MIM Holdings
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mining |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Brisbane , Australia |
| Products | Coal, gold, base metals, lead and copper smelting, copper refining, zinc smelting, precious metals refining |
| Parent | Xstrata (from 2003) |
MIM Holdings Limited was an Australian mining enterprise founded in 1970, serving as the parent organization for Mount Isa Mines Limited, which operated mining sites in north-west Queensland. Headquartered in Brisbane, the company owned and managed coal, gold, and base metal mining operations across Australia and Argentina. Its portfolio included lead and copper smelting facilities in Mount Isa, a copper refining plant located in Townsville (Queensland), a lead refinery at Northfleet (England), zinc smelting operations utilizing the Imperial Smelting Process at the National Smelting Company situated in Avonmouth Docks (England) and Duisburg (Germany), as well as a precious metals refinery based in Sydney.
The firm maintained equity stakes in ASARCO, Cominco, and Metallgesellschaft, with divestitures from Cominco and Metallgesellschaft occurring during the 1993–1994 fiscal year.
MIM Holdings was at the forefront of mining innovation, developing several notable technologies. These included the Isa Process tank house technology created by its Copper Refineries Pty Limited subsidiary in Townsville; the Bottom-blown oxygen converter ("BBOC") implemented at Britannia Refined Metals in Northfleet; and advancements such as the ISASMELT top-entry submerged lance smelting technique, Jameson Cell flotation technology, and IsaMill fine grinding technology, all developed under Mount Isa Mines.
In 2003, MIM Holdings was purchased by Xstrata for US$2.96 billion (A$4.93 billion), inclusive of assumed liabilities, resulting in its removal from the Australian Stock Exchange. At that point, it ranked among the leading global exporters of coal.
Subsequently, on 2 May 2013, Xstrata merged with Glencore to establish Glencore Xstrata plc.