Falconbridge Limited

Falconbridge Limited

Former type	Public company
Industry	Mining
Fate	Bought by Xstrata; became Xstrata Nickel
Founded	1928
Defunct	2006
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Key people	Derek Pannell, CEO Peter Kukielski, COO Aaron Regent, President Steve Douglas, EVP & CFO
Products	Copper, nickel, zinc, aluminium
Number of employees	20,000 (2005)

Falconbridge Limited was a Toronto, Ontario-based natural resources company with operations in 18 countries, involved in the exploration, mining, processing, and marketing of metal and mineral products, including nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum. It was listed on the (under the symbol FAL.LV) and (FAL), and had revenue of US$6.9 billion in 2005. In August 2006, it was absorbed by Swiss-based mining company Xstrata, which had formerly been a major shareholder.

Falconbridge, named after the town Falconbridge, which in turn was named for a prominent "son", one Sir William Glenholme Falconbridge, High Court Judge whose father John Kennedy Falconbridge, had migrated to Ontario from Lisburn Ireland.

Falconbridge was an important player in the economic and commercial development of the northern region of Ontario Canada, particularly the communities in and around Sudbury.

In 1928, experienced prospector and businessman Thayer Lindsley purchased mining claims containing rich deposits of nickel-copper ore in the area northeast of Sudbury. These claims had been established as early as 1901, when Thomas Edison made the original discovery of the Falconbridge ore body, but remained undeveloped until Lindsley's purchase. Soon thereafter, planning and construction of a company town began, to house and service workers for the future mines. The community, complete with utilities and a medical centre, was named Falconbridge after the geographic township in which it was located. Likewise, the company became known as Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited.

Just one year later in 1929, the new company acquired the Kristiansand Nikkelraffineringsverk A/S refinery in Kristiansand, Norway. This expanded its operations, but more importantly the company also gained the rights to the Hybinette nickel refining process.

The operations at the Falconbridge site expanded in the early 1930s. By 1930 ore from an underground mine was being extracted at 250 tonnes per day, and a nearby smelter was in operation to process the material. In 1932, a mill and sintering facility began operation.