In 1931, the company opened the CCR refinery in Montréal-Est, which processes all the copper produced by the Horne Smelter.

In 1955 it opened the Gaspé Copper Mines, and in 1963 Canadian Electrolytic Zinc (CEZ), in which Noranda held a large stake, began production.

[3] Following the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, Noranda reclaimed its 49% share in its subsidiary Chile Canadian Mines.

Asset management companies Brascan and Caisse de Dépôt gained effective control of Noranda with a $1 billion CAD investment in 1981.

Also in 1984, the company became a large player in the electronics scrap and recycling business by purchasing Micro Metallics Corp.

Also in 1995 Noranda entered Latin America with the purchase of a 25% stake in the Refimet smelter outside of Antofagasta, Chile.

Noranda expanded its aluminum business in 2004 by gaining a 50% interest in the Gramercy alumina refinery in Louisiana and associated Jamaican bauxite deposits.

Noranda Mines also operated in the UK in the early 70's with active exploration programs in Scotland and north Wales.

The exploration program consisted of soil and stream sampling and limited Induced Polarisation and fluxgate magnetometer surveys.