Inco has been part of the Canadian scene since the turn of the century, and its main product, nickel, has been a major contributor to 20th century progress. Nickel imparts strength, toughness and corrosion resistance when combined with other metals whether in everyday stainless steels or in exotic aerospace alloys.

The discovery in 1883 of the Sudbury, Ontario, orebody launched the rapid development of the nickel industry. Inco is the non-communist world’s leading nickel producer, providing about 35 percent of the free-market demand.

The company was formed in 1902 to work the Sudbury basin’s copper and nickel ores, which were then smelted in New Jersey. International Nickel Company of Canada was incorporated as the operating company in Copper Cliff, Ontario, in 1916 and became the parent in 1928. In 1929 the corporation underwent a major expansion by absorbing Mond Nickel, a British company with assets in Canada and the U.K. Inco’s worldwide operations are now directed from headquarters in Toronto. Long known by the acronym “Inco,” the corporation’s name was officially changed to Inco Limited in 1976.
 
 
 

1. Miners relied on pick and shovel at Copper Cliff, Ontario in the 1880s. 2. Computers assist Inco research miners in the 1990s.

Inco has grown from a nickel and copper producer to a supplier of many elements and metal products. These include gold, silver, the platinum-group metals, cobalt and sulphur products, all by-products of the company’s rich Canadian ores. The Sudbury basin continues to host Inco’s principal primary metals mining and processing operations. The company opened another large integrated nickel complex at Thompson, Manitoba, in 1961 and a nickel mine and smelter in Indonesia in 1978.

In the 1920s the company expanded to become the world’s leading manufacturer of high-nickel alloys with rolling mills in the U.S. and the U.K. Inco scientists have invented hundreds of alloys. In the 1970s there was further expansion with the acquisition in the U.K. of manufacturing plants for forged and machined metal products. The company also has interests in other metals with gold mining increasingly important.

Through its environmental impact policy Inco is involved in a wide range of specific programs to improve its environmental performance to meet the needs of an increasingly industrialized world. In Ontario, Inco has committed $500 million to pollution control and technology.

Inco’s domestic output accounts for 10 percent of the value of Canada’s non-fuel mineral production and, since almost all of it is sold abroad, Inco’s contribution to Canada’s balance of international payments is significant. With about 10,000 employees in Canada, mainly in Sudbury and Thompson, the company has a significant impact on regional economies through payroll, pension and tax dollars. Worldwide, Inco employs more than 19,000 people in 19 countries.