International Ferro Metals is an integrated ferrochrome producer listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: IFL). Head office is in Sydney, Australia and the production facilities are located in the North West Province of South Africa.

International Ferro Metals (IFM) aims to be one of the world’s low cost ferrochrome producers through the use of latest mining technology and integrated mine and processing plants. To fulfil this objective, the company successfully raised equity capital of £99 million and listed its shares on the AIM market in September 2005. These funds, together with Bank borrowings have been used to purchase Chrome reserves (see details of ore bodies), as well as the development of an integrated ferrochrome processing plant located 100km outside Johannesburg in the Northwest province of South Africa.

The furnaces were commissioned in January 2007. Production units are presently working 24/7 to reach IFM's goal to produce 3% of the world’s ferrochrome. Jiuquan Iron & Steel Group Company "JISCO", the largest steel manufacturer in North West China (see JISCO), who has signed a guaranteed off-take agreement to acquire approximately 40% of the company’s ferrochrome production, is giving effect to the agreement. CMC Cometals (see CMC Cometals), a metals trading company with a $1.6 billion market capitalisation, who has also entered into a off-take agreement to acquire 20% of production, is also giving effect to their agreement. The balance of production will be sold by JISCO and CMC Cometals on an agency basis. IFM's first ferrochrome shipments left the plant at the end of February.

IFM: A New Force in Ferrochrome

Delivering a world-class project of this size and nature within budget and on time requires the ability to coordinate inputs from a wide variety of contractors. IFM-SA delivered one of the world’s most efficient, environmentally friendly ferrochrome plants three months ahead of schedule and within budget by ensuring no stone is left unturned when it comes to quality. Click here to read the book which details how this remarkable project began, the painstaking planning that went into the construction of the production units, personal accounts of managers of the early days of the project and the project’s spectacular success.