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September 15, 2007
ALCOA IN DESCHAMBAULT: A MAJOR ECONOMIC IMPACT
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Deschambault, September 15, 2007 – “With over $300 million in annual financial spin-offs in Québec, including over $100 million in the region of Portneuf alone, Alcoa is definitely an important and essential economic player.” With evident pride, Mr. Jacques Alain, Vice-president and General Manager of the Alcoa aluminum smelter in Deschambault, underlined today the 15th anniversary of the plant in front of an audience of 200 people gathered for the celebrations.
Started-up in September 1992 after three years of construction and a colossal investment of one billion dollars, the Alcoa plant in Deschambault has earned an important place in the global aluminum industry. Roughly 630 employees (permanent and casual) ensure the daily production of nearly 700 metric tonnes of aluminum–that is over 250,000 tonnes per year–intended for various industrial segments, namely transport: bicycles, automobiles, trucks, buses, planes; construction: coatings coatings, gutters, structural elements, paint, etc.; and packaging: soda cans, aluminum foil, bags, tubes, pouches, etc.
However, beyond this impressive production, Alcoa’s Deschambault plant has distinguished itself in the development of environmental expertise, becoming in the process a world reference in the area of water management and fluoride treatment. The plant has implemented systems that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and now counts among the plants producing the lowest emissions in the world. Having earned a mention of excellence in health and safety and in environmental stewardship, Alcoa’s Deschambault smelter exports its expertise to other plants and other companies. In addition, its Centre of Excellence participates in the construction and start-up of plants located in Iceland and Norway.
“But Alcoa’s success is essentially attributable to its employees,” states Mr. Alain. “They feel very strongly not only about this acknowledged excellence, but also about the enhancement of the quality of life in their community.” In this respect, Alcoa has a special place in the heart of the people of Portneuf. It must be said that its involvement in the community is remarkable and rests on concrete partnerships. Examples of its action include grants of almost $100,000 per year to various local organizations, the distribution of 2,000 tree shoots per year, and an important contribution to Centraide.
As to the Alcoa Foundation, it has offered over $750,000 in grants since 1998, and has implemented programs to foster volunteer service among the employees, notably the ACTION et BRAVO! programs which recognize the exceptional involvement of the employees in their community.
“What we are underlining today is not only 15 years of a model plant in the industry,” concluded the Vice-president and General Manager, “but first and foremost a local community life in which we are proud to participate. If the past is any indication of what the future has in store, we can say that we are here for a long time to come.”
The Deschambault aluminum smelter has a team of 530 employees assigned to the production of roughly 250,000 metric tonnes of aluminum per year. In Québec, and in addition to the Deschambault smelter, Alcoa Canada Primary Metals includes the smelter and the aluminum rod plant in Bécancour, as well as the Alcoa smelter in Baie-Comeau. It produces over $1 billion in economic spinoffs in the province every year. In Canada, Alcoa counts over 6,000 employees and owns 25 aluminum smelters and fabricating plants that produce over 1 million metric tonnes of aluminum ingots, castings, billet and rod per year.
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