Magnesium Elektron Ltd (MEL or the Mag) is a British materials manufacturer which produces
magnesium and
zirconium metals and compounds. Since 2018 it has traded as Luxfer MEL Technologies, following a series of
mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
. It is still based in
Manchester.
History
The company was founded in 1934, as the British Magnesium (Elektronmetal) Ltd. In 1935 it became Magnesium Elektron Ltd, formed as a joint venture between
ICI (48%),
I.G. Farbenindustrie
Interessengemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG (), commonly known as IG Farben (German for 'IG Dyestuffs'), was a German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate. Formed in 1925 from a merger of six chemical companies—BASF, Bayer, Hoechst, Agfa, ...
(30%) and
F.A. Hughes & Co (22%).
It started by producing
Elektron (or Elektronmetall) under licence. Elektron was first developed in 1908 by
Gustav Pistor and
Wilhelm Moschel at the Bitterfeld works of Chemische Fabrik
Griesheim-Elektron (CFGE or CFG), whose headquarters was in
Griesheim am Main, Germany.
In 1936, the company opened a factory on Lumns Lane at
Clifton Junction
Clifton railway station is a railway station in Clifton, Greater Manchester, England which was formerly called Clifton Junction. It lies on the Manchester–Preston line.
History
The railway line between Salford and , the Manchester and Bolton ...
, to the north west of
Manchester, to produce magnesium metal. A second plant near
Burnley began operation in 1943. During the
Second World War, the company made an important contribution to the nation's war effort producing thousands of tons of magnesium metal alloys for the aircraft industry.
During the late 1940s, the company diversified into the production of zirconium and its compounds, and was acquired by the
Distillers Company in 1951.
Zirconium carbonate
Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name ''zirconium'' is taken from the name of the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. The word is related to Persian '' zargun'' (zircon; ''zar-gun'', ...
production commenced in 1956, to meet a growing demand from the paint, paper and textile industries.
In the 1950s MEL developed magnesium alloys (known collectively as ''magnox'') with non-
oxidising properties for use in the cladding of
fuel rods for the UK's
magnox nuclear power stations. The production of
hafnium metal for use in
Britain's nuclear submarines began in 1958.
In 1961, Magnesium Elektron became a wholly owned subsidiary of the
British Aluminium Company. In 1996, the company was sold to the
Luxfer Group.
In 2018 it was recombined with MEL Chemicals to become Luxfer MEL Technologies.
References
External links
* http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Magnesium_Elektron
Chemical companies of England
Chemical companies established in 1934
British companies established in 1934
Manufacturing companies based in Manchester
1934 establishments in England
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