Scandium Canada buys ski-maker to turn metal into plane parts

Montréal-based Scandium Canada has acquired Québec City ski-maker Ferreol Technologies for $6.6 million in cash, stock, and assumed liabilities, folding the company into a plan to turn rare-earth metals into aircraft components.

Ferreol started out making skis from an aluminum-scandium alloy. It has been rebranded Scalium+ and will serve as Scandium Canada's commercialization arm. The parent company is the only North American source of scandium, a metal that strengthens aluminum when added in small amounts.

Scandium Canada says some of Ferreol's alloys are 45 percent stronger than 7075 aerospace aluminum, the standard alloy used in everything from rifles to space shuttles. Adding scandium creates lightweight, corrosion-resistant alloys that also conduct heat and electricity well, the company said.

The new Scalium+ website projects the Al-Sc alloy being used in air and spacecraft within the next decade. The company also sees applications in additive manufacturing and electric-vehicle components.

Scandium Canada holds the rights to 96 mining claims across 47 square kilometres at the Crater Lake site in northern Québec, which it calls one of the most promising scandium sources globally. By acquiring Ferreol, the company creates an end-to-end supply chain that mines the metal and produces alloys within the province.

Ferreol's commercial team and production line are already running, giving Scandium Canada a faster path to market than building from scratch. The question is whether aerospace manufacturers will switch from the entrenched 7075 alloy to a scandium alternative that costs more to source.

Scandium Canada's pitch: lighter planes burn less fuel. If the weight savings justify the premium, the Crater Lake deposit gives North American aerospace a domestic supply chain that does not depend on Chinese or Russian scandium exports.