Aluminerie Alouette

One of the world's most efficient primary metal producers. Founded in 1989, Aluminerie Alouette is committed to prepare for the future while becomming the leader in its filed.

THE MISSION
“Aluminerie Alouette, as an independent operating company, shall optimize its operations by applying world-class business principles conducive to continuous improvement of its processes and assets. As a company committed to sustainability, Alouette will maintain high safety and environmental standards, in order to be recognized as a responsible employer and corporate citizen.”

VALUES
From the very start, Alouette has been committed to building a better future by becoming the best in its field. In the area of employee relations, the Company emphasizes equal opportunities, a feeling of belonging, empowerment, personal development and, above all, respect.Our leading corporate values are communication, teamwork, versatility, a progressive attitude and professionalism. Our management approach encourages the sharing of ideas and employee participation in decision-making.Employee participation and commitment are all the more important given Alouette’s emphasis on health and safety, continuous improvement, environmental protection and social responsibility — crucial prerequisites for sustainable economic growth.

HISTORY
Major aluminum producers began to consider the idea of building a smelter at Sept-Îles as early as the 1970s. With the creation in 1985 of a new deep-water terminal at Pointe-Noire, the idea took a more tangible shape.In 1987, at the initiative of Quebec’s Société générale de financement (SGF), an international consortium was created with a view to building an aluminum smelter somewhere in Quebec. Thanks to its deep-water port, qualified manpower and proximity to major power grids, Sept-Îles was the obvious choice.

The creation of Aluminerie Alouette in Sept-Îles was officially announced on September 1, 1989. The smelter was built in less than three years and produced its first tonne of “grey gold” in June 1992.Since then our Company has undergone a major expansion. Phase II got under way in September 2002 and was completed in May 2005. It was Quebec’s largest private construction project and has become a world reference in terms of aluminum smelter construction and start-up. Thanks to this $1.4 billion investment, we increased our annual production from 245,000 to over 575,000 tonnes per year and created 393 new permanent jobs.With over 900 employees and an annual production capacity of 600,000 tonnes of primary aluminium, Alouette is the largest employer in Sept-Îles and the largest aluminium smelter in the Americas.

The company is also certified ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 17025 (laboratory quality and environmental analysis), ISO 14001 (environment), OHSAS 18001 (health and safety) and BNQ 9700-800 (prevention, promotion and organizational practices for health in workplace).Today, the Aluminerie Alouette consortium is made up of the following five shareholders: Austria Metall (Austria, 20%), Hydro Aluminium (Norway, 20%), Investissement Québec (Canada, 6.67%), Marubeni Metals & Minerals (Japan, 13.33%) and Rio Tinto (Canada, 40%).