Comment on Orbite in Globe and Mail article I thought this was an interesting post regarding someone commenting that Orbite could be another Timminco.
As far as comparisons with Timminco, see the Globe and Mail's own story about Timminco:
www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/timminco-how-eric-sprott-got-solar-burn/article4502829/?page=all
This is a company that never had a patent issued (Orbite has had 6 patents issued to date, with several more pending).
Timminco was apparently a very secretive company, as can be illustrated by the following passage:
"The passengers peered out the bus window in intent anticipation of what was bound to be the highlight of the company-run tour.
Rupert Merer, an analyst at National Bank Financial, recalls what happened next.
'They opened up some of the [plant] doors while we were sitting in the vehicle, so we could see the equipment through the doors. They did have one of the furnaces working, so you could see the glow of the flames inside the furnace. But that was as close as we got,' he says.
So the bus doors never opened?
'That's right. We weren't allowed off the bus.'
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Orbite has welcomed multiple visitors to its facilities.
It has also been working in *collaboration* for over a year with multiple firms in order to optimize its process:
Genivar and Johnston Vermette - acid leaching
SMS Siemag - Hydrothermal Acid Regeneration, Hematite, Chrystallization,
Outotec - Calcination and Acid Recovery
CMI-UVK - Magnesium Separation Plant, Rare Earths and Rare Metals Individual Separation Plant
M&K Chemical Engineering Consultants - Final design, including integration of subsets
They've been working with Rusal closely for over a year, with Nalco for several months as well.
Rusal is in the process of lobbying within Quebec to set up an aluminum smelter.
Recently, the work between Rusal and Orbite was on the agenda of topics to be discussed between Harper and Putin:
www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/514019.html
"Putin is also expected to meet with leaders of a number of countries located in the Western hemisphere. One of them is the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who will discuss with him a purchase of a 30% share in the new oil fields in Alberta Province by Russian oil companies and strategic cooperation between the corporations Rosneft and ExxonMobil, as well as a recent agreement between the Russian non-ferrous metals producer RUSAL and the Canadian company Orbit Aluminum, which plan building a joint factory to produce alumina."
Rusal recently made a presentation regarding their collaborative efforts with Orbite:
www.rusal.ru/en/press-center/news_details.aspx?id=7560&ibt=13&at=0
Nalco has been working with Orbite for a number of months as well.
For anyone interested in learning more about Orbite in their own words, one can see their presentation given yesterday at a metals and mining conference:
www.wsw.com/webcast/vir10/