Looking at the hard metal suppliers market

We prepared a new issue of our column "Looking at the markets", which is dedicated to analyzing some of the most important markets for professionals working in the wire, tube, fasteners and metal working field by considering the economic performances and business activities of three major players.

This month we'll be talking about hard metal suppliers focusing on the following companies:

Boehlerit, Austria
Ceratizit, Luxembourg
Sandvik, Sweden/USA

In the last paragraph "Latest trends" you'll find an additional source of information, that is newly published market surveys and other studies directly or indirectly concerning the mentioned industry. ---------------------------

Boehlerit

Boehlerit, Kapfenberg/Austria (02/11/2017): The producer of carbide materials for tools for metal, wood, plastics and compound materials machining with more than 770 employees (500 of them at the Kapfenberg site) achieves a turnover of about €100 million and has an export quota of 85%. With investments of more than €40 million over the past ten years, the company is using some 5% of the turnover is invested in R&D acitivities.
The company was privatised in 1991 and included in the Leitz group of companies (with a staff of 6300 people worldwide and a turnover of € 550 million). Boehlerit became the cutting material centre of the group and reported rapid economic development.

Outlook
Continued investment in human resources, technologies, production capacities and markets are geared to ensure future growth of the Boehlerit group. Company presentation / annual report >
Sources
Boehlerit, facts & figures >
About Boehlerit >
Obersteirische Rundschau >
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Ceratizit
Ceratizit S.A., Mamer/Luxembourg (13/10/2017): The Ceratizit Group with over 9,000 employees is a manufacturer of hard material products for wear protection and cutting tools working at 34 production sites and over 70 sales subsidiaries across the globe. Ceratizit is 50%-owned by Plansee Holding AG, Reutte/Austria, with the remaining shares being held by private owners.
The company resulting from the merger between Cerametal and Plansee Tizit in 2002.

Projects
In October 2017, Ceratizit acquired Komet Group based in Besigheim/Germany, a supplier for high-precision tools, which currently employs 1,500 employees and is represented in about 50 countries by its 21 subsidiaries.
In January 2017, Ceratizit took over the German company Becker Diamantwerkzeuge (diamond tools), which produces extremely wear resistant tools for the automotive, mechanical engineering, medical technology, and aerospace industries, and acquired a majority stake of the US manufacturer Best Carbide Cutting Tools, LLC. This company manufactures micro tools and complements Ceratizit's portfolio. The carbide drills and carbide cutters are used, among others, in the aerospace industry, medical technology and mechanical engineering.

Outlook
The goal of Ceratizit is to grow organically and through acquisitions in the market for solid carbide tools.

Projects
In May 2017, Ceratizit and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) started jointly developing high temperature resistant PVD coatings for the next generation of metal cutting tools. Researchers will be working over the next three years on the optimisation of titanium nitride and aluminium nitride coatings measuring just a few microns in thickness, applied by means of physical vapour deposition (PVD) on carbide tools.

Sources
http://www.ceratizit.com >
Industrie Magazin >
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Sandvik/Sandvik Hyperion

Sandvik AB, Stockholm/Sweden (15/12/2017): The global engineering group’s segments include Sandvik Machining Solutions, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, Sandvik Materials Technology and Other Operations wich include Sandvik Hyperion.
The company was established in 2014 through the merger between Sandvik Hard Materials with Diamond Innovations.
Sandvik Hyperion with head office in Fair Lawn, NJ/USA has approximately 1,400 employees and is a provider of cemented tungsten carbide, tungsten carbide powders, diamond and cubic boron nitride materials used in wide range of material-removal and wear-protection applications. According to Sandvik’s Interim Report Q3 2017 (published 24/10/2017), Sandvik Hyperion achieved a double-digit growth both for order intake und revenues compared with the year-earlier period. This development, says the report, was supported by a general positive development in customer activity in most segments.
According to the news agency Reuters, Sandvik Hyperion reported revenues of SEK3.2 billion in the last twelve months, representing 4% of Sandvik’s total revenues.

Projects
On December 8, 2017, Sandvik AB signed an agreement to divest Hyperion to the US investment firm KKR at a price of SEK 4 billion (USD472 million). Closing of transaction is expected during the first half of 2018.

Outlook
According to a Sandvik Hyperion statement, KKR is committed to investing in and developing Hyperion to allow it to grow at an even greater pace.
Sandvik AB will publish its fourth quarter results on Monday, 5 February 2018.
Company presentation / annual report Sandvik investor presentation >
Hyperion, about us > Sources
Interim report, third quarter 2017 >PRESS RELEASE 24 OCTOBER 2017 >
Reuters, company profile >
A Promising New Year Ahead >
KKR to acquire Hyperion from Sandvik >

--------------------------   Latest trends – Market Research Reports
Hard Materials
Global Superhard Materials Market Survey and Trend Research 2018
Dec 2017

Global Single Crystal Superhard Materials Market 2017 – Sandvik Group, Element Six, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., ILJIN
Dec 2017
Super Hard Material Market 2022. Global Market analysis and Industry Forecast
Dec 2017 Super Hard Material Industry Size, Share, Growth, Analysis & Market. Demand 2017 – 2022
Dec 2017 Hard Metal Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 – 2022
Aug 2017  Global Hard Metal Market Research Report 2017
Jul 2017
2017 Market Research Report on Global Hard Metal Industry
Jul 2017
Global Hard Metal Market 2017 - Production, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2022
Jul 2017 Super-Hard Materials Market share research by applications and regions for 2017-2024
Jun 2017 Global Cubic Boron Nitride Market Professional Survey Report 2017
Super-Hard Materials Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Application Development Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 – 2024

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Previous issues of the column:

Looking at the plant engineering market: Danieli, Primetals, SMS Group >>
Looking at the lubricants market: Fuchs, Henkel, Q8Oils >>
Looking at the spring industry: Wafios, Scherdel, Kern-Liebers >>
Looking at the automotive market: Bosch, Delphi, Faurecia >>
Looking at the markets: Borealis, DuPont, PolyOne >>
Looking at the markets: Benteler, Vallourec, Webco Industries >>
Looking at the markets: Bossard, Norma Group, SFS >>
Looking at the markets: Bekaert, Salzgitter, Voestalpine >>
Looking at the markets: Aurubis, Huber+Suhner, Leoni >>
The information has been compiled by Dipl.-Ing. Konrad Dengler, a technical journalist specialised in industrial activities.
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