Talk:Alcoa

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This is from Stiglitz's Globalization and its discontents. "...... I worked hard to convince those in the National Economic council that it would be a mistake to support O'Neill's idea, and i made great progress. But in a heated subcabinet meeting, a decision was made to support the creation of an international cartel. People in the council of economic advisers and the department of justice were livid. Ann Bingaman, the assistant attorney general for antitrust, put the cabinet on notice that there might been a violation of the antitrust laws in the presence of the subcabinet. Reformers within Russia were adamantly opposed to the establishment of the cartel and had communicated the feelings directly to me......

While i had managed to convince almost everyone of the dangers of the cartel solution, two voices dominated. The state department, with its close ties to the old-line state ministries, supported the establishment of a cartel. Robert Rubin, at the time the head of National Economic council, played a decisive role, siding with the state. At least, for a while the cartel worked. Prices were raised. The profits of Alcoa and other producers were enhanced. The American consumers- and consumers throughout the world-lost, and indeed..........

Come to think of it, i think we would be screwed if we left these government to save us from M$. Imagine a government, a liberal government for god sake conspiring with a corporation to create a cartel? How would you expect it to break an existing cartel, even if it is within its ability? Really sad world we live in.

Contents

[edit] antitrust

Strange that there's no mention of the antitrust case against Alcoa. I think it was in the 40's. RJII 15:14, 14 October 2005 (UTC)


NPOV - The article reads like a corporate advertisement, note especially the Sustainability and Leadership sections.

[edit] Cleaned up

I cleaned up the article and removed (hopefully) all of the POV info, which looked to be taken from the Alcoa website. Man, that corporate jargon is something, isn't it? Hope everyone is satisfied with the edit. Paul 01:31, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

I added some info about the antitrust case and the monopoly situation . _ Mats

[edit] Location Change

I changed the location to New York and removed the Pittsburgh-based corporations template inclusion, because Pittsburgh is no longer the headquarters. See this Post-Gazette article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06058/661831-28.stm Dan128 19:29, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I hesitate to do the second revert in a row but I did individually change this back, NYC is the biggest non-story story I have ever seen (I covered this the day-of go to forums.urbanplanet.org). Go to Alcoa.com and click "CONTACT", go to Alcoa.com and click "GRANTS" they will all give you Pittsburgh addresses. The Global Center has been in New York dating back decades. There is no news here except some line thousand something on page hundred something that states Belda can't entertain in the 412 like he can in the 212. I fail to see how any of that changes the fact that the company keeps insisting its "corporate center" is still Pittsburgh (again please go to the contact website, grant website etc. etc.). Even the corporate locations map has Pittsburgh as the sole red dot in its global empire. In hindsight it seems the PG is trying to sell more pulp to a population that got weaned on stories of Gulf Oil, Westinghouse, Joy, Marathon, Mesta, CNG, and Integra all getting carried out of town by Wall Streeters--or in Integras case by Brown fans, Alcoa might have a maverick CEO but the corporation for all intents and purposes is Pittsburgh based from every financial and Alcoa site available online. If that documentation changes I see no need to list it as Pittsburgh any longer, but until that documentation changes I feel there is no more proof positive one can aquire. Hholt01 04:17, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Question & comment

Firstly, I want to know if Alcoa changed its articles of incorporation from Pa. to NY or just the physical location of its home office, guess that I could find this out myself but hope that someone knows off the top of his or her head.

Secondly, I think that some mention of the change of mix of consumer products needs to be in the article. At one point in the 1960s, Alcoa had its own brands of foil, Alcoa Wrap and the embossed Diamond Foil (motto: "Diamonds are a girl's best friend"). It slowly ceased to put any real marketing clout into these, first abandonning Alcoa Wrap, the Diamond Foil, and seemingly getting out of the consumer market and leaving it to Reynolds, then only later (in the 1980s, I believe) buying the Reynolds Wrap line from its erstwhile competitor. This is remarkable – almost as if Ford had bought from General Motors the right to call its automobiles "Chevys" while abolishing the Ford marque – and really belongs in the article if someone with sufficient knowledge can write it properly. Rlquall 17:04, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes - not to mention the numerous other items they made such as Kensington Ware [1] and other dishwares etc. --128.230.235.107 18:58, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Alcoa is still a PA corporation.

I do believe that the country focus is not very meaningful. Alcoa is organized into Business Segments. Each Segment has Business Units. The business units cross countries. I believe that business units are more meaningful than legal entities, since this is how the business is operated.

Yako987 01:12, 27 April 2007 (UTC)Yako987 April 26, 2007

[edit] Sources

There seems to be almost no sourcing of this article. Also, someone keeps deleting the external links page. Please stop. Notmyrealname 16:13, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Alcoa in Australia

This section was deleted which I have just reverted. Please discuss before deleting GrahamP 08:20, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

This section, while not incorrect doesn't tell the whole story. Alcoa operates through its joint venture with Alumina Ltd which is called Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC), as it does around the rest of the world. This section should be updated to reflect that. A sepearte article exists for AWAC explaining the ownership and management strucutre as well as it's operations. Hence the section on the Portland operations should be moved to that article as well.
There should only be a simple sentance/paragraph explaining that Alcoa owns 60% AWAC and manages the day to day operations. Strategic direction etc is made in consultation with Alumina Ltd. The other operations in Iceland and South Wales are not owned by Alcoa through AWAC. qwertytam 01:17, 19 March 2007 (UTC)
Thanks qwertytam - changed to one sentence to reflect the company structure you've outlined GrahamP 02:38, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Famous Antitrust Case

RJII was right, above (and two years ago). This article is terribly incomplete. One of the most renowned antitrust prosecutions in US legal history was fought over Alcoa and we barely mention it in wikipedia? --167.206.189.3 02:27, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, I didn't log in before writing the above comment as user 167 etc. Anyway, now that I'm properly signed in, here's one way we might discuss the issue.

Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Justice Departmentcharged Alcoa with illegal monopolization, and demanded that the company be dissolved. Trial began on June 1, 1938.

Four years later, the trial judge dismissed the case. The government appealed.

Two more years passed, and in 1944, the Supreme Court announced that it couldn’t assemble a quorum to hear the case so it referred the matter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

The following year, the year the world weary of war at last had a chance at peace, was also appropriately enough the year this litigation came to its end. Learned Hand wrote the opinion for the Second Circuit.

Hand wrote that he could consider only the percentage of the market in “virgin aluminum” for which Alcoa accounted. Alcoa had argued that it was in the position of having to compete with scrap. Even if the scrap was aluminum that Alcoa had manufactured in the first instance, it no longer controlled its marketing. But no, Hand defined the relevant market narrowly in accord with the prosecution’s theory.

Note somewhere that aluminum is an element. How can it be said to be manufactured? Purified out of the bauxite ore in which it is typically found.

Alcoa said that if it was in fact deemed a monopoly, it acquired that position honestly, through outcompeting other companies through greater efficiencies. Hand applied a per se rule here, saying that it doesn’t matter how Alcoa became a monopoly, since its offense was simply to become one. Indeed, Hand seemed to be saying that in some circumstances inefficiency may be a requirement of the law.

Actually, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Hand acknowledge the possibility that a monopoly might just happen, without anyone’s having planned for it. If it did, then there would be no wrong, no liability, and no need to remedy the result. But that acknowledgement is pretty empty, because of course rivals in a market routinely plan to outdo one another, at the least by increasing efficiency and appealing more effectively to actual and potential customers. If one competitor succeeds through such plans to the extent of 90% of the market, that planning can be described given Hand's reasoning as the successful and illegal monopolization of the market.

This leaves the question, what is the proper remedy once a wrongful monopolization is found? Here Hand remanded the matter to the trial court, and the whole narrative comes to an unsatisfactory conclusion – more of a dissipation, really, than a conclusion. In 1947, Alcoa made the argument to the court that there were two effective new entrants into the aluminum market – Reynolds and Kaiser – as a result of demobilization after the war and the government’s divestiture of defense plants. In other words, the problem had solved itself and no judicial action would be required. On this basis, the district court judge ruled against divestiture in 1950, but the court retained jurisdiction over the case for five years, so that it could look over Alcoa’s shoulder and ensure that there was no re-monopolization.

---

Okay it's a little biased. Still, that's why I'm putting it here on the Talk page. My passions admittedly are engaged in this matter. I believe it was Hayek who said that the problem with idealizing competitions is it leaves you uncomfortable about the fact that somebody wins. Anyone want to try to make the above passage more NPOV? --Christofurio 02:33, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alcoa's history -- fact check

Hi, the recent edit to Alcoa's history cited below is incorrect:

'This discovery, now called the Hall-Héroult process, is still used by Alcoa to produce aluminum. With the help of financial backers, Hall started the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, located in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. '

A more accurate text would be,

'This discovery, now called the Hall-Héroult process, is still the only process used to make aluminum worldwide.

On Thanksgiving day 1888, with the help of financial backers, Hall started the Pittsburgh Reduction Company with an experimental smelting plant on Smallman Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1891, the company went into full production in New Kensington, Pennsylvania.'

... a good source to check this info is George David Smith's 'From Monopoly to Competition -- the Transformation of Alcoa, 1888-1996'

Since I'm the Alcoa Corporate guy, I'd rather make this wiki-friendly and let this be a discussion point than just barge in and edit. If you guys agree, someone please make an edit along the lines of my suggestions above.

Thanks, Alcoa 15:21, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

You are correct. Fixed. Qwerty310 23:40, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alcoa Smelter Data

The smelter table in this article needs to be updated. A good reference for this is the Alcoa.com web page:

http://www.alcoa.com/ingot/en/capacity.asp

It's updated pretty rigorously.

If that's not acceptable, the official, legal and certifiable public source for this would be Alcoa's 10-K filing. You can find that here:

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/4281/000119312507033124/0001193125-07-033124-index.htm

The 10-K numbers are compiled once a year; the web page is updated somewhat more frequently.

thanks

Alcoa 15:39, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alcoa in Iceland update

Here's some data to help with the update that's currently going on in the Iceland section:

Construction of the Fjardaal smelter completed in April 07 and the plant officially opened in June. Here's a reference: http://www.alcoa.com/iceland/en/news/whats_new/2007/2007_06_celebration.asp

The smelter is staffing up with permanent employees, most of whom are Icelandic. Here's our recruiting page: http://www.alcoa.com/iceland/en/info_page/job_postings.asp

The hydro project that powers the Fjardaal smelter is owned by Landsvirkjun, Iceland's national power company. Alcoa is a major customer but not the only one. See http://www.karahnjukar.is/en/

The Bakki smelter currently under study could be the world's first smelter with a geothermal power source. See http://www.alcoa.com/iceland/en/info_page/bakki.asp


(please sign your edits). Anastrophe 16:30, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Sorry -- I'm Alcoa, the official corporate blab. Alcoa 19:13, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] biased

does any feel that the main paragraphs in relation to the monopoly proceedings are not only incredibly biased (in favor of Alcoa), but written in a manner unbecoming of an encyclopedia? whoever wrote that had some axe to grind.--Teooo (talk) 05:50, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Alcoa Officers

We noticed some confusion about Alcoa's officers. As of this date (4/08) Alain Belda is Chairman and CEO. Klaus Kleinfeld was made President and Chief Operating Officer in October 2007. Alcoa (talk) 18:47, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Klaus Kleinfeld

Mr. Kleinfeld was appointed Chief Executive Officer yesterday. Someone should update the 'Key People' section to reflect that Mr. Belda is now Chairman of the Board and Mr. Kleinfeld is CEO.

Also, an anonymous poster has made an update to the Environmental Record section concerning Klaus that should be reviewed. The date is incorrect -- his appointment took effect on May 8, 2008, not May 20. Also, the poster has apparently misspelled 'July.'

An editorial comment on this entry: it seems inappropriately tacked on to the Environmental Record section. Wouldn't this info be more appropriate in History?

Thanks Alcoa (talk)

[edit] Key People -- Please Correct

Klaus Kleinfeld is CEO, but not Chairman. Alain Belda is still Chairman.

Thanks.

Alcoa (talk) 15:03, 12 May 2008 (UTC)