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26 Nov 2008  -  Ecuador

Alcan Baltek receives official recognitions in Ecuador

From left to right: Thomas Haon, Vice Mayor of Quevedo & Jorge Munoz, Managing Director Alcan Baltek Ecuador © Alcan Baltek

On October 7, Alcan Baltek Ecuador, part of Alcan Engineered Products – a business unit of Rio Tinto Alcan – was given the “Condecoración Rebublica del Ecuador 2008“ by the community of Quevedo. With this medal, the municipality of Quevedo officially recognizes Alcan Baltek’s contributions to the economic and commercial development of the canton, province and country.

“We are very proud of receiving this recognition,” said Pierre Monéton, President of Alcan Composites Core Materials. “With a longstanding presence in Ecuador, Alcan Baltek has always strived to contribute to the economic development of the country. We also want to make a difference in the social environment for our employees and the communities in which we operate.”

In August of this year, the chamber of commerce of Guayaquil granted the Balmanta operations an official recognition for its 35 years of continuous contribution to the industrial development of the region.

These two awards reflect the public recognition of Alcan Baltek’s commitment not only in the economic sector but also in social help and solidarity. In April of this year the Ecuadorian workforce, with financial help from other Core Materials sites, supported the flood victims in the Quevedo area with first relief in food and housing.

About Alcan Composites Core Materials
Alcan Composites Core Materials is a global organization with over 1,500 employees in production locations in Europe, North America, Ecuador and China. It is embedded in Alcan Composites, a division of Rio Tinto Alcan Engineered Products. The group cultivates more than 8500 hectares (21,000 acres) of balsa farmland in Ecuador and is actively committed to the protection and sustainability of resources. The group has been active in Ecuador for more than 60 years.
The branded products Airex®, Baltek® and Kitcore® have pioneered the sandwich technology for almost 80 years. These core materials are used to make innovative lightweight sandwich structures for the wind energy, marine and ground transportation markets. Thanks to their light weight, the final products allow better energy efficiency over their whole life cycle.

About Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.

Source : Alcan Baltek