Our strength lies in the synergies we create with our colleagues and partners. Internally, the teams (LRF, Aluval and CRDA) work closely with the smelters of the Rio Tinto group and the Growth & Innovation group. Externally, we have a network of industrial and academic partners on whom we rely to combine our know-how.
Our teams are of high quality and possess solid skills. Our business experts are recognized throughout the world and we extend our leadership through their knowledge and the technical assistance missions we carry out for our customers.
We remain the technology leader by offering solutions that both improve plant productivity and reduce the environmental footprint because we care about our long-term impact.
Since 1946, the Arvida Research and Development Centre (ARDC), located in Canada, has covered all of Rio Tinto’s industrial activities and aims to rapidly deliver technological solutions to all of its customers. It is in constant interaction with a network of partners including Canadian and international universities, specialized laboratories and centres, as well as equipment manufacturers.
Since 1981, Aluval‘s teams, located close to Grenoble (France) have been working to develop smelter process engineering, control systems and technology transfer.
Since its creation in 1959, the LRF has been a flagship of research and development in the aluminium industry. Its teams have demonstrated over time its value for aluminium worldwide.
The LRF is a Research Centre dedicated to aluminium which designs, develops and tests new electrolysis cell technologies for aluminium production. A mini-series of 3 industrial-size electrolysis cells is used as a platform for testing new technological « bricks » for electrolysis cells (components, sensors, actuators, regulations, etc.), or even full new cells, on a scale of 1 (life-size).
Thanks to this unique tool, Aluminium Pechiney has developed a world-renowned technological leadership in the aluminium industry with a successive line of « AP TechnologyTM » cells sold in more than 10,000 units, covering today 17% of the world’s installed capacity.