Growth markets

We are specifically targeting our faster growing markets: semiconductors, healthcare, clean energy and clean transportation.

These are market segments where demands on materials are increasingly stringent, and our materials expertise is increasingly relevant.

We have dedicated market specialists who face into these industries and ensure we address the needs of today, while developing new products and approaches for the needs of tomorrow.

Semiconductors

We make consumables used during silicon chip fabrication. Our products are leading, best in class carbon-, graphite- and ceramic-based components used during the manufacture of chips.

We also make consumables used during the manufacture of silicon carbide semiconductor material. Silicon carbide is a new compound being adopted in power devices. Electric vehicle car makers are developing cars with silicon carbide main power inverters, as these are lighter, more efficient and lower the system cost.

Until recently, silicon carbide wafers could not be made in sufficient quality, cost, and quantity to support the growth in this space. Our products have become a key enabler to unlock adoption.

Healthcare

We manufacture a broad variety of components for use in medical instrumentation as well as in tools for treatment and surgery. Biocompatibility, excellent chemical and electrical resistance and low wear rates, plus our high-quality, volume manufacturing means we are perfectly placed to supply components for medical applications.

Medical engineering demands the highest standards of precision, accuracy, reliability and performance. Equipment manufacturers and medical professionals choose our materials for their exceptional physical characteristics.

Our deep understanding of ceramic material properties, together with our expertise in braze alloy design, allows us to produce high-density, highly reliable feedthroughs for a range of medical applications, including cochlear implants and neuro-stimulation. Our components are also used for critical functions in gear pumps, apheresis systems, micro-dosing systems and oxygen compression.

Clean energy and clean transportation

Our new ceramic materials for customers producing solar panels support the latest generation of production technology. We produce some of the leading brush grades for wind turbines, offering longer lifetimes. In addition to enabling wind technology, we also drive lower maintenance activity, and costs, for the wind farm operators, further reducing their CO₂ footprint.

Our thermal insulation Superwool® is used in heat recovery steam generators, fuel cells and energy storage walls to improve energy efficiency.

We support the EV market with carbon seals and bearings for cooling pumps which are produced to fine dimensional tolerance, improving efficiency and minimising pump noise.

We have a leading range of products and solutions that provide fire protection around battery packs and we are constantly innovating these to meet evolving requirements.

In the electrified rail market we produce a range of collector strips and carbon shoes to connect the train to the power cable or rail. In the metro market in China we have developed a wide range of high-performance material grades to perform in the varied climatic conditions across China. Our products directly enable electrified rail, and offer superior lifetimes, further reducing CO₂ emissions.