Palabora Europe

Palabora Europe Limited (formerly Mandoval Limited) was founded in 1944 for the European distribution of crude vermiculite from the Transvaal Ore Company in South Africa. In 1968 Rio Tinto Zinc acquired all the shares in the company and the following year transferred ownership to Palabora Mining Company thus integrating mining and marketing activities. Gradually the business expanded by entering the downstream production of sealants, fire resistant coatings and acoustic plasters with the establishment of Mandoval Coatings Limited. In 1998 the coatings business was sold to allow Palabora to focus its industrial minerals operations on the mining and supply of raw vermiculite. Driven by a desire to sell a branded product, we changed the name of Mandoval to Palabora Europe Limited in August 2000 and a new logo accompanied the change. This change not only reflects a sharper focus on our marketing activities but also strengthens the link with Palabora Mining Company.