Métaux Précieux SA Métalor
Encyclopedia
The Metalor Group, previously "Métaux Précieux SA Métalor", founded in 1852, has become one of the major world suppliers of precious metals related products & procedures. It has one of the most advanced R&D department and refinery of precious metals, making a wide array of alloys fitting any specific need of the industry, especially for the watch and jewellery industry, supplying many of the most reputed Swiss Watch Brands, although it has expended its activities far beyond its primary sector.
, Canton of Neuchâtel
, Switzerland
, which specialized in the melting of gold and the manufacture of watch cases. In 1864 the factory, which then had a staff of five, was acquired by the Bank of Le Locle.
(SBS) in 1918, the workshop - which by now had some thirty employees - started refining
precious metals and producing bank ingots
.
The Metalor Group is based in Switzerland with subsidiaries in 15 countries over the world. The company is composed by four divisions:
bridges, watch hands and many other watch components.
s Division is a precious metal focused organization that develops coatings used in a wide variety of businesses such as general electronics, semiconductor applications, decorative and multi-disciplinary industrial sectors (medical, advertising, etc.).
Preliminary Rolling Factory
In 1852 Martin de Pury & Cie founded the "Preliminary Rolling Factory" at Le LocleLe Locle
Le Locle is a municipality in the district of Le Locle 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....
, Canton of Neuchâtel
Canton of Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel is a canton of French speaking western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782 of which 39,654 were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel.-History:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, which specialized in the melting of gold and the manufacture of watch cases. In 1864 the factory, which then had a staff of five, was acquired by the Bank of Le Locle.
Start of the Refining of Gold
Soon after being taken over by the Société de Banque SuisseSwiss Bank Corporation
Swiss Bank Corporation was a large integrated financial services company located in Switzerland...
(SBS) in 1918, the workshop - which by now had some thirty employees - started refining
Refining (metallurgy)
Refining consists of purifying an impure material, in this case a metal. It is to be distinguished from other processes such as smelting and calcining in that those two involve a chemical change to the raw material, whereas in refining, the final material is usually identical chemically to the...
precious metals and producing bank ingots
Gold bar
A gold bar is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping....
.
Métaux Précieux SA Métalor
The SBS subsidiary, Métaux Précieux SA Metalor, a name it was to retain for 65 years, was founded in 1936. Developing its production activities first at the Neuchâtel site, and then in other countries throughout the world, Metalor was to remain in the bank's ownership until 1998, when its majority ownership was taken over by a group of private industrial investors and reorganised to become nowadays :Métalor Group
As of April 2001 the designation "Metalor Technologies" has been incorporated in the names of all Metalor Group companies.The Metalor Group is based in Switzerland with subsidiaries in 15 countries over the world. The company is composed by four divisions:
Refining
Metalor's Division is an industrial organisation specialized in the evaluation and refining of precious metals of both primary and secondary origin.Watches and Jewellery
Metalor's Division, reference and leader in the domain of precious metals alloys for the Swiss luxury watch industry, supplies the watch industry with its highly sophisticated alloys which are being used for the production of watch cases watch bands or (watch bracelets), movementMovement (clockwork)
In horology, a movement is the internal mechanism of a clock or watch, as opposed to the case, which encloses and protects the movement, and the face which displays the time. The term originated with mechanical timepieces, whose movements are made of many moving parts...
bridges, watch hands and many other watch components.
Advanced Coatings
Metalor's Advanced CoatingCoating
Coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, usually referred to as the substrate. In many cases coatings are applied to improve surface properties of the substrate, such as appearance, adhesion, wetability, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and scratch resistance...
s Division is a precious metal focused organization that develops coatings used in a wide variety of businesses such as general electronics, semiconductor applications, decorative and multi-disciplinary industrial sectors (medical, advertising, etc.).
Electrotechnics
Metalor's Division transforms precious metals into electrical contacts which improve the safety and durability of electrical equipment (circuit breakers, switches, relays, etc.) for use in such markets as electrical distribution, numerical or analog control, transportation and household appliances.technology products
The Technology Products Department regroups Metalor's product lines based on new and innovating applications of precious metals. It focuses on products for growth markets starting with research and development up to large scale production. This department currently comprises the activities related to precious metal powders.Spin Off : 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. (See: http://www.cmsa.ch/en/group/News_Events/News/Pages/MetalorDental.aspxCompetitors In Switzerland supplying products to the Watch & Jewellery Industry
- http://www.argor.com/index.php?id=4 Argor Heraeus, MendrisioMendrisioMendrisio is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura of the university of Italian speaking Switzerland ....
- http://www.cmsa.ch/en/group/Pages/Group.aspx Cendres & Métaux Group, Biel/BienneBiel/BienneBiel/Bienne is a city in the district of the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is located on the language boundary and is throughout bilingual. Biel is the German name for the town, Bienne its French counterpart. The town is often referred to in both...
- http://www.pamp.ch/main.htm PAMP SA, Castel San PietroCastel San PietroCastel San Pietro is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Castel San Pietro is first mentioned in 1171 as Castellum Sancti Petri. A settlement near the village was mentioned in 865, when an Imperial knight named Sigeradus, granted the area to...
- http://www.precinox.ch/tubes.asp?profile=en&metals=precinox-home Précinox SA, La Chaux-de-FondsLa Chaux-de-FondsLa Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of...
- Valcambi SA, BalernaBalernaBalerna is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-History:Balerna is first mentioned in 1115 as Barerna. In 844 and 865, the monastery of S. Ambrogio in Milan purchased land in the concilium of Castel S. Pietro which would have included Balerna. In the...
Global Competitors
- http://www.answers.com/topic/cookson-group-plc Cookson GroupCookson GroupCookson Group plc is a leading materials technology company headquartered in London which provides materials, processes and services to customers worldwide. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index....
- HeraeusHeraeusHeraeus Holding GmbH is an engineering group based in Hanau, Germany. Its core areas of business are precious metals, special metals, dental materials, medical technology, quartz glass, sensors and specialised light sources...
AG - http://www.answers.com/topic/johnson-matthey-public-limited-company Johnson MattheyJohnson MattheyJohnson Matthey plc is multinational chemicals and precious metals company headquartered in London, United Kingdom.It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
Plc
Neutral Sources & References
- http://www.goldbarsworldwide.com/PDF/RB_5_Metalor.pdf pdf Info Page on Metalor Group
- http://info.goldavenue.com/Info_site/in_who/in_who_metalor.html Info Page on Metalor
- http://www.ecct.com.tw/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=1094&Itemid=143 European Chamber of Commerce Taipei
Metalor Group Sources & References
- http://www.metalor.com/ Métalor's Official Home Page
- Answers.com Metalor U.S.A.