tin............ is going ballistic again , page-23

Mike , I don't know where you get the idea that the previous use for tin ie plating has all but disappeared.If u go to Woollies its easy to find them tincans all over the place .Tin is one of the few stable ,non toxic metals that can be used for food packaging .Tin cans are not tin ,but plated steel,and the cost is minor per can.Packaging demand will rise in line with world population increases .The percentage of use for tin has changed due to lead being banned from use in in solder in many countries for environmental reasons.This is a step change that will never be reversed.I believe that some products that still use lead will eventually be forced down that path also .
I also believe there is huge growth taking place in electricity generation that has barely begun. China and Africa are suffering power blackouts and need more power . Huge amounts of copper will be used to expand power networks and where ever copper is used solder will be needed .That brings us to electric cars . more solder will be needed in electric cars ,and can be expected to grow exponentially for many years.
Chinas demand for tin is expected to grow at over 10% for the next 3 years at least.the question is ,can supply keep up?
High prices will need to be sustained before lower grade deposits will be mined ,and as most tin deposits are relatively small ,are not worth spending the large capital costs without some price certainty.
One of the main reasons Indonesia is capping exports is because their tin reserves would run out in 15- 20 years.That's a shockingly short time frame for one of the worlds top producers.
Its only a matter of time before a major supply crunch .
I think this will dawn on many within the next few years ,and while prices will fluctuate ,I expect tin to be increasingly seen as a strategically important metal ,and priced accordingly.