What Are The Features Of Umicore?

By Jack Wagon

Umicore is a materials technology group, which focuses on four business areas; advanced materials, precious metals products, and catalysts, precious metal services, and Zinc specialties. Umicore was a company that was formed when four other companies, from the smelting, and refining industries, merged. Umicore was formerly called Union Miniere. It has included into its sphere the areas of refining, and recycling of precious metals, and manufacturing products from metals.

Union Miniere was firstly a mining and refining company, although in the 1990s, they took a different approach and diversified. They placed themselves as a specialty materials company. To mark this change of moving away, and adjusting for changes, the company altered their name to Umicore in 2001. The company now performs at the edge of chemistry, metallurgy, and materials sciences.

In 2003, Umicore took over PMG, and this added another component to its impressive repertoire. PMG was formerly a unit in the German Degussa group, which coincidently was also the founding shareholder of Hoboken firm of Umicore.

The company employs approximately fifteen thousand and five hundred people, and the annual income of the company is around 9.2 billion euros. The Umicore company has a very diverse customer base because of its diversified operations in almost all the continents of the world.

Umicore has a Research and Development department that is completely decentralised. Research and Development expenditure had an addition of 33% in 2008. Umicore spends an estimated eighty percent of its research budget on finding ways for clean technology; examples include emission catalysts, materials used for rechargeable batteries, and photovoltaic, fuel cells, and precious metal recycling.

In order to improve their systems, and procedures, Umicore has developed its own method called Umagine, which transforms, and improve their already existing procedures. Umicore is also known as a great appreciator of, and certifies all the outstanding research done in the area outside the company. It is also known as an awarding authority in their relevant area all over the world. This aspect generates, and motivates more innovations for the benefit of everyone.

Today, Umicore is a flourishing company that is listed in the Euronext Brussels stock exchange. In 2005, Umicore came out with Cumerio, which was an independent copper business. Cumerio also made it to the Euronext Brussels. In 2007, Umicore amalgamated its zinc refining, and alloy business with Zinifex. Nystar, the newborn, also made it to the stock exchange. In 2007, Umicore was driven to top charts, with the help of the automotive catalyst division of Delphi, as they overtook the market in the field of passenger cars.

Umicore would not have succeeded if it has not welcomed change, and accommodated everyone as it has a very diverse structure in all aspects. Umicore is always looking for ways to increase its efficiency, and performance. Such an attitude has made it possible for them to retain a huge group of loyal customers. For this reason, it is always finding ways of improvements, and tackles every risk. The company is aimed at developing, producing, and recycling materials in a matter to yield materials to make life much better. - 29871

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