Accidental Fire Leads to Rectification and Production Halt at Hunan Zhenqiang Antimony Industry [SMM Report]

On January 27, according to an official announcement from Hunan Zhenqiang Antimony Industry Co., Ltd., a severe fire broke out in the factory last night due to aging electrical wiring. After overnight firefighting and inspection, there is currently no further fire hazard in the factory. However, the fire extensively damaged the factory buildings and rendered the blast furnaces and reverberatory furnaces inoperable, halting production. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in this incident. It is understood that, at the request of relevant municipal government departments, Hunan Zhenqiang Antimony Industry must suspend operations for rectification. Relevant personnel within the factory also stated that, with the suspension for rectification and equipment maintenance, the shutdown period for Hunan Zhenqiang Antimony Industry is expected to last at least two months, impacting antimony ingot production by more than 2,000 mt. Market analysts noted that, as one of the major private enterprises in Lengshuijiang City, Hunan, a two-month-long shutdown could potentially lead to a decrease in the overall domestic antimony production.