Arcadium Lithium emerged in early 2024 as a material consolidation in the lithium supply chain, created through the union of two established players in mining and specialty chemicals. The combined entity brought together hard-rock and brine assets, downstream chemical manufacturing capability and a global customer footprint that spans battery makers, chemical manufacturers and industrial clients. Within a year of formation the company executed several strategic moves—including an acquisition of lithium metal processing intellectual property and a restructuring of production at specific mines—before being acquired by a major diversified miner. The profile below presents the company’s key operational, financial and strategic parameters in a structured, comparison-ready format. It aims to assist investors, procurement officers and sector analysts in assessing Arcadium Lithium’s position within the global lithium ecosystem, its asset base, and its short-to-medium term outlook under new ownership.
Arcadium Lithium: company profile, legal status and core facts
This section consolidates the essential company facts, legal identifiers and corporate milestones that define Arcadium Lithium’s public profile. The information is drawn from company filings, press releases and reputable business databases to ensure comparability with peers such as Albemarle, SQM and Ganfeng Lithium. The snapshot is intended as a rapid reference for analysts and investors considering risk, scale and ownership.
Comprehensive company table: key fields for comparison
| Field | Value / Notes |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Arcadium Lithium plc |
| Ticker(s) & Exchange(s) | ALTM (formerly listed on NYSE); also cross‑listed on ASX prior to acquisition |
| Country / Headquarters | Dual heritage from the United States and Australia; operating offices and manufacturing sites across the Americas and Australia. See corporate site: arcadiumlithium.com |
| Founded | January 2024 (merger of Livent and Allkem) |
| CEO | Executive leadership integrated following acquisition by Rio Tinto; executive appointments reflected in post‑deal leadership of Rio Tinto Lithium |
| Employees | Approximately 2,600 global staff (combined figure from predecessor companies) |
| Sector / Sub‑Sector | Mining / Processing / Battery chemicals; sub‑sectors include lithium extraction, refining and lithium chemical production |
| Market Cap (USD) | Quoted market value prior to acquisition; enterprise value and post‑deal valuation subsumed into Rio Tinto balance sheet. Historical investor data: stockanalysis.com ALTM |
| Revenue (USD) | Combined historical revenue roughly $1.9 billion (approximate aggregation of predecessor disclosures) |
| Net Income (USD) | Variable by reporting period; consult consolidated filings and investor presentation: Investor relations |
| Lithium Production (tonnes LCE/year) | Production profile fluctuated by asset; combined production capacity drawn from predecessor operations (spodumene and brine). See operational reports and third‑party databases for year‑by‑year breakdown. |
| Main Mines / Projects | Included Mt Cattlin (Western Australia), Rincon (Argentina, included in post‑deal portfolio), Bald Hill (Allkem legacy), and other processing sites; several projects under review for care & maintenance or expansion |
| Project Locations | Australia, Argentina and other global interests inherited from Livent and Allkem |
| Proven & Probable Reserves | Reserve figures reported historically under predecessor companies; for the combined basis, refer to detailed technical reports and Rio Tinto disclosures after acquisition |
| Processing Facilities | Downstream chemical plants for lithium carbonate/hydroxide production (Livent legacy) plus spodumene concentrators (Allkem legacy). Recent purchase of Li‑Metal Corp IP expanded downstream capability for lithium metal processing. |
| Exploration Stage (If junior) | Not a junior: operator of producing assets and downstream manufacturing |
| Key Partnerships / Clients | Customer relationships across battery makers, chemical intermediates buyers, and strategic partnerships common in the industry; see market pages and Craft profile: Craft – Arcadium Lithium |
| Stock Index Membership | Previously part of US and Australian public markets; post‑deal, integrated into Rio Tinto group indices (refer to Rio Tinto disclosures) |
| ESG / Sustainability Initiatives | Emission reduction targets, community engagement plans and water stewardship commitments inherited and harmonized with buyer policies; Rio Tinto announced integration plans at deal completion |
| Website | https://arcadiumlithium.com/ • Historical profile: Wikipedia |
- Key reference links: PitchBook profile, Crunchbase.
- Regulatory events and acquisition documents accessible via investor relations and stock exchange filings.
- Pre‑deal strategic moves include the acquisition of Li‑Metal Corp assets for US$11M—an IP and pilot refinery purchase that augmented downstream capability.
For the procurement officer following Arcadium’s supplier status, the core takeaway is clear: Arcadium operated as an integrated lithium chemicals supplier with both upstream and downstream exposure, a fact that made it an attractive target for a major miner seeking secure feedstock and manufacturing capability. Insight: the company’s combined asset base and downstream reach framed its strategic value to a large, diversified buyer.
Operational footprint: mines, processing plants and project status
This section examines the operational map and project lifecycle status across Arcadium’s portfolio. It focuses on asset types (hard‑rock spodumene vs. brine), processing pathways, recent operational decisions and the implications for output and supply chain continuity.
Assets inherited from Livent and Allkem: types and geography
Arcadium’s asset inventory combined the complementary strengths of its predecessors. The company’s portfolio included hard‑rock spodumene mines and brine projects, plus chemical manufacturing plants for lithium carbonate and hydroxide. Geographically, operations spanned Australia and South America—two of the most important jurisdictions for lithium feedstock—and processing facilities in locations with established chemical infrastructure.
- Hard‑rock assets: legacy spodumene mines such as Mt Cattlin and Bald Hill provided crystalline feedstock historically used for conversion into lithium chemicals.
- Brine projects: South American salars delivered brine lithium resources, including projects like Rincon that increased brine exposure after corporate actions.
- Downstream plants: chemical conversion facilities enabled the production of lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide monohydrate and specialty lithium chemicals used by battery and industrial clients.
Examples and operational notes are crucial for forecasting supply. For instance, the move announced in September 2024 to place Mt Cattlin into care and maintenance by mid‑2025 reflected a market response to low spodumene prices. Such decisions alter near‑term output, force reallocation of feedstock to other facilities and require traders and offtakers to adjust delivery schedules accordingly. A procurement manager—hereafter the illustrative character Oliver Park, a battery manufacturer’s supply strategist—would therefore re‑price contractual volumes and seek alternative supplies when Mt Cattlin’s availability was dialed down.
Recent operational changes and their market effects
Key operational changes directly shape how Arcadium fed the supply chain:
- Care & maintenance decisions: Putting a mine under care reduces immediate spodumene output and can shift market balances if a producer represents a significant share of global hard‑rock supply.
- Downstream IP acquisitions: The purchase of Li‑Metal Corp’s lithium metal processing business for US$11M supplied Arcadium with specialist refining IP and a pilot plant, strengthening its ability to provide higher‑value products rather than selling raw spodumene alone.
- Operational consolidation: Integrating the processing networks of Livent and Allkem required harmonizing production standards, logistics and commercial contracts—an intricate process that can temporarily affect throughput and margins.
Oliver Park’s scenario planning would therefore account for both capacity reductions at specific mines and the longer‑term benefit of enhanced downstream conversion capacity. If the industry continues to see episodes of price weakness, more producers may place marginal assets into care; conversely, the availability of integrated chemical production offers competitive advantages when markets tighten.
- Operational risk points include commodity price cycles, jurisdictional permitting, and water management obligations for brine projects.
- Supply mitigation strategies include diversification of feedstock sources, flexible offtake contracts, and forward hedging of key inputs.
Insight: the asset mix—hard‑rock plus brine and downstream conversion—was Arcadium’s defining operational attribute, and that vertical integration both reduces counterparty risk for customers and increases strategic value to acquirers. The next section examines how these operational features translated into corporate valuation and the eventual acquisition by a global miner.
Financial metrics, valuation context and the Rio Tinto acquisition
This section analyses Arcadium’s financial profile, how market participants valued the company during a subdued lithium price environment, and how the acquisition by a major miner altered the ownership and reporting landscape. The section includes a compact financial table summarizing the most relevant figures and transactional data.
Financial snapshot and transactional facts
| Metric | Reported / Transactional Data |
|---|---|
| Combined revenue (pre‑deal) | ~$1.9 billion (aggregate from predecessor disclosures) |
| Employees | ~2,600 |
| Acquisition price | US$6.7 billion (Rio Tinto all‑cash deal announced Oct 9, 2024 and completed Mar 6, 2025) |
| Per‑share price | US$5.85 per Arcadium share in the announced deal |
| Market context | Transaction occurred during a period of subdued lithium spot prices, driving strategic consolidation and vertical integration rationale for large miners |
Major sources and transaction coverage include the Rio Tinto press release detailing deal completion: Rio Tinto completes acquisition of Arcadium Lithium, and third‑party profiles such as Bloomberg and StockAnalysis. Investors tracking enterprise value and cash flow multiples should note the buyer paid a strategic premium for downstream capability and resource access rather than for short‑term earnings growth alone.
- Valuation drivers: strategic vertical integration, reserve base, downstream chemical manufacturing and access to brine resources.
- Near‑term headwinds: low spodumene prices pressured margins, prompting mine care decisions.
- Transaction rationale: Rio Tinto’s stated objective to create a large, integrated lithium unit and secure long‑term supply for energy transition markets.
From the perspective of a capital allocator, Arcadium represented both a consolidation play and a shortcut to scale in lithium chemicals for the acquirer. The transaction removed a publicly traded comparator from the independent universe—affecting peer group valuations and investor allocations to lithium exposures in funds and ETFs. For details on Arcadium’s corporate profile prior to the deal, see the company investor page: Arcadium IR.
| Company | Market Cap / EV (USD bn) | Revenue (USD bn) | Employees | Primary Feedstock | Downstream Chemicals Capability | Select |
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David Miller is a financial writer and analyst who has spent more than ten years studying how natural resources shape the global economy. His work often gravitates toward lithium and other battery metals, not just because of their financial weight, but because of their role in the world’s energy transition and the shift toward cleaner technologies.
Having followed the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy from both an investment and environmental perspective, David believes that telling the story of each company matters. Behind every market cap or production figure, there are people, communities, and long-term projects that define how the lithium supply chain evolves.
In this directory, his goal is to provide profiles that are accurate, comparable, and accessible, but also written with an awareness of the bigger picture: how each company contributes to the future of energy, mobility, and sustainability.