History

The ISA PROCESS™ was marketed following the introduction of stainless steel permanent cathode plate technology to its electrorefining plant in Townsville, Australia, in 1978. Mount Isa Mines Ltd (MIM) eliminated the need for starter cathodes and led the way to a reusable, automated solution for copper electrorefining and electrowinning operations. The demand for the permanent cathode technology that followed this modernization spurred the commercialisation of this technology in 1980.

The KIDD PROCESS was developed by Falconbridge for their Kidd Creek refinery in 1985. The search for improved copper cathode quality in the original starter sheet refinery necessitated the development and installation of permanent cathode technology. In 1992, after many requests from producers around the world, Falconbridge started marketing the KIDD PROCESS.

Xstrata plc purchased MIM in 2003, and Falconbridge in 2006. The technologies being marketed by these companies formed the core of Xstrata Technology (XT), known as ISAKIDD.