It was responsible for rapid development in Arvida, today a part of the city of Saguenay in Quebec, by contributing to the construction of major ports and railway facilities.

The factory helped build parts for Spitfire fighter aircraft during World War II.

[6] With the onset of World War II, the Allies' demand for aluminum expanded rapidly, and with it the company.

[8] Sales fell substantially in the immediate aftermath of the war but rebounded with postwar expansion, as aluminum was increasingly in use in construction, by electrical utilities, and in manufacturing.

[7] In 1951, the company initiated a $500-million project at Kitimat, British Columbia, the largest public-private partnership ever created in Canada at the time.

[9] Despite a June 1950 antitrust ruling by a US court that forced shareholders to divest themselves of shares in either Aluminum Limited (as the company was then known) or Alcoa, and the rise of American rivals Kaiser and Reynolds, Alcan remained a dominant player in the aluminum sector for many subsequent decades.

[7] In 1994, Alcan sold their building products unit (with a plant in Scarborough, Ontario) to Genstar Capital, and the location was later closed and demolished.

[17] In 2011, Rio Tinto sold Apollo Global Management and FSI shareholdings of 51% and 10%, respectively, of Alcan Engineered Products (excluding Cable).