H.C. Starck says that this shows that the company has sustained its position in 2012 despite a more difficult market environment.
"After a very strong fiscal year 2011, growth has slowed down in 2012,” said Andreas Meier,chairman of the H.C. Starck executive board. “Especially in the second half of the year, global economy cooled down and our customers were somehow reluctant to place new orders. Nevertheless, H.C. Starck was able expand its market position in all major industries, maintain its sales at the level of the previous year despite falling metal prices, and achieve the second best result in the last ten years." In 2012, H.C. Starck gained market share for high capacity tantalum powders and expanded its niobium business, while in the business segment of fabricated products and components, it responded to strong demand from the semiconductor industry and the chemical processing industry. Also, the company expanded into the rapidly growing market of high temperature furnaces with the production of highly complex heat shields and crucibles made of molybdenum and tungsten for sapphire furnaces used in LED production.
In the same year, H.C. Starck also invested a double-digit million euro sum in the expansion of its Asia business and in the targeted expansion of production capacities at its German sites. Its R&D focused on a new generation of high capacity tantalum powders, which are used to produce high-performance tantalum capacitors employed in modern electronic devices such as smartphones, Ultrabooks and tablet PCs. Other research and development activities included process improvements, particularly for technology metal recycling.
In May 2012, H.C. Starck received certification as a “conflict-free smelter” from the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) for the second consecutive time for its tantalum processing operations.
For 2013, H.C. Starck says that it intends to continue expanding its local presence in Asia, while its joint venture with Jiangxi Rare Metals Tungsten Holding Group Co Ltd will begin operations later this year to supply the Asian market with tungsten products. The production capacity for components made of technology metals at H.C. Starck’s Taicang plant in China will be expanded.
Part of H.C. Starck’s long-term strategy is the recycling of raw materials, Meier noted. “We don’t just recycle ore concentrates," he explained. "Using innovative technologies, we are recycling increasing volumes of post-industrial waste, slags, and scraps and turning them into high-quality, high-performance technology metals. Far more than half of our raw materials are now secondary materials. With growing recycling activities and a certified procurement process, we are guaranteeing a secure and competitive supply of raw materials based on sustainable, ethical and social guidelines and environmental principles."
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