Umicore

What Umicore does

Umicore is a Brussels-headquartered global materials technology and recycling group operating across four business segments: Battery Materials Solutions, Catalysis, Recycling, and Specialty Materials. The company serves large enterprise customers in automotive, battery manufacturing, electronics/semiconductors, precious metals trading, jewelry, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing, with operational presence in over 50 countries and approximately 11,230 employees worldwide. Its core technology combines material science, chemistry, and metallurgy to produce cathode active materials for lithium-ion batteries, automotive and fuel cell catalysts, infrared optical materials, copper electroplating additives for advanced semiconductor packaging, and to perform pyro-hydro metallurgical refining of complex feedstocks to recover platinum group metals, gold, silver, and other precious metals.

Umicore's product portfolio is anchored by proprietary technologies including the IntraCu® copper electroplating system, the Nexyclus family of recycled-content chain-of-custody certifications (Book & Claim, Mass Balance, RJC-CoC), marine DNX® SCR catalysts, and iDLC™ diamond-like carbon coatings on proprietary GASIR® chalcogenide glass. The company operates what it describes as Europe's first fully integrated circular battery materials value chain, combining cathode production facilities in Poland and Finland with precious metals recycling at its Hoboken, Belgium site, where it claims recovery rates of 90-98% for lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. R&D is conducted across 15 technical centres globally, with a new innovation centre opened in Shanghai in April 2026 as its first R&D facility outside Europe.

The business model is direct enterprise B2B sales via dedicated account management and technical sales teams. Revenue is generated across five streams: Battery Materials Solutions (one-time licensing of cathode active materials), Catalysis (automotive, marine, fuel cell, and stationary catalysts plus precious metals chemistry), Recycling (precious metals refining and e-scrap processing on a transaction/fee basis), Specialty Materials (cobalt, electro-optic materials, and metal deposition solutions), and Precious Metals Trading & Industry (transaction-fee trading of gold, silver, and platinum group metals). Pricing for advanced materials is quote-based and negotiated directly with customers; precious metals trading prices are published on Umicore's PMM website. The company is publicly traded on Euronext Brussels (ticker: UMI), is a member of Belgium's BEL 20 index, and is supervised by the Belgian FSMA. Notable capital actions include a €499 million sustainability-linked private debt issuance in April 2024 and a €350 million European Investment Bank loan in February 2024 to finance electric-vehicle battery materials development.

Name

Umicore

Legal name

UMICORE, NV/SA

Website

https://umicore.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Umicore is a Brussels-headquartered global materials technology and recycling group that produces cathode active materials for EV batteries, automotive and fuel cell catalysts, infrared optics, copper electroplating solutions for semiconductors, and recycles precious metals, serving major automotive OEMs, battery cell manufacturers, and industrial enterprises across more than 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advanced Materials and Recycling

NAICS

Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251)

SIC

Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Battery Raw Materials Mining & Refining (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Graphite) (EUAFABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Recycling (Aluminum, Copper, Brass, Lead, Zinc) (EUAIAJAB), Hazardous Waste Recycling & Recovery (Solvent Recovery, Oil Re-refining, Metals Recovery) (EUAIAFAI), E-Waste & Electronics Metal Recovery (ITAD, Circuit Boards, Precious Metal Recovery) (IMAKAMAG)

Keywords

• Battery cathode materials
• Precious metals recycling
• Automotive catalysis
• Advanced materials technology
• Circular economy materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Battery Materials Solutions: Revenue from producing and selling cathode active materials for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, portable electronics, and energy storage. Includes precursors, high-nickel cathode materials, and battery anode materials. Part of Umicore's growth driver targeting EV market expansion.
2. Catalysis: Revenue from automotive catalysts (gasoline, diesel, hybrid), marine propulsion catalysts, fuel cell catalysts, and stationary emission control catalysts. Also includes precious metals chemistry for pharmaceutical and chemical synthesis applications.
3. Recycling: Revenue from precious metals refining and recycling services, processing complex materials to recover platinum group metals, gold, silver, and other precious metals. Includes e-scrap recycling, spent automotive and industrial catalysts recycling, mining industry intermediates, and incinerator bottom ashes.
4. Specialty Materials: Revenue from cobalt and specialty materials, electro-optic materials (infrared optics, germanium solutions), and metal deposition solutions for semiconductor manufacturing.
5. Precious Metals Trading & Industry: Revenue from trading and selling precious metals including gold, silver, platinum group metals in various forms (investment bars, granules, sponge, powder). Also includes Nexyclus chain of custody certificates for recycled content verification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Umicore is a global advanced materials and recycling group that produces cathode active materials for lithium-ion batteries, automotive catalysts for emission control, specialty materials for semiconductors and infrared optics, and recycles precious metals from complex waste streams. The company operates through four business groups: Battery Materials Solutions, Catalysis, Recycling, and Specialty Materials, serving automotive OEMs, battery manufacturers, industrial firms, and electronics companies across more than 50 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nexyclus: Chain of custody certification system for responsibly sourced recycled precious metals (Silver, Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium), offered by Umicore Precious Metals Refining.
• IntraCu
• GASIR
• Tessella
• DNX
• iDLC

Products and services

• Battery Materials Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• 31% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions versus 2019 baseline
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Nano One MaterialsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Partnership with Canada-based Nano One Materials to integrate its patented 'One-Pot' lithium-ion battery cathode technology into broader battery-material value chains. Nano One is transitioning a cathode materials plant in Candiac, Quebec (acquired from Johnson Matthey) with Rio Tinto and Umicore as partners.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Collaboration with Fraunhofer Institute IPA in Stuttgart to pilot test RoB@t2Cell robot-assisted system for safely dismantling, analyzing, and discharging used EV batteries for selective reuse or recycling. The technology will undergo industrial pilot testing at Umicore to help Europe comply with EU Battery Regulation requirements.
• HS Hyosung Advanced MaterialscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Completed joint venture transaction with Korea's HS Hyosung Advanced Materials for silicon-carbon composite anode materials for EV batteries. HS Hyosung acquired 80% stake in Umicore's silicon anode materials unit (Extra Mile Materials) for €120 million with plans to invest additional 1.5 trillion won over five years.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Johnson Matthey: UK-listed precious metals and advanced materials company with overlapping activities in automotive catalysts, battery cathode materials (now divested to Nano One/EcoPro), and precious metals chemistry. Closest direct comparable to Umicore's integrated materials and catalysis portfolio.
• Aurubis: European leader in copper recycling and non-ferrous metals refining. Comparable to Umicore's Hoboken precious metals refinery operations and non-ferrous recycling capabilities, with similar focus on multi-metal recovery from complex feedstocks.
• Sumitomo Metal Mining: Japanese vertically integrated miner and refiner producing cathode active materials for lithium-ion batteries (NMC cathodes via joint ventures) and non-ferrous metals refining. Direct competitor in the global battery cathode materials market, especially for high-nickel chemistries.
• POSCO Future M: Korean cathode materials manufacturer (NCM, NCA) and battery materials supplier to major cell makers. Competes directly with Umicore in the global cathode materials market with significant capacity expansion plans for European supply.
• Boliden: Swedish mining and metals company with integrated operations in zinc, copper, and precious metals extraction and recycling. Comparable to Umicore's metals and recycling operations, particularly in non-ferrous metals recovery from electronic scrap.
• Dowa Holdings: Japanese non-ferrous metals smelter and recycler with operations in precious metals recycling, semiconductor materials, and electronic scrap processing. Comparable to Umicore's Recycling and Specialty Materials business units, especially in Japan/Asia.
• Tanaka Precious Metals: Japanese precious metals refiner and trader specializing in gold, silver, platinum group metals for industrial, jewelry, and semiconductor applications. Comparable to Umicore Precious Metals Management and Refining business units.
• Eramet: French mining and metallurgical company with operations in manganese, nickel, and alloys, including battery materials initiatives. Comparable to Umicore's cobalt and specialty materials activities and shares European regulatory exposure.

Broad incumbents

• BASF: Global chemicals incumbent with significant battery materials (cathode active materials), automotive catalysis, and precious metals trading operations. Operates at much larger scale across the full chemicals value chain, overlapping with Umicore in battery materials and catalysis segments.
• Glencore: Global mining and commodities trading giant with significant cobalt, copper, and zinc operations that supply battery materials precursors. Overlaps with Umicore's cobalt & specialty materials segment and competes on raw material supply for battery materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/umicoregroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/umicore
• Facebookfacebook.com/umicorepoweredbyyou
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umicore
• Instagraminstagram.com/Umicoregroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A14 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Umicore