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Let IMFORMED bring the mineral markets together for you in 2024

Oilfield minerals outlook

Review of Oilfield Minerals & Markets Forum 2023, Houston, 9-11 May And a new format announced for 2024! Industrial minerals remain essential ingredients to all oil and gas drilling operations. While the large volume workhorse minerals such as barite, bentonite, and silica sand are in constant demand, different drilling requirements and challenging environments demand performance [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Thursday, 7 December, 2023|Newsfile|1 Comment

Salt market meets in Namibia!

Salt Forum 2023 takes place in Swakopmund A spectacular week concluded earlier in November discussing salt supply and demand amid networking with the world’s leading players at IMFORMED’s Salt Forum 2023, Swakopmund, 6-9 November. This was just our second Salt Forum following the inaugural event in Hamburg last year (see Salt market to grow as [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Tuesday, 28 November, 2023|Newsfile|Comments Off on Salt market meets in Namibia!

Fluorine Forum 2023 breaks records in Mandelieu-La-Napoule

IMFORMED’s largest event to date for the global fluorine raw materials market last week saw 200 attendees network and listen to a packed programme of expert speakers at Fluorine Forum 2023, at the Pullman Cannes Mandelieu, 16-18 October. Topics included fluorspar market overview, shipping and logistics, China, Mongolia, potential new sources from Australia, Germany, Italy, [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Monday, 23 October, 2023|Newsfile|1 Comment

MFG diversifies into refractory market supplying chromite & magnesia with new branch MFG Materia

Raw material producer and trader to the foundry and steel industry Metall-und Ferrolegierungsgesellschaft mbH Hafner, Blondin &Tidou (MFG), based in Meerbusch, Germany, has diversified into supplying chromite and refractory raw materials by launching a new subsidiary, MFG Materia GmbH based in its new location Lübeck, near Hamburg, Germany. Title Image Conveying Chromite: Bauba Resources’ Moeijelijk [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Monday, 23 October, 2023|Newsfile|Comments Off on MFG diversifies into refractory market supplying chromite & magnesia with new branch MFG Materia

Refractories Feast in Frankfurt!

Big thanks to the UNITECR 2023 organisers for putting on a terrific show last week. It was fabulous to meet our customers, contacts, & make new friends from the refractories world. IMFORMED thanks all those who stopped by our stand, attended the recycling panel, and Mike O’Driscoll’s presentation “Squaring the Circle: Recycling Refractory Minerals – [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Monday, 2 October, 2023|Newsfile|Comments Off on Refractories Feast in Frankfurt!

Hot dates for hot topics in refractories

CALL FOR PAPERS | SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBIT OPPORTUNITIES   XII European Congress of Refractory Raw Materials, Machinery & Installation Meliá Lebreros, Seville, 13-14 March 2024 Co-organised by ANFRE, Spain (National Association of Manufacturers of Refractories, Materials and Related Services) and IMFORMED, this will be a stimulating conference focusing on key aspects of the refractory raw [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Friday, 22 September, 2023|Newsfile|Comments Off on Hot dates for hot topics in refractories

Magnesia Amore at Maggiore | Supply & Market Outlook

Review of MagForum 2023, Baveno, Italy The shores of beautiful Lake Maggiore at Baveno hosted the largest and most successful MagForum to date. Some 230 international attendees from across the supply chain of the magnesia raw materials industry gathered in late May to network and learn of the latest market trends and developments. Certainly, there [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:12+00:00Thursday, 21 September, 2023|Newsfile|1 Comment