Rio Tinto takes three French sites for sale

The British-Australian Rio Tinto will again separate from assets of its aluminum, after a "strategic review", designed to refocus the giant diversified mining assets of the "most profitable".These divestments will take place gradually as opportunities arise. According to Tom Albanese, Rio Tinto boss, "these assets are of good quality and well managed, but are no longer part of the strategy of the company."As a preliminary, six assets located in Australia and New Zealand will be consolidated into a new structure (Pacific Aluminium) and managed independently of the group prior to sale.A second group of assets, "non-strategic", leaving the perimeter, three aluminum plants and specialty aluminas site Gardanne in France and Germany, but also the Sebree smelter in the United States and Lynemouth that of the UK.
Regarding the site of Gardanne, opened in 1893 to exploit the bauxite into alumina and (650 000 tonnes per year), it would be the third change of control in less than ten years after the takeover of Pechiney Alcan (2003) and that of Alcan by Rio Tinto (2007).The establishment of Gardanne, which currently has 464 employees, including the production site (374 employees and 29 administrative), the Engineering Center (44 employees) and a Technical Assistance Center (17 employees) for plants alumina.
Moreover, in France, are also affected plants Beyrède-Jumet, in the Hautes-Pyrenees (about 80 employees).The plant, built in 1906, is the second largest supplier in Europe of brown corundum uses high-performance abrasives (grinding wheels, canvas and paper, surface treatment) and for monolithic and shaped refractory and that of the Bath, Savoie (130 employees end 2010).The plant in the Bath, which produced its first abrasive in 1911, specializes in the production of white corundum. It is unique in Europe!