Imerys
Imerys (Euronext: NK) is a French multinational company. It is a constituent of the CAC Mid 100 index.
History
The Company was founded in 1880 and for many years was known as Imetal.[1]
In 1999 Imetal took over English China Clays plc, the Cornwall-based producer of kaolin, and then changed its name to Imerys.[1]
In 2005, Imerys acquired from Alleghany Corp. the U.S. company World Minerals Inc., a leading producer of diatomaceous earth and perlite.[2]
Operations
The company specialises in the mining and distribution of industrial minerals and is one of the world's leading producers of:
- Kaolin for paper making and ceramics;
- Diatomaceous earth for abrasives and beer filtration;
- Graphite for batteries;
- Calcium carbonate for applications in construction, polymers, composites and cultured marble.
Eco-town
Amongst its other activities, Imerys is bidding to develop one of the ten eco-towns proposed for construction in England. Planned for the site of former china clay mines in Cornwall, the project has the provisional title Imerys China Clay Community.
Locations
Headquartered in Paris, it employs 16,000 people of whom 4,000 are based in France.
The company's North American Operations are headquartered in Roswell, GA USA.