Overview
Umicore is a global advanced-materials and recycling group combining materials science, chemistry, metallurgy and metals management. Its four core business groups are Battery Materials Solutions, Catalysis, Recycling and Specialty Materials, with products and technologies serving applications such as batteries, emissions control, fuel cells, precious-metals recovery, electronics and optics.[1][2][3][4][5]
The company describes its mission as “materials for a better life.” [6] It operates internationally, with more than 60 sites and over 11,000 employees.[7] For reporting year 2025, revenue excluding metal was €3.562 billion.[8] [1][2][3][4][5][6][8][7]
Products & services
Umicore’s Battery Materials Solutions portfolio includes cathode active materials (CAM) and precursor cathode materials (pCAM) for lithium-ion batteries, alongside cobalt and nickel refining. Its NMC cathodes cover high-, mid- and lower-nickel or manganese-rich chemistries for different electric-vehicle market segments and are also being developed for solid-state batteries. Battery recycling recovers copper, cobalt, nickel and lithium in battery-grade quality for reuse.[3][9][10]
Catalysis products include gasoline three-way catalysts and particulate filters; diesel oxidation and particulate-filter catalysts; NOx-reduction and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts; and catalysts for natural-gas and alternative-fuel applications. The portfolio also includes tailored emission-control systems, stationary SCR catalysts, and PEM catalyst powders for fuel cells and electrolysis.[11][12][13] Recycling offerings recover precious and other metals—including platinum, palladium, rhodium, gold and silver—from materials such as electronic scrap and spent catalysts. Specialty Materials includes cobalt and nickel products, precious- and non-precious-metal electroplating and PVD coating products, and germanium-based materials for space, optics and electronics.[4][5][14][15][16][17][18]
For 2025, reported segment revenues excluding metals were €436.3 million for Battery Materials Solutions, €1,668.1 million for Catalysis, €947.1 million for Recycling and €557.5 million for Specialty Materials. The company reports these figures by segment; the cited disclosure does not provide individual-product revenue shares or percentages.[19][20] [3][4][5][19][19][19][19][20][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Geographic presence
Umicore’s FY2025 segment turnover was concentrated in Europe, which accounted for €12.957 billion (66.9%) of €19.374 billion total. Asia-Pacific represented €2.657 billion (13.7%), North America €2.913 billion (15.0%), South America €768 million (4.0%) and Africa €78 million (0.4%). These are segment-turnover figures, not net revenue; Belgium is separately shown within Europe at €177 million.[21]
At year-end 2025, Umicore had 11,230 employees: 3,295 in Belgium (29.3%), 1,683 in Germany (15.0%) and 1,323 in China (11.8%); the remaining 4,929 (43.9%) are grouped as “Other.” [22] The group-company schedules show a presence across Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Africa and Australia, including entities in Belgium, France, Germany, China, India, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the United States and South Africa.[23][24][25] The report also identifies the Hoboken plant in Belgium and a site in Shirwal, India.[26][27] [21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
Business segments
For 2025, Umicore reported four operating segments under IFRS 8: Battery Materials Solutions, Catalysis, Recycling, and Specialty Materials. The approximate shares below use each segment’s external revenue excluding metals, totaling €3,562 million—not gross turnover, which includes metal value and produces a substantially different mix.[28][19]
Battery Materials Solutions focuses on battery cathode materials and precursors, related refining, and battery recycling; it generated €433.3 million, or about 12.2% of external revenue. Catalysis includes automotive and stationary emissions-control catalysts, as well as precious-metal compounds and catalysts for fuel cells, pharmaceuticals, and fine chemicals; it generated €1,664.5 million, or about 46.7%. Recycling processes precious and other metals; it generated €961.5 million, or about 27.0%. Specialty Materials includes metal-based materials and chemicals, coating products, germanium-based solutions, and refining and recycling services; it generated €503.1 million, or about 14.1%.[19]
From 2025, Battery Cathode Materials and Battery Recycling Solutions were combined into Battery Materials Solutions, and comparative 2024 figures were restated; Battery Recycling Solutions is therefore included in that segment rather than Recycling.[29] [28][19][29]
Company history
Umicore traces its roots to 1805, when Napoleon granted Jean Dony control of the Vieille-Montagne mine, an early predecessor. Another predecessor, Union Minière du Haut-Katanga, began mining and processing ores in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1906. A 1989 merger reshaped Union Minière into an integrated industrial group; from the mid-1990s, it shifted away from mining and toward value-added materials and recycling. In 2001, Union Minière adopted the Umicore name.[30][31][32]
The company expanded and refocused its portfolio through a series of major transactions: in 2003 it acquired Degussa’s Precious Metals Group, and in 2007 it spun off zinc refining and alloy activities to form Nyrstar while acquiring Delphi’s automotive-catalyst activities. From 2016 onward, it made significant investments in rechargeable-battery cathode materials, acquired catalyst businesses in 2017 and 2018, and agreed in 2019 to acquire cobalt-refining and cathode-precursor operations in Finland.[30][33][11][34][35][36] [30][31][32][33][11][34][35][36][30][31][32][33][11][34][35][36]
Sources
- UMICORE — Full financial report (2025 Y)
- pmm.umicore.com[7]
- www.umicore.com[9]
- www.umicore.com[10]
- www.umicore.com[11]
- products.umicore.com[12]
- fcs.umicore.com[13]
- www.umicore.com[14]
- www.umicore.com[15]
- www.umicore.com[16]
- www.umicore.com[17]
- www.umicore.com[18]
- UMICORE — Press release (2025 Y)[29]
- www.umicore.com[30]
- www.umicore.com[31]
- www.umicore.com[32]
- www.umicore.com[33]
- www.umicore.com[34]
- annualreport2018.umicore.com[35]
- www.umicore.com[36]
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