Noront is in good company.
posted on
Dec 13, 2011 01:50PM
NI 43-101 Update (September 2012): 11.1 Mt @ 1.68% Ni, 0.87% Cu, 0.89 gpt Pt and 3.09 gpt Pd and 0.18 gpt Au (Proven & Probable Reserves) / 8.9 Mt @ 1.10% Ni, 1.14% Cu, 1.16 gpt Pt and 3.49 gpt Pd and 0.30 gpt Au (Inferred Resource)
It's funny.
Before Baosteel bought 9.9% of Noront..quite frankly ..I never heard about this company. I didn't know they were the 2nd largest steel company in the world
Now, it seems no matter where I look I see ..this company and can't help but be in awe of them.
Take a company like Allegheny Technologies Inc. , for instance. Ticker symbol is ATI. They are located in Pittsburg, PA, USA
Here's a blurb about them.
Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) is one of the largest and most diversified specialty metals producers in the world with revenues of approximately $5.0 billion for the last 12 months. ATI has approximately 11,300 full-time employees world-wide who use innovative technologies to offer growing global markets a wide range of specialty metals solutions.
Our major markets are aerospace and defense, chemical process industry/oil and gas, electrical energy, medical, automotive, food equipment and appliance, machine and cutting tools, and construction and mining.
Our products include titanium and titanium alloys, nickel-based alloys and superalloys, grain-oriented electrical steel, stainless and specialty steels, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tungsten materials, forgings, castings, and fabrication and machining capabilities.
Our buddies at Goldman Sachs (Also know as Goldman USA Government ) own 2% of the outstanding shares of this company Allegheny .
Here's a news link from 05-07-2011 about how ATI , is part of Obama's 500 million dollar manufacturing program.
http://aciers.free.fr/index.php/2011/07/05/ati-joins-obamas-program-us/
you're probably wondering where I am going with this??
Allegheny, Goldman Sachs, Obama, ......
When you read the Allegheny Technologies description below, you Notice this blaring in your face:
"Our Flat-Rolled Products segment produces, converts and distributes stainless steel, nickel-based alloys and superalloys, titanium and titanium-based alloys and specialty alloys, in a variety of product forms, including plate, sheet, engineered strip, and Precision Rolled Strip® products, as well as grain-oriented electrical steel sheet. ....... The operations in this segment are ATI Allegheny Ludlum, the Chinese joint venture company known as Shanghai STAL Precision Stainless Steel Company Limited (STAL), in which we hold a 60% interest, and our 50% interest in the industrial titanium joint venture known as Uniti LLC. The remaining 40% interest in STAL is owned by the Baosteel Group, a state authorized investment company whose equity securities are publicly traded in the People’s Republic of China"
Baosteel mentioned the Noront buy -in as a means to secure supply. Once Noront is in production you marvel as to where the goods will end up and for what use. I betcha Goldman Sachs knows about Noront!
Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) is a Delaware corporation with its principal executive offices located at 1000 Six PPG Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-5479, telephone number (412) 394-2800, Internet website address http://www.atimetals.com. Our Business
Allegheny Technologies is one of the largest and most diversified specialty metals producers in the world. We use innovative technologies to offer growing global markets a wide range of specialty metals solutions. Our products include titanium and titanium alloys, nickel-based alloys and superalloys, zirconium, hafnium and niobium, advanced powder alloys, stainless and specialty steel alloys, grain-oriented electrical steel, tungsten-based materials and cutting tools, carbon alloy impression die forgings, and large grey and ductile iron castings. Our specialty metals are produced in a wide range of alloys and product forms and are selected for use in applications that demand metals having exceptional hardness, toughness, strength, resistance to heat, corrosion or abrasion, or a combination of these characteristics. We focus our technological and unsurpassed manufacturing capabilities to serve global end use markets with highly diversified and specialized product offerings. Strategic end use markets for our products include: Aerospace and Defense. We are a world leader in the production of premium titanium alloys, nickel-based and cobalt-based alloys and superalloys, and vacuum-melted specialty alloys used in the manufacture of components for both commercial and military jet engines, as well as replacement parts for those engines. We also produce titanium alloys, vacuum-melted specialty alloys, and high-strength stainless alloys for use in commercial and military airframes, airframe components and missiles. ATI produces unique titanium and high-hard steel alloys as well as engineered parts and castings for the current and next-generation armored vehicles. Titanium and titanium alloys are critical metals in aerospace and defense applications. Titanium and titanium alloys possess an extraordinary combination of properties, including superior strength-to-weight ratio, good elevated temperature resistance, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and extreme corrosion resistance. These metals are used to produce jet engine components such as blades, vanes, discs, and casings, and airframe components such as structural members, landing gear, hydraulic systems, and fasteners. The latest and next-generation airframes and jet engines use even more titanium and titanium alloys in component parts in order to minimize weight and maximize fuel efficiency. Our nickel-based alloys and superalloys and specialty alloys are also widely used in aerospace and defense applications. Nickel-based alloys and superalloys remain extremely strong at high temperatures and resist degradation under extreme conditions. Typical aerospace applications for nickel-based alloys and superalloys include jet engine shafts, discs, blades, vanes, rings and casings. Our recently acquired powder metals business is a supplier of nickel-based superalloy powder products for use in jet engines and other critical applications. Advanced powder metal engineered products are preferred for certain near-net-shape parts that require complex alloy chemistries. Our specialty alloys include vacuum-melted maraging steels used in the manufacture of aircraft landing gear and structural components, as well as jet engine components. ATI also offers tungsten cutting tools and machining solutions for difficult-to-machine specialty metals, such as titanium alloys, nickel-based superalloys, and specialty alloys used in airframe, jet engine, and armor applications. We continuously seek to develop new alloys to better serve the needs of this end use market. For example, we have developed ATI 425® alloy, a new cold-rollable alloy, as a lower cost alternative to the most popular high-strength titanium alloys, for use in airframe components. We have also developed Allvac 718 Plus® alloy, a new nickel-based superalloy that can withstand higher temperatures than the standard 718 superalloy, for use in legacy jet engines and the next generation of fuel efficient jet engines. ATI 425® — MIL cold-rollable titanium is an innovative new armor alloy that has the advantage of superior formability as compared to conventional high-strength titanium alloys. ATI 500 — MIL™ high-hard steel armor is an innovative armor material that meets the demanding specifications for superior ballistic performance and is easier to fabricate than similar armor materials. Demand for our products by the aerospace and defense market has increased significantly over the last several years, but decreased since the onset of the current global recession in 2009. Based on current forecasts and existing backlogs reported by the two manufacturers of large commercial aircraft, we expect demand in this market to gradually and steadily improve in 2010 and recover to stronger growth beginning in 2011. Oil and Gas and Chemical Process Industry. The environments in which oil and gas can be found in commercial quantities have become more challenging, involving deep offshore wells, high pressure and temperature conditions, sour wells and unconventional sources, such as shale gas, liquid natural gas, and oil sands. Future challenging offshore environments are expected to be in remote locations that are further off the continental shelf, including arctic and tropic locations, often one mile or more below the water’s surface. The metal requirements for equipment, projected to operate for up to 30 years in these environments, requires the specialty metals that we produce. All of our business segments produce specialty metals products that are critical to the oil and gas industry and the chemical process industry. Our specialty metals, including titanium and titanium alloys, nickel-based alloys, zirconium alloys, stainless and duplex alloys and other specialty alloys, have the strength and corrosion resistant properties necessary for difficult environments. Global demand for these materials has been increasing in recent years, particularly in growing markets in Asia, Middle East, North Africa and South America. We also provide advanced specialty metals used in offshore oil and gas production, including subsea piping systems and topside structures. We have developed ATI2003® and ATI 2102™ lean duplex alloys for use in deep-water oil and gas applications. Our full line of duplex alloys and AL-6XN® superaustenitic stainless steel in strip and plate product forms are NORSOK qualified. The NORSOK standards are developed by the Norwegian petroleum industry and are intended to identify metals used in oil and gas applications that are safe and cost-effective. Our Datalloy®2 non-magnetic stainless is used for drill collars that enable the most advanced directional drilling techniques to be guided to the exact position desired for the reservoir. Tungsten is the most dense and heat resistant metal commercially available. One application for our tungsten products is oil and gas drill bit inserts and bodies. As drilling methods such as horizontal drilling become more complex, our advanced tungsten carbide materials are often specified in order to enable faster drilling and longer drill bit life. Electrical Energy. Our specialty metals are widely used in the global electric power generation and distribution industry. We believe that U.S. and European energy needs and environmental policies and the electrification of developing countries will continue to drive demand for our specialty metals products that we sell for use in this industry. For electrical power generation, our specialty metals, corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs) and ductile iron castings are used in coal, nuclear, natural gas, and wind power applications. In coal-fired plants, our CRAs are used for pipe, tube, and heat exchanger applications in water systems in addition to the pollution control scrubbers. Our CRAs are also used in water systems for nuclear power plants. For nuclear power plants, we are an industry pioneer in producing reactor-grade zirconium and hafnium alloys used in nuclear fuel cladding and structural components. We are a technology leader for large diameter nickel-based superalloys used in natural gas land-based turbines for power generation. For “green” energy generation, our alloys are used for solar and geothermal applications. We are also one of a few U.S. producers of very large ductile iron castings used for wind turbines. Nuclear power plants are a clean source of electrical energy, and plans to construct and refurbish nuclear power plants have been announced in many areas of the world. ATI is a premier supplier of certified nuclear-grade alloys and specialty alloys for applications that range from the reactor core to steam water systems to spent-fuel storage, transportation and repository activities. ATI has a track record in the nuclear energy market that dates to the first commercial nuclear energy reactor built in the United States. We are investing to expand our production capabilities and capacity to support expected growth of the nuclear energy market. For electrical power distribution, our grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) is used in large and small power transformers, where electrical conductivity and magnetic properties are important. We believe that demand for these advanced specialty metals is in the early stage of an expected long growth cycle as the U.S. rebuilds its electrical energy distribution grid and as developing countries electrify and build electrical power distribution grids. Beginning January 1, 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requires more efficient transformers, which increases premium grade GOES usage per transformer. ATI is a leading producer of these premium grades of GOES. Medical. ATI’s advanced specialty metals are used in medical device products that save and enhance the quality of lives. Our zirconium-niobium, titanium-and cobalt-based alloys are used for knees, hips and other prosthetic devices. These replacement devices offer the potential of lasting much longer than previous implant options. Our biocompatible nickel-titanium shape memory alloy is used for stents to support collapsed or clogged blood vessels. Reduced in diameter for insertion, these stents expand to the original tube-like shape due to the metal’s superelasticity. Our ultra fine diameter (0.002 inch/0.051 mm) titanium wire is used for screens to prevent blood clots from entering critical areas of the body. In addition, our titanium bar and wire are used to make surgical screws for bone repairs. Manufacturers of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices rely on our niobium superconducting wire to help produce electromagnetic fields that allow physicians to safely scan the body’s soft tissue. In addition, our tungsten heavy alloy materials are used for shielding applications in MRI devices. Enhancing and Expanding Our Manufacturing Capabilities and Capacity. Demand for our products from the aerospace and defense, oil and gas, chemical process industry, electrical energy, and medical markets increased significantly over the last several years. We are currently undertaking a multi-phase program to enhance and expand our capabilities and capacities to produce premium specialty metals aimed at these strategic markets. Over the last five years we have invested approximately $1.8 billion of internally generated funds to renew and expand our annual titanium sponge production capabilities to approximately 46 million pounds; expand our premium titanium alloy melt and remelt capacity; expand our nickel-based alloy and superalloy melt and remelt capacity; expand our titanium and specialty alloy plate capacity; expand our premium titanium and nickel-based superalloy forging capacity; and double the capacity of our reactor-grade zirconium sponge capacity to 8 million pounds. We believe these investments strengthen and enhance ATI’s leadership position in the production of high technology specialty metals. Business Segments High Performance Metals Segment Our High Performance Metals segment produces, converts and distributes a wide range of high performance alloys, including nickel- and cobalt-based alloys and superalloys, titanium and titanium-based alloys, exotic metals such as zirconium, hafnium, niobium, nickel-titanium, and their related alloys, and other specialty alloys, primarily in long product forms such as ingot, billet, bar, shapes and rectangles, rod, wire, seamless tube, and castings. We also produce nickel-based alloys and superalloys, titanium alloys, and specialty metal powders, and semi-finished near-net-shape products from these advanced powder alloys. We are integrated from raw materials (sponge) to melt, remelt, and finish processing in our titanium and titanium alloys, and zirconium and hafnium alloys products. The major end markets served by our High Performance Metals segment are aerospace and defense, oil and gas, chemical process industry, electrical energy, and medical. Most of the products in our High Performance Metals segment are sold directly to end-use customers. A significant portion of our High Performance Metals segment products are sold under multi-year agreements. The operating units in this segment are ATI Allvac, ATI Allvac Ltd (U.K.), ATI Wah Chang, and ATI Powder Metals. Approximately 65% of High Performance Metals segment revenue is derived from the aerospace and defense market. Demand for our products is driven primarily by the commercial aerospace cycle and the growing use of our specialty metals, particularly titanium alloys, in the latest and future generations of airframes and jet engines. Large aircraft and aircraft engines are manufactured by a small number of companies, such as The Boeing Company, Airbus S.A.S. (an EADS company), Bombardier Aerospace (a division of Bombardier Inc.), and Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A.) for airframes, and GE — Aviation (a division of General Electric Company), Pratt & Whitney (a United Technologies Corp. company), Rolls-Royce plc, Snecma (SAFRAN Group), and various joint ventures for jet engines. These companies and their suppliers form a substantial part of our customer base in this business segment. ATI supplies the aerospace and defense supply chain with nickel- and cobalt-based alloys and superalloys, titanium alloys, vacuum-melted specialty alloys, and advanced powder alloys for commercial and military jet engines, both original engines and spare parts. For commercial and military airframe and structural parts, ATI manufactures titanium alloys, vacuum-melted specialty alloys, and high-strength stainless alloys. The loss of one or more of our customers in the aerospace and defense market could have a material adverse effect on ATI’s results of operations and financial condition. Flat-Rolled Products Segment Our Flat-Rolled Products segment produces, converts and distributes stainless steel, nickel-based alloys and superalloys, titanium and titanium-based alloys and specialty alloys, in a variety of product forms, including plate, sheet, engineered strip, and Precision Rolled Strip® products, as well as grain-oriented electrical steel sheet. The major end markets for our flat-rolled products are oil and gas, chemical process industry, electrical energy, automotive, food equipment and appliances, machine and cutting tools, construction and mining, aerospace and defense, and electronics, communication equipment and computers. The operations in this segment are ATI Allegheny Ludlum, the Chinese joint venture company known as Shanghai STAL Precision Stainless Steel Company Limited (STAL), in which we hold a 60% interest, and our 50% interest in the industrial titanium joint venture known as Uniti LLC. The remaining 40% interest in STAL is owned by the Baosteel Group, a state authorized investment company whose equity securities are publicly traded in the People’s Republic of China. The remaining 50% interest in Uniti LLC is held by Verkhnaya Salda Metallurgical Production Association (VSMPO), a Russian producer of titanium, aluminum, and specialty steel products. Stainless steel, nickel-based alloys and titanium sheet products are used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer applications. In 2009, approximately 55% by volume of our stainless sheet products were sold to independent service centers, which have slitting, cutting or other processing facilities, with the remainder sold directly to end-use customers. Engineered strip and very thin Precision Rolled Strip products are used by customers to fabricate a variety of products primarily in the automotive, construction, and electronics markets. In 2009, approximately 90% by volume of our engineered strip and Precision Rolled Strip products were sold directly to end-use customers or through our own distribution network, with the remainder sold to independent service centers. Stainless steel, nickel-based alloy and titanium plate products are primarily used in industrial markets. In 2009, approximately 45% by volume of our plate products were sold to independent service centers, with the remainder sold directly to end-use customers. Grain-oriented electrical steel is used in power transformers where electrical conductivity and magnetic properties are important. Nearly all of our grain-oriented electrical steel products are sold directly to end-use customers. Engineered Products Segment The principal business of our Engineered Products segment includes the production of tungsten powder, tungsten heavy alloys, tungsten carbide materials, and tungsten carbide cutting tools. We are now integrated from the raw materials (ammonium paratungstate (APT)) to the manufacture of our tungsten-based products. The segment also produces carbon alloy steel impression die forgings, and large grey and ductile iron castings, and provides precision metals processing services. The operating units in this segment are ATI Metalworking Products, ATI Portland Forge, ATI Casting Service and ATI Rome Metals. We produce a line of sintered tungsten carbide products that approach diamond hardness for industrial markets including automotive, oil and gas, chemical process industry, machine and cutting tools, aerospace, construction and mining, and other markets requiring tools with extra hardness. Technical developments related to ceramics, coatings and other disciplines are incorporated in these products. We also produce tungsten and tungsten carbide powders. We forge carbon alloy steels into finished forms that are used primarily in the transportation and construction equipment markets. We also cast grey and ductile iron metals used in the transportation, wind power generation and automotive markets. We have precision metals processing capabilities that enable us to provide process services for most high-value metals from ingots to finished product forms. Such services include grinding, polishing, blasting, cutting, flattening, and ultrasonic testing. Employees We have approximately 8,500 full-time employees. A portion of our workforce is covered by various collective bargaining agreements, principally with the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (“USW”), including: approximately 2,550 Allegheny Ludlum production, office and maintenance employees covered by collective bargaining agreements that are effective through June 2011, approximately 110 Allvac Albany, Oregon (Oremet) employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement that is effective through June 2011, approximately 550 Wah Chang employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement that continues through March 2013, approximately 85 employees at our Casting Service facility in LaPorte, Indiana, covered by a collective bargaining agreement that is effective through December 2011, approximately 115 employees at our Rome Metals facilities in western Pennsylvania, covered by a collective bargaining agreement that is effective through May 2013, and approximately 100 employees at our Portland Forge facility in Portland, Indiana, covered by collective bargaining agreements with three unions that are effective through April 2013.