A “Made In Quebec” Initiative

Major aluminium producers started to consider the idea of a facility in Sept-Îles as early as the 1970s. With the creation in 1985 of a new deep-water terminal at Pointe-Noire, the idea soon took shape.

In 1987, at the initiative of Quebec’s Société générale de financement (SGF), an international consortium was created with a vision to build an aluminium 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 setting up of Aluminerie Alouette in Sept-Iles was officially announced on September 1st, 1989. ALUMINERIE ALOUETTE produced its first tonne of “grey gold” in June 1992.

Our company’s growth has started with the Phase II expansion project, for which the green light was given in September 2002 and was completed in May 2005. Alouette Phase II was then Quebec’s largest private construction project.

With an investment of $1.4 billion, our annual production has risen from 245,000 to more than 575,000 tpy and 340 new permanent jobs have been created at the smelter. Alouette his currently employing close to 1000 people and his the largest aluminium smelter in the Americas and the 5th largest in the world.

Today, the Aluminerie Alouette consortium is made up of the following five shareholders: Rio Tinto Alcan (Canada, 40%), Austria Metall (Austria, 20%), Hydro Aluminium (Norway, 20%), SGF (Quebec, 13.33%) and Marubeni (Japan, 6.67%).

Our Values and Mission

Alouette is committed to building a better future by remaining a world leader in cost effective primary smelting. In the field of employee relations, the Company underwrites equal opportunity, a sense of belonging, empowerment, personal development and above all, respect.

Our leading corporate values and basis of our corporate culture 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.

Mission Statement

Alouette’s Mission Statement reflects the company’s commitment to excellence, to its employees and to the community.