History

A look back

Met-Chem's first foray into the mining and mineral sector was as USS Consultants of Canada, created to design and develop the Mont-Wright Development in Northern Quebec for Quebec Cartier Mining Company (QCM). This project was designed at 18 mtpy and is still a major operation producing iron ore for its pellet operation at Port Cartier. Met-Chem continues to provide technical support to QCM in their endeavours to achieve full potential of their operations at minimum cost.

In 1976, we were awarded an engineer-constructor project at Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) in South India. Over 40 engineers and technical support staff lived in India for 4 years, managing the design and construction of the massive project and providing operations support. The project remained a world class mining operation through the efforts of KIOCL's management and staff up until its closure in 2005.

During the late '70s and '80s, Met-Chem was fortunate to offer EPCM and turnkey services on a number of major projects such as a salt mine at Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec for SOQUEM, and iron ore mine in Liberia, Africa for National Iron Ore Company (NIOC) and two steel mill projects, one relocating an existing rail mill from U. S. Steel's operation to Algoma's existing facilities in Sault-Ste-Marie and the other, a ladle metallurgy facility for Sidbec in Sorel, Quebec.

The Rajmahal years

Imagine climbing 17 steps into the cab of a 170 ton dump truck and driving back and forth from the shovel to the crushing operations. Further imagine that you have difficulty in reading/writing and are operating the truck for a major mining company. Through an intensive training program, this is what Met-Chem has managed to attain in a major coal mine project in Northern India in one of the least developed regions in India. Once again, Met-Chem entered the Indian marketplace and completed a major project on time and within budget. Following two years of operations, Coal India's Eastern Coalfields "Rajmahal Project" achieved five awards for proficiency in operations. Quite a success story, with Canadian expertise and a well trained work force.

Twenty years later

The '90s was a decade of diverse projects for Met-Chem. From coal mines in India, iron ore slurry pumping systems in Northern China, procurement activities for a new integrated steel mill in India, underground drainage systems in India, the largest wood dome facility in North America at 139 m diameter and 42 m high with a stacker/reclaimer operating inside the dome, to a coal mine fire retardation study for 67 fires burning, some for over 100 years.

Following its experience gained in the iron ore sector, Met-Chem provided services to Iron Ore Company (IOC) in the rehabilitation of their pellet plant at Sept-Îles. Mothballed in the early '80s, the plant was examined to determine the extent of the modifications required to bring the plant up to an operating facility. Work then proceeded in design and procurement to implement the necessary changes to bring the facility to production.

The turn of the century

The end of the century brought about many changes in Met-Chem and its focus. Following successful work prepared for Cambior Inc. at the Omai Goldfields in Guyana and for Richmont Mines at its Nugget Pond Project in Newfoundland, constructed on a fast track basis and completed one day short of one year, Met-Chem provided detailed engineering, procurement activities and construction supervision on the Rosebel Gold Project in Suriname. This project was also undertaken on a fast track basis with an integrated project team consisting of Cambior and Met-Chem working closely to successfully achieve the start-up of the project within 16 months from start. Following this, Cambior gave a mandate to Met-Chem to increase production of the project.

Since then, we are working with notable companies such as Cambior, Aurizon, Inmet Mining, Aur Resources, Barrick, Meridian Gold, Fortune Minerals, Orezone, Sulliden and Bolivar Gold in the gold sector. We will continue to work with QCM, KIOCL, Wabush Mines, CVG FMO, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), Coal India as well as newcomers such as MSPL and SWML in the iron ore sector.

Lately, Met-Chem has teamed with well-established and respected international consultant firms offering professional services to the metallurgical sector, to provide a number of clients with pre-feasibility and feasibility studies in Canada and Latin America.