Talk:Imerys

Removal of information

Please would the person who is removing this not do it. The information is valid. It comes from the references provided.It is useful as it gives a clear idea on the size and activities of the company. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.153.70.31 (talk) 12:41, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

The information may be "valid" but it needs rewriting in a more encyclopaedic form and NOT copied and pasted from the Imerys website. You have provided no references other than external links to the Imerys website. Teapotgeorge 16:18, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

External links modified

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• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081115050842/http://www.imerys.com/scopi/group/imeryscom/imeryscom.nsf/pagesref/NDEN-7BQMSU?OpenDocument&lang=en to http://www.imerys.com/scopi/Group/imeryscom/imeryscom.nsf/pagesref/NDEN-7BQMSU?Opendocument&lang=en

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A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:

• Locked out workers at Imerys Talc.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 23:36, 8 April 2019 (UTC)

Proposed changes: Adding detailed History

• Explanation of issue: Current History section is incomplete and could use more information in the interest of transparency and public interest in acquisitions and the corporation's evolution over time.

• Information to be added or removed:

1880-1970s: Origins The Rothschild family combined some of their metals and mining interests into a Spanish company Peñarroya. For almost a century it specialised in extracting and processing non-ferrous metals, becoming one of the world leaders in mining extraction.

1970-1985: First mergers and diversification After operating as a stand-alone company, in 1970 Peñarroya branched out and merged with the Société Le Nickel (now Eramet) and Mokta, leading to the creation of a new holding company called Imétal to manage the new business.

In 1985, the company made its first significant investment in refractory minerals and ceramics when it acquired France’s Damrec and started to switch its focus from non-ferrous metallurgy activities to industrial minerals. The Group restructured its business into three key sectors: Building Materials, Industrial Minerals and Metals Processing.

References

• Information to be added or removed:

1990-1999: International growth and rebranding In the 1990s, Imetal intensified its focus on industrial minerals, buying companies in markets including in Brazil, France, Canada, Switzerland, South Africa, the UK and the US, and transforming more materials such as kaolin, calcium carbonates, refractory minerals, monolithic refractories, ball clays, ceramics, graphite and white pigments, through the acquisition of English China Clay, many of which were managed by Imétal subsidiary KPCL (Kaolin, Pâtes et Céramiques du Limousin).

By the end of the decade in 1999, as a result of these acquisitions and a few divestments, the company was entirely focused on industrial minerals processing. To reflect this change, Imétal changed its name to Imerys. The company continued to expand its product lines, geographic reach and markets.

2000-2010: Acquisitions and social responsibility In the year 2000 Imerys added new minerals – clays, feldspar and halloysite – to its portfolio and consolidated its position in other minerals, such as corundum, which is fused alumina (acquisition of Treibacher Schleifmittel), and bauxite. Imerys also expanded its market reach across Asia, the Americas and Europe. an acquisition that enabled the group to create its subsidiary Calderys, and led Imerys to become the European leader in monolithic refractories. The group also acquired World Minerals in the US, a global leader in filtration and performance minerals such as diatomite and perlite. It also bought Denain Anzin Mineraux headquartered in France and providing Imerys with feldspar, mica, quartz and kaolin deposits across Europe.

During the years 2008-2010 Imerys continued its acquisitions, with the addition of calcined clays, extensive reserves of high-quality white marble in Malaysia, Vietnam and China, feldspar mines in the US, India and Turkey. High quality mica was added to the portfolio through acquisitions in the US and Canada.

At the same time, as the decade progressed and the acquisitions continued, Imerys started to clarify its positioning on corporate social responsibility, creating its Sustainable Development Challenge for its teams (2004), introducing a Safety Charter and the Imerys Safety System (2005) to support and drive continuous safety improvement, along with the Serious 6 (2007), a set of safety protocols aimed at preventing serious injuries and fatalities. It also introduced a Code of Business Conduct outlining the company’s commitment to ethical behaviour and an Environment Health & Safety Charter (2006). See

2010-2019: Continued expansion and transformation In 2011 Imerys bought the Luzenac Group and became the world leader in talc thanks to the Trimouns mines, while a joint venture, The Quartz Corp, allowed Imerys to meet increasing demands for high purity quartz in the semiconductor and photovoltaic markets.

During the next years, Imerys continued expanding its existing production, adding new product lines and entering new markets in high growth areas. In 2012, Phil Jones, Director of new ventures and disruptive technologies for Imerys highlighted in an article the potential of Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) to make nonorganic plastics obsolete. In 2013, these ventures included doubling the capacity of its Belgian Carbon Black plant and building its first industrial facility in the Middle East, a fused alumina production plant in Bahrain.

Further acquisitions included S&B in 2015, a global player in bentonite, continuous casting fluxes for steel, in wollastonite and perlite-based solutions; and Kerneos in 2017, the world leader in calcium aluminate-based high-performance binders. Imerys also completed several bolt-on acquisitions which enabled the group to broaden its speciality offering and continue developing its presence in countries such as Brazil, India and China.

In 2018-2019 Imerys continued to reshape its business portfolio to position itself as a specialty minerals company and to improve its growth profile, notably by acquiring EDK in Brazil and Vimal Microns in India, leading producers of Ground Calcium Carbonates, and selling its roof tiles business.

In 2018, the Imerys group put in place a new simpler structure through a transformation plan named Connect & Shape, aiming to be more customer and market focused, organized around two segments and grouping five newly created business areas.

References

• Information to be added or removed:

Safety and CSR

During these years, Imerys continued to refine its responsible business activities. It also introduced an operational excellence programme called I-Cube, to strengthen, systemize, and establish a culture of continuous industrial improvement at all sites.

A safety awareness program, Take 5, was introduced in 2014 as a technique to ensure that all employees stop and think before engaging in any task that comes up in the course of their job, while the Serious 6 safety protocols evolved into the Serious 7 in 2016 to cover the activities considered to represent the highest risk of injuries and fatalities in the industry.

In 2018, Imerys implemented an updated version of the Code of Business Conduct available in 23 languages, with the goal to create a more robust reporting system, and which included the introduction of a new whistleblowing hotline.

The same year, Imerys also launched a program called SustainAgility to drive engagement on sustainability, leading the company to publish its CSR mid-term objectives. Imerys also joined Act4Nature and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

References

• Explanation of issue: Sharing new initiatives for corporate operations transparency, including public interest missions like whistleblowing and sustainability programs, which have external bearing on society.

• Information to be added or removed:

2020-present: Covid-19 crisis response and latest acquisitions Since 2020, Imerys has pursued more acquisitions such as Cornerstone in the USA, a leading perlite producer for the agriculture market, Hysil in India, a leader in calcium silicate boards for insulation, a majority stake in Turkish company Haznedar, and Shandong Luxin Mount Tai Co in China. Imerys expanded capacity for synthetic graphite production in their plant in Bodio, Switzerland, to meet the rising demand for Lithium-ion batteries mostly dedicated to electric cars.

References

• Information to be added or removed:

Covid-19 crisis response During the Covid-19 pandemic some operations were negatively affected, first in China then in other parts of the world including Europe, where the group temporarily shut down multiple plants.

Imerys CEO Alessandro Dazza and Chairman Patrick Kron proposed a 25% salary reduction for the period of time during which Imerys employees remained partly unemployed. On 6 April 2020 Imerys’ management presented an action plan to the Board of Directors to limit the adverse impact of the volume shortfall on its performance and cash flow and to preserve its current strong balance sheet.

During the crisis, Imerys’ solutions were still in strong demand to continue producing necessary consumer goods, specifically in the food industry, agribusiness and pharmaceuticals. Imerys solutions are used in a large number of other essential industries such as Agribusiness, Automotive, Manufacturing and Pharmaceuticals.

To face the crisis internally, Imerys implemented a contingency plan to protect the health and safety of employees while continuing activities, overseen and championed by their Executive Committee.

References

• Explanation of issue: Adding some recent historical context to show how Imerys handled the Covid-19 crisis for public interest.

MayaVR (talk) 14:57, 29 December 2020 (UTC) ({{reflist-talk}} inserted in several places for clarity. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs) 🎄 23:34, 29 December 2020 (UTC))

Proposed changes to section: Imerys Talc America worker lockout

• Information to be added:

(at end of second paragraph) This bill has no co-sponsors and has not received a hearing in the Finance Committee during the 119th Congress.

References

• Explanation of issue:

More recent information about the current state of the bill.

• References supporting change:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1548?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22PICKET+act%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=1

• Information to be removed:

On 11 October 2018, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers released a video on a website they created, http://www.WeWantToWork.org detailing the locked-out workers' issues and calling for Imerys Talc to go back to the negotiating table to find a fair solution and end the lockout.[28]

• Explanation of issue:

The last paragraph on the Brotherhood of Boilermakers is adding unnecessary details about the case that skews the tone, including the external video. It is not an objective external source and represents a conflict of interest regarding the events and the parties involved.

• Information to be added:

On 31 October 2018, after three months of negotiations, union workers approved a new three-year contract with Imerys, effectively ending the lockout and allowing workers to return to the plant. Randy Tocci said that “Imerys brought some different people to the table on Oct. 25 which helped move the negotiations forward”. About the contract, Tocci further said that it “protects seniority while also considering skills in applying for jobs and will continue to provide health benefits to retirees who leave the company through 2019. Workers will get a 3 percent increase in base pay, but their pensions will be frozen.”

References

• Explanation of issue:

The section lacks objectivity and needs more information about what happened after the facts. The section reads biased from the point of view of workers and unions, and does not include the actions on the part of the Imerys company.

• References supporting change:

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/montana-imerys-lockout-election-tester/ https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/locked-out-union-workers-reach-agreement-with-talc-plant/

MayaVR (talk) 15:46, 29 December 2020 (UTC) ({{reflist-talk}} added in several places for clarity. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs) 🎄 23:37, 29 December 2020 (UTC))

I've made the above changes and have rewritten a few sentences to remove biased language. I have also replaced certain sources with more neutral media sources. The resolution of the lockout has been clarified and detailed. I have taken out some details about the proposed bill that can be read on the Congress website page. I've also included more politicians who got involved in the lockout, to avoid possible political bias. The chronology of events remains otherwise unchanged. MayaVR (talk) 20:39, 3 January 2021 (UTC)

Proposed changes: Add Controversies Section and new subsection on Talc business

• Explanation of issue:

Proposal to add a last heading called "Controversies and criticisms" with subheadings "Talc business" and "Imerys Talc America Lockout" The "Talc business" section is meant to bring light to an ongoing sensitive topic with cases that have been discussed extensively by the media, with the goal of transparency and providing the recent resolution; all while using a neutral tone.

• Information to be added or removed:

Controversies and criticisms Talc business Through Imerys Talc America, Imerys led operations in talc mining and talc transformation for many years in Montana and Texas. These activities served local markets, as varied as paper & board, plastics and cosmetics. As a talc supplier for Johnson & Johnson, the company was a co-defendant with Johnson & Johnson in mass tort litigation in the USA involving powder products that some consumers alleged to have contained asbestos and caused them to develop cancer. Imerys Talc America has always denied that its talc products contained asbestos and stands by the safety of its products. Faced with a growing number of complaints, on February 13 2019, the North American Talc Subsidiaries of Imerys (Imerys Talc America, Imerys Talc Vermont, Imerys Talc Canada) filed bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. On 15 May 2020, Imerys came to an agreement with representatives of the current and future tort claimants to resolve their historic talc-related liabilities (press release). As part of the Plan, the North American Talc Subsidiaries agreed to sell their assets and contribute the proceeds to a Trust to compensate claimants. That sale process completed in November 2020, when the Court approved the sale of the North American talc business to Magris Resources, a Canadian mining group, for $223 million. This sale is expected to close in early 2021. Under the Plan, the Trust would also receive all insurance and indemnities related to the talc liabilities in North America, as well as a cash contribution from the Imerys Group. This Plan of Reorganization is pending approval by the claimants and the Court.

References

• References supporting change:

https://www.financierworldwide.com/imerys-talc-america-files-for-chapter-11-protection#.X9Tei9hKjSE

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-27/imerys-said-to-mull-sale-of-talc-business-linked-to-j-j-lawsuit https://www.wsj.com/articles/johnson-johnson-talc-supplier-files-for-bankruptcy-11550079713 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-american-talc-subsidiaries-of-imerys-file-plan-of-reorganization-and-disclosure-statement-301059987.html https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/court-approves-sale-of-assets-of-north-american-talc-subsidiaries-of-imerys-to-magris-resources-301173841.html https://cases.primeclerk.com/ImerysTalc/

MayaVR (talk) 16:00, 29 December 2020 (UTC) ({{reflist-talk}} added for clarity. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs) 🎄 23:38, 29 December 2020 (UTC))

I've trimmed some unnecessary detail but more needs to be done

I removed a couple sections that belong in company press releases but not in an encyclopedia article.

It would be okay to add back the name of the current CEO, the founder(s), and if applicable, any CEOs over the company's history that were "much more impactful than the average CEO" either to the company or to society as a whole.

I also removed the "minerals" section. If the company is the industry leader in 1 or more minerals, it would be fine to list a small number of those, probably no more than 3. If it is not the industry leader in any mineral, then it might be appropriate to list the one or, if it's a virtual "tie," the two most important minerals that the company brings to the market.

I "tagged" some other sections for trimming down. Trimming these will require some thought. For a company like this, too much detail is a bad thing.

@Mayariebel: I saw your edit requests above. Bearing in mind that Wikipedia is an general-audience encyclopedia not a complete compendium of the company's history or a corporate-produced piece, please reconsider your edit requests above. What WOULD be encyclopedic if the article had much more content from the 19th and 20th centuries. Probably over 1/3 to 2/3 of the article was about the company before the 21st century, while not being too much larger than its current size. If the company was much larger in the past than it is now, either in headcount, inflation-adjusted revenue, or share of the market, then perhaps the pre-21st-century parts can be higher than 2/3 of the text. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs) 🎄 00:48, 30 December 2020 (UTC)

@Davidwr: Hello David, thank you for the advice, it's very helpful and much appreciated. Following your recommendations we are going to rework the content and reconsider the History, Corporate and Mineral sections. As for the sections tagged for trimming, what's the process to do this correctly? Can I ask to remove text when it is unnecessary to comprehension? And do I have the account status to do so? --MayaVR (talk) 16:33, 30 December 2020 (UTC)

With respect to your existing edit requests, just put a note at the bottom saying you are going to re-do them and to ignore the existing ones.

With respect to future changes, do them the same way as above: Refer to the existing text and say "please change this to that." As an editor with a conflict of interest, you should not directly change material.

Be aware that others may be doing "trim down and cleanup" work as well, so you may need to constantly adjust your requests.

While changes to factual situations are welcome, they must include some kind of reference. Changes to facts about a company, such as its current leadership, are one of the few times when the reference can be a "non-independent" source, such as a company publication.

Be aware that Wikipedia is NOT written for the benefit of your company. Edits which sound "promotional" in tone or which add information that is, by its very nature, going to be the type of information that the company would likely want out there will be looked at more carefully if not rejected outright. This means the edit request you make may be completely re-written before it is made if they are accepted at all. With that in mind, keep any proposed changes simple and, in a word, boring or at least completely absent of anything "attention-getting" beyond the mere facts themselves. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs) 🎄 18:27, 30 December 2020 (UTC)