Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) is investing over $30 million to retrofit its concentrator by replacing the spirals on eight processing lines.

Part of an ambitious equipment renewal program, the investment will mean a substantial increase in the production capacity of the concentrator and have a positive impact on IOC's profitability.

The Humphrey HC-1350 spirals currently in operation on the processing lines fed by the AG 13 mill have been in use for 33 years. The new Reichert WW-6 spirals will make it easier to detect water-system and feed problems, and will also help to improve the concentrator's performance. Reichert spirals have previously been installed on two lines and are now operational.

All of the spirals required for the project should be received by the end of 2005. According to the project timetable, the six lines that have yet to be retrofitted will be equipped with their new spirals and be operational by October 2006. The new spirals account for about 20% of the overall project cost.

Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) is the largest manufacturer of iron ore pellets in Canada, generating over $600m in annual revenues. It operates a mine, concentrator and a pelletizing plant in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as port facilities located in Sept-Iles (Que.). The company also operates a 418 kilometer railroad that links the mine to the port. IOC has about 1700 employees and celebrates its fifty years of operations in 2005. IOC's major shareholder and operator is the international mining group Rio Tinto, which has activities in more than 40 countries throughout the world.