Pechiney Ugine Kuhlmann

a French monopoly in the metallurgical and chemical industries.

In 1971, Ugine-Kuhlmann merged with the Pechiney firm, which specialized in nonferrous metallurgy; thus, Pechiney Ugine Kuhlmann, the largest Western European aluminum company, was formed. In the mid-1970’s the company controlled approximately 10 percent of the production of primary aluminum in the capitalist world and 80 percent of the production of dyes in France; it had a corner on approximately 75 percent of the aluminum market, 70 percent of the copper market, and 65 percent of the stainless steel market. More than 55 percent of its production capacity is located outside of France. The company extracts bauxite in France, Greece, the USA, and certain African countries.

In 1976, Pechiney Ugine Kuhlmann had a turnover of $4.7 billion, and it employed 97,000 persons.