Metalor Technologies, previously Métaux Précieux SA Metalor, founded in 1852, is a subsidiary of
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's
Tanaka Kikinzoku Group. Metalor has become one of the major world suppliers of
precious metals
Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Precious metals, particularly the noble metals, are more corrosion resistant and less chemically reactive than most elements. They are usual ...
related products & procedures. It makes a wide array of
alloys
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have properties ...
, especially for the watch and jewellery industry, supplying many of the Swiss watch brands, although it has expanded its activities far beyond its primary sector.
History
The roots of the company go back to the "preparatory rolling mill" founded in 1852 by Martin de Pury & Cie in
Le Locle
Le Locle (; ) is a Communes of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
It is situated in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds.
It is the third smallest city in Switzerland (in Swit ...
. This specialized in smelting gold and manufacturing watch cases. In 1864, the plant, which had five employees at the time, was taken over by the Banque du Locle.
In 1918 the company became the property of the
Swiss Bank Corporation
Swiss Bank Corporation (French language, French: ''Société de banque suisse''; German language, German: ''Schweizerischer Bankverein'') was a Swiss Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. Prio ...
. Operations have expanded to refining precious metals and producing bullion. In 1936, the bank association founded Métaux Précieux S.A. Metalor in Le Locle. As a result, production activities were initially expanded at the
Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...
site and later in other countries.
The group’s Hong Kong refinery opened in 1982, and Metalor began running its US refinery in 1986. In 1998, SBC merged with Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) and a majority of the shares of Métaux Précieux SA Metalor were acquired from SBC by a group of Swiss private investors comprising Ernst Thomke, Martin Bisang, Rolf Soiron and Giorgio Behr. The refinery group changed name from “Métaux Précieux SA Metalor” to “Metalor Technologies” in 2001.
In 2013, the company selected Singapore as the location for establishing a gold refinery and manufacturing facility for
bullion
Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from ...
products. This decision was made to cater to the growing regional gold demand, which aligns with the Singapore government's initiatives to position the country as a prominent global trading hub for physical precious metal transactions. The Singapore refinery was opened in June 2014.
In September 2016, 100% of Metalor was sold to the Japanese group of precious metals producers Tanaka Kikinzoku. Previously, the French investor Astorg Partners, who took over Metalor in 2009, held a majority of 50.5% of the shares.
Metalor Dental
Metalor Dental had not been integrated into the Metalor Group : it has now, dating January 1, 2009, been merged into Cendres & Métaux, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
Sale
In September 2016, Metalor Metals was sold to
Tanaka Kikinzoku
The Tanaka Kikinzoku Group, founded in 1885, is a Japanese manufacturer of precious metals materials focusing mainly on products for the electronics, semiconductor and automotive industries. Tanaka's European subsidiary is Tanaka Kikinzoku Inter ...
Group of
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
References
Further reading
PDF Info Page on Metalor Group
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Metaux Precieux Sa Metalor
Horology
Bullion dealers
Precious metals
Precious metal alloys
Manufacturing companies of Switzerland