Press releases

Talc de Luzenac France celebrates its first hundred years

In 2005, Talc de Luzenac France, founder member of the world’s leading talc producing group, Luzenac, celebrates its centenary.

Over the last century, Talc de Luzenac France has grown from a cottage industry in the French Pyrenees, into a world wide group, and leader in its sector, with talc products serving a wide-range of industries. With an annual turnover of 86 million euros, Talc de Luzenac France is the largest entity of the Luzenac Group.

To commemorate its one hundredth anniversary, the company has organised a series of events, culminating the weekend of September 10-11, 2005.

The centenary events include tours of the mine and plant, a photo exhibition, a party and firework display, the publication of a book about the company's history, and an awards ceremony for the 15 Luzenac employees and winners of a group-wide “Continuous Improvement” competition who will travel from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Singapore, the US and the UK to visit the French mine and plant and take part in the festivities.

When Talc de Luzenac was first incorporated in1905, it produced 20,000 tonnes of talc per year, primarily for the paper industry. Today the company delivers over 400,000 tonnes yearly, and has prospered over the last century thanks to constant modernisation and R&D focused on innovative solutions for customers in a wide range of industries, including coatings, cosmetics, agriculture, ceramics, foodstuffs, paper, rubber, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. As the operator of the world’s largest talc deposit, with confirmed reserves for the next hundred years, Talc de Luzenac France looks toward the future with confidence.

Press Contact
Laura Jones
Luzenac Group
Tel: +33 5 61 50 20 20
Fax: +33 5 61 50 20 55
laura.jones@luzenac.com
www.luzenac.com

Talc de Luzenac France Milestones

• 1845: First attempts at industrial production of talc from the Trimouns deposit in the Pyrenees.
• 1888: Organisation of mining and production under the management of Georges Goubeau.
• 1894: Construction of the first aerial cableway to transport the talc ore from the mountain-top mine to the grinding mill in the valley
• 1905: Founding of Société Anonyme des Talcs de Luzenac (S.A.T.L.).
• 1908: S.A.T.L. shares are first traded on the Paris Stock Exchange.
• 1913: The plant is transferred to its current location at the southern entrance of Luzenac village.
• 1919: Paul Fédou takes over the management of S.A.T.L. from his father-in-law Georges Goubeau. Fédou’s rigorous management enables the company to survive the difficult periods of economic depression and war.
• 1967: Paul Fédou retires. His son-in-law Pierre Villemur takes over.
• 1969: Jacques Pépin de Bonnerive’s election as chairman of the board marks a turning point in the company’s development. He brings his background in industry and economy into play, leading S.A.T.L. to play an international role.
• 1976-1987: Acquisition of subsidiaries in Italy, Austria, Spain and Canada.
• 1978: Construction of facilities in Toulouse for administration, research laboratories, and technical sales teams.
• 1988: The company joins the international mining group of Rio Tinto.
• 1992: Creation of the Luzenac Group, following acquisition of the talc division of Cyprus, the second largest producer in the world.
• 2001: Acquisition of the Three Springs mine in Australia.
• 2003: Joint-venture in Japan.
• 2005: Talc de Luzenac France celebrates its centenary.

Talc de Luzenac France extracts its talc from the Trimouns quarry at an altitude of 1700 metres, in the Pyrenees above the village of Luzenac. Trimouns is the largest open-pit talc mine in the world, and the only one in operation in France. Its ore reserves are estimated at one hundred years.

Growth of Talc de Luzenac's annual production