Almonty Industries, Palantir, Rheinmetall - Stocks soar on innovative technologies

Almonty Industries - Commissioning of Spanish tungsten mine in Q3/23

The metal tungsten finds application in hip industries. In metal processing, it is used to produce tools and drills. In particular, the increased demand for raw materials for the energy transition is causing this industry to boom. Another use is in the electric motors of vehicles, as tungsten contributes to increasing motor performance as a component of high-performance magnets. In aerospace, tungsten is used for engines and rockets. Thus, companies such as BYD or Rheinmetall benefit from this valuable raw material.

Almonty Industries, based in Toronto, Canada, is a company that is an expert in mining, processing and shipping tungsten concentrate. Under the leadership of CEO Lewis Black, Almonty Industries operates mines in western Spain (Los Santos Mine) and Portugal (Panasqueira Mine). **In addition, the Company is developing the Sangdong tungsten mine in Gangwon Province, South Korea, and the Valtreixal tin/tungsten project in northwest Spain.

In recent months, the team has focused mainly on the reopening of the Sangdong mine in South Korea. In the process, the engineers on site are using a pilot tool from the floating technology category to mine particularly fine rock as efficiently as possible. Thanks to the excellent results, this technology is now also being used in the European Los Santos Mine.

CEO Black commented: "We have now successfully demonstrated that our Sangdong process can economically process the Los Santos tailings, and with a minimal adjustment to the existing flotation circuit at Los Santos, we will now begin planning for the resumption of production at the Los Santos mine.

Almonty Industries plans to resume production probably in the third quarter of 2023, depending on delivery times for certain parts of the flotation plant. These parts are usually readily available. The company plans to recover the tails to recover more than 800,000 MTUs of WO3 (tungsten oxide) from the company's sands and torta. The average total tails grade is 0.14%, according to the Company's latest JORC report. The estimated capital expenditure for the Los Santos mine is expected to be less than EUR 1.2 million.

Fashion Victim Palantir: Shares shoot up thanks to share purchase by Cathie Wood

Since the tech sector took a beating, US investor Cathy Woods and her ARK ETFs, known for her penchant for disruptive innovation and tech companies, have been quiet. At times, the prices of her funds were down more than 60% since the all-time high three years ago. Wood and her ARK Investment Management LLC are the epitome of digital transformation in areas such as genomics, robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles.

Wood continues to buy Palantir shares for her ARK investment. In her various funds, such as ARK's Innovation ETF, Fintech ETF and Next Generation ETF, she recently purchased Palantir shares worth over EUR 3.7 million. Already in the weeks before, ARK Investment purchased Palantir shares worth EUR 1.16 million through several funds. Palantir's shares have risen by more than 50% in the last month following its first-quarter results. The Company's largest shareholder is Vanguard, with 164.44 million shares. Founder Peter Thiel is the second largest shareholder of Palantir shares, followed by BlackRock.

Palantir relies on AI-powered platform technology. This week, global retailer C&A announced the development of an integrated management flow system based on the Palantir Foundry platform. The software will help C&A increase the agility and speed of inventory management by providing alerts on replenishing best-selling items and optimizing the Company's supply chain.

The fashion industry generates 13 million tonnes of waste annually, the volume of which is expected to increase by 60% between 2015 and 2030. Overproduction by manufacturers is a major contributor: Each season, 30% of the garments produced go unsold, resulting in losses of over USD 500 billion.

C&A operates more than 1,300 shops in Europe, about 300 in Brazil, and its online shops. In order to meet the demands of retail, better insights into sales figures and customer preferences are needed. This is where artificial intelligence comes into play, using data and analytics to forecast fashion. This includes using research to predict future buying habits, both long-term and short-term.

E-Mobility: Rheinmetall turns the kerb into a charging station

Rheinmetall, the city of Cologne and TankE GmbH are launching a pilot project to install kerbside charging infrastructure in Cologne. The aim of the project is to integrate and test the charging kerbs for electric cars developed by Rheinmetall at two different locations to check acceptance and urban planning benefits. The city recently signed a letter of intent and the pilot is scheduled to start in summer 2023.

By integrating the charging electronics into the kerb, the kerb effectively becomes a 'charging point' without the usual restrictions associated with conventional charging points. The charging infrastructure is crucial in promoting electromobility as part of the mobility transition.

In order to achieve the German government's ambitious target of 15 million electric vehicles by 2030, the charging infrastructure must grow accordingly to cope with the increasing number of electric vehicles. It is estimated that around 1 million public charging points will be needed in Germany by 2030. However, where exactly the electricity for this is to come from is unclear due to the abstruse energy policy of the current government.

Furthermore, city planning has not yet provided for the expansion of charging stations. Rheinmetall, however, has an intelligent solution for the current cityscape. The Company makes intelligent use of the existing urban infrastructure and transforms the kerb into a charging pole with equivalent charging power. It is a modular charging kerb that can charge up to 22 kW alternating current (AC) and can be seamlessly integrated into existing backend systems and charging system structures, thanks to the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP).

This robust solution enables almost unlimited installation and scalability in urban areas. Rheinmetall's solution can therefore be installed in urban areas almost without restriction and offers high scalability.

According to Rheinmetall, entire streets or car parks could be prepared to integrate charging kerbs, reducing installation costs through planning, approval and construction synergies. Dummy kerbs are initially installed at the desired charging locations, and the electronic modules can be added later if required.

Almonty Industries is moving forward with the reopening of its Los Santos mine, with plans to resume production in the third quarter of 2023. The Company's expertise in mining and processing tungsten concentrate positions it to capitalize on the growing demand for the metal across a range of industries, including metalworking, electric vehicles and aerospace. Palantir is practising in the fashion world, helping global fashion chain C&A get up to speed digitally to replenish stock in a timely manner and avoid misproduction. Rheinmetall is assisting in e-mobility with the conversion of kerbside charging stations to advance the infrastructure in cities for the expansion of electric mobility. With its innovative modular charging stations, Rheinmetall offers a scalable solution that fits seamlessly into the existing infrastructure. This approach reduces installation costs and provides a robust and adaptable charging infrastructure for electromobility in cities.