Vale

Vale the second-largest mining company in the world, and the largest producer of iron ore[6], pellets[7], and second largest of nickel.[8] also produces manganese, ferroalloys, copper, bauxite, potash, kaolin, alumina and aluminum.

Vale, present in 16 Brazilian states is also present in 6 continents: South America, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Vale has participation on mining operations in Finland, Canada, Australia, Mongolia, China, India, Angola, South Africa, Chile, Peru and other countries.

Brazil has one of the largest iron ore reserves in the world.

Iron Ore: Vale is the world leader in the iron ore and pellets market. Vale produces over 60% of all the iron in Brazil and around 15% of all the iron in the world. The mineral that is the most produced and consumed in the world.

Manganese and Alloys: Vale the second largest manganese producer in the world, Vale annually produces close to 2.3 million tons of manganese ore and 500,000 tons of manganese alloys.

Nickel: Vale , the world’s largest producer of nickel, with a production of 250,600 tons. Found in nature in association with iron and sulphur. Nickel is demanded mainly in metallurgy, with 63% of such demand to produce stainless steel.

Copper: Vale's copper production began in the Sossego Mine, whose average installed capacity is 140 thousand tons per year of copper in concentrate .

Coal: Vale is present in Venezuela, Australia, South Africa, Mozambique and Angola with offices, ore search works and development of new businesses of coal. Currently it has minority stakes on Chinese coal producers, such as Longyu and Shandong Yankuang International Coking Co. Meanwhile, its major project, Moatize, in Mozambique, estimated to produce 14 million ton of metallurgic and energetic coal for 70 years is in economical feasibility study. With AMCI acquisition, Vale added to its coal portfolio the underground coal deposit in Belvedere, Queensland State, Australia, with estimated resources of 2,7 billion of ton.

Potash: Vale produces potash at The Taquari-Vassouras Operational Unit, an underground mine with a treatment plant on the surface. “Taquari-Vassouras” is the name of the ore deposit. This unit is the single manufacturer of potassium chloride (KCl) in activity in Brazil. Potassium Chloride is an important component for the manufacture of fertilizers, and it is obtained through the underground mine of sylvite and later on improved by the flotation process. Presently all production is for domestic market and assure 13% of the Brazilian demand for the product. Since 1992 production comprised 24.7 million tonnes of ROM with an average grade of 31.80 percent KCl, containing a total of 7.8 million tonnes of KCl.

Kaolin: a fine White aluminum silicate used as a coating agent, filler, extender and absorbent in the paper, ceramics and pharmaceutical industries. Despite being abundantly found in nature, its commercial reserves are restricted to Brazil, United Kingdom and the US.

Aluminium
Vale is involved in all stages of the aluminum chain, from bauxite mining and alumina refining to primary aluminum production.

Vale aluminium business is focus on the upstream of the production chain - developing low-cost bauxite and alumina projects. Large, undeveloped high-quality bauxite reserves and opportunities for low-cost expansions in alumina refining available. Primary aluminium strategy focuses on the development of projects in countries with low energy costs.

Alumina is the main raw material for primary aluminum production. It is obtained from the refining of bauxite, an ore abundant in the state of Pará, especially in the regions of the Trombetas River and Paragominas.

read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companhia_Vale_do_Rio_Doce