Colin Pratt, Associate Consultant, CRU Consulting, London
Colin has spent the over 45 years working in commodity market analysis, most of them with CRU. He was a Director in CRU Analysis  and managed both the Aluminium and Copper businesses. He also spent over 15 years as a Managing Consultant in CRU Consulting working on a variety of strategic consulting assignments across the metals and fertiliser industries.  Colin also spent three years as Assistant Secretary in the Papua New Guinea Minerals and Energy Department dealing with issues related to the Ok Tedi development and the Bougainville Copper mine, as well as other mining and petroleum agreements.

10:00

08:00

Module 1: Introduction

An introduction to copper, and copper in context of other materials and metals  

10:36

Module 2: Production – mine and smelter fundamentals 

•  Are the greats discovered? Is the world running out?

•  What is the long-run trend in industry grades – and does it matter?

•  Where do different technologies and orebody/mining types fit competitively?

 Module 3: Concentrates and by-products 

•  What happened to price participation (and was its demise a good thing?)

•  When was the last (and when might be the next) smelting bottleneck? Why does it matter?

•  Are dirty/low grade concentrates a problem? How can the industry adjust?

10:00

08:00

Module 4: Copper cathode price setting mechanisms, physical contracts, LME & other exchanges and premiums 

•  Why are prices set on the LME? Is this a good/bad thing? What are the alternatives?

•  Why does the LME provide warehousing? Why don’t producers deliver all of their product to exchanges?

•  Why do premiums exist? What drives premiums? What effect to they have on consumers?

•  What role does strategic stocking in China play?

•  What happens in a squeeze? 

10:50

Module 5: Demand fundamentals – end uses and short & long-run drivers of consumption 

•  Will the rise of the circular economy significantly dent the demand for primary copper in the long-term?

•  Has Chinese demand intensity peaked?

•  Do EVs make a material difference?

12:10

10:10  

Module 6: Short and Long-run economics (cost structures, price cycle drivers, long-run price formation)  

10:00

08:00

Module 7: Strategic issues – Industry structure, strategy and long-run value creation  

10:25

10:35

08:35