Johnson Matthey PLC

Company Profile

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5th Floor, 25 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK

Business Overview

-The Company is an international specialty chemicals company aimed at promoting sustainability. Its principal activities involve developing catalysts for reducing vehicle emissions, efficiently processing, and transforming natural resources such as oil, gas, biomass, and platinum group metals, and focusing its development on emerging market opportunities including hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

-As of the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the Company is organized into five operating segments as follows:

Clean Air: The segment provides automotive catalysts to remove pollutants and emissions from vehicles.
PGM Services: The segment recycles platinum group metals and supports the Company’s other segments by supplying them with necessary materials.
Catalyst Technologies: The segment focuses decarbonizing the chemical industry and help create sustainable fuels.
Hydrogen Technologies: The segment provides catalyst coated membranes that are a critical component for fuel cells and electrolyzers.
Value Businesses: A portfolio of businesses is not within the core portfolio, including Battery Systems, Medical Components and Diagnostic Services.

-In 2023, the Company decided to divest its Value Business operating segment. It completed the sales of its Diagnostic Services business in September 2023 and confirmed the sale of its Medical Device Components and Battery Systems businesses in March 2024. On April 30, 2024, the Company completed the sales of its Battery Systems business. The Company’s Battery Materials Poland was sold on December 31, 2023.

Competitors

Clean Air	PGM Services and Catalyst Technologies	Value Businesses
-BASF -Cataler -Umicore	-Haldor Topsoe -Clariant -BASF -Lurgi -Albemarle -Grace -UOP -Heraeus -Umicore -Ferro -DuPont	-Heraeus -Umicore -BASF -LG -BMZ -WL Gore -3M -Evonik

Shareholders

-The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

(As of Mar. 31, 2024)

Shareholding category	Shareholding (%)
Investment and unit trusts	49.40
Pension funds	7.29
Individuals	0.05
Custodians	16.99
Insurance companies	6.25
Sovereign wealth funds	6.72
Charities	0.16
Other	13.14
Total	100.00

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Products

Emission Control Technologies
-2-way oxidation catalysts
-Three-way Non-Selective Catalytic Reduction (NSCR) catalysts
-Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts
-Selective Catalytic Reduction systems with a soot filter
-NOx storage catalysts
-Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF)
-Gasoline particulate filters
-Cold start catalysts
-Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) combined with Continuously Regenerating Trap (CRT) systems
-Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC)
-Three-way catalysts
-Three-way filters; gasoline particulate filter with catalyst coating
-Catalyzed soot filters
-Selective catalytic reduction filters
-Ammonia slip catalysts
-4-way diesel systems
-Palladium nitrate solutions for catalysts
-Platinum nitrate solutions for catalysts
-Rhodium nitrate solutions for catalysts
-Rhodium chloride solutions for catalysts
-Tetrammine palladium nitrate solutions for catalysts
-Tetrammine palladium hydrogen carbonate for catalysts

Precious metal products
-Metals and alloys for wires in the following components

Spark plugs
Airbag initiators
Temperature sensors
Other sensors

-Mineral insulated metal sheathed thermocouples
-Thermocouple wires

Alternative Powertrains
-Fuel cell catalysts
-Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA)
-Fuel processor catalysts
-Catalyst coated membranes (CCM)
-Fuel cell recycling

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History

M&A
1980	Acquired the following companies for approximately GBP 8 million: WSA Engineering Ltd. (now operated as WSA Components L7td.); Star-Link Chains Ltd.; Max Marx Color and Chemical Co.; Burrell & Co. Ltd.; Eagle Transfers Ltd.; National Screenprint (Pty.) Ltd.; and Applied Thermal Systems Inc.
Apr. 1981	Acquired Catamore Co.
1982	Acquired the following companies for approximately GBP 15,000,000: Wallace Brothers Commodities Ltd., (London and New York); Palmer Research Ltd.; G.K. Rowley; International Electrolytic Plant Co. Ltd.; Micro-Weld Ltd.; Holland Colours-Apeldoorn BV, (50%); Deco Mail Siebdrucktechnik GmbH, (90%); Spectrum Screenprint (Pty.) Ltd.; The Catamore Co.; 80% voting control in Sarah Coventry, Inc.; Rembrandt Jewelry Mfg. Ltd.; Falco Jewel Industries Inc.; the materials division of AVX Corporation; and certain assets of Etablissements Roques SA (now Roques Chimie SA).
Dec. 1982	Acquired Hinton Hill Group Ltd. for 184,029 common shares.
Oct. 1984	Disposed of Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd. to the Bank of England.
1989	Acquired Cominco Electronic Materials and Alfa Catalog Chemicals for a total purchase cost of GBP 22,000,000.
Jun. 1990	Acquired Deak International's precious metal refining and fabrication business in Australia and New Zealand for AUD 12,000,000.
1991	Acquired a controlling interest in Svenska Emissionsteknik AB (Sweden).
1991	Disposed of its 25% holding in Tanaka Matthey KK (Japan).
Mar. 1992	Acquired the business of Josiah Cox Ltd. for a cash consideration of GBP 400,000,000, including goodwill of GBP 200,000.
Oct. 1992	Acquired The Alta Group Inc.
Jan. 1994	Sold its United Kingdom and Irish Jewellery business to Cookson Group plc.
1994	Purchased additional shares in Svenska Emissionsteknik AB for a consideration of GBP 1,000,000, increasing its shareholding in Svenska's ordinary shares from 62% to 83%.
Oct. 1995	Completed the merger of a subsidiary of Johnson Matthey into Advance Circuits. Advance Circuits is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson Matthey. Each former share of Advance Circuits has been converted, subject to dissenters' rights, into the right to receive USD 22.50 in cash, without interest. Advance Circuits, Inc. is a leading interconnect solution provider whose products include complex multilayer printed circuit boards, flexible circuit assemblies, semiconductor packages and other manufacturing services.
Mar. 1996	Acquired the PCB factory and related assets of Cray Research Inc. for a consideration of GBP 26,400,000. Under the terms of the transaction, Johnson Matthey acquired land, buildings, plant and machinery and inventory, together with a highly skilled workforce of some 350 people. The purchase stems directly from Co.'s USD 170,000,000 acquisition in September 1995 of Advance Circuits Inc. (ACI), a market leader in both high-technology PCBs and the emerging field of plastic laminate packaging for semiconductors.
Jun. 1996	Acquired the business of Technologia Electronica De Juarez for consideration of GBP 100,000.
Dec. 1996	Disposed of its 49% interest in Matthey Rustenburg Refiners (Pty.) Limited at a book value of GBP 2,600,000.
Dec. 1997	Purchased a further 30% of Johnson Matthey HICOM Sdn.Bhd. for GBP 0.8 million, increasing the groups holding to 80%.
Jan. 1998	Acquired the printed circuit board operations of Universal Circuits Inc. for GBP 0.3 million.
Feb. 1998	Acquired the 50% of Cookson Matthey Ceramics plc (CMC) which it did not already own from Cookson Group plc for GBP 65 million.
Mar. 1998	Sold Otavi Minen AG for GBP 21.2 million.
Jun. 1998	Sold its UK Mineral business for GBP 5.0 million.
1998	Disposed of part of its investment in AnorMed Inc. reducing its holding from 40% to 25%.
Feb. 1999	Acquired the testing facility business of Watson Engineering Testing Development Inc. for GBP 6.5 million.
Apr. 1999	Acquired the remaining 50% interest in Ryoka Matthey Corporation for GBP 2.8 million.
Jun. 1999	Sold Ryoka Matthey Corporation as part of the electronic Materials disposal.
Aug. 1999	Sold its Electronic Materials Division to AlliedSignal Inc.
Aug. 1999	Acquired the remaining 30% interest in Johnson Matthey Ceramics (Thailand) limited for GBP 300,000 forgiveness of debt and goodwill of GBP 300,000.
Mar. 2000	Acquired the remaining 20% interest in Matthey Beyrand et Cie S.A. for GBP 0.7 million.
Mar. 2000	Disposed of its Organic Pigments business in Venezuela and the USA to Dominion Colour Corporation and Continuous Link Color Inc.
Jul. 2000	Purchased the assets of Precision Studios from Waterford Wedgwood plc for GBP 1.8 million.
Nov. 2000	Acquired Changzhou Dongao Zirconium Products Company Limited from Consolidated Rutile Limited for GBP 0.4 million.
Feb. 2001	Acquired Shape Memory Applications, Inc. for GBP 3.6 million, with GBP 0.7 million deferred until Aug. 2002.
Sep. 2002	The Company announced that it has signed an agreement to buy the Synetix division of ICI for GBP 260 million in cash. Synetix is a global catalyst operation which serves a range of market segments including ammonia, methanol, fine chemicals, edible oils, oleochemicals, oil and gas and polymerisation.
Mar. 2004	Acquired AMC, the market leading supplier of Sponge Nickel catalysts based in Tennessee (USA) for USD 43 million.
Jan. 2006	Acquired Davy Process Technology, a process design and technology licensing company.
Jan. 2007	Sold its Ceramics Division to Endeka Ceramics group.
Feb. 2008	Acquired Argillon Group, which adds to the Company's existing technology for controlling harmful emissions of oxides of nitrogen.
Aug. 2012	Acquired Shanghai Changyin Electronic Material Science and Technology Co. Ltd, a manufacturer of silver paste.
Oct. 2012	Acquired AG Holding Limited and its subsidiaries, including Axeon, which manufactures integrated battery modules.
Oct. 2014	Acquired A123 Systems' battery materials manufacturing facility located in Changzhou, China.
Feb. 2015	Acquired Clariant AG’s battery materials business for USD 75 million, which included a manufacturing facility, R&D center, and pilot plant.
Jan. 2018	Sold automotive battery systems business to Cummins.
Nov. 2021	Announced intent to sell the Battery Materials business unit and completely exit the business.
Jan. 2022	Completed sale of Advanced Glass Technologies business unit to Fenzi Holdings SPV S.p.A. for GBP 173 million.
Nov. 2022	Completed the sale of its Battery Materials Canada (JMBM Canada) business to Nano One Materials Corp. (Nano One) for CAD 10.25 million.
Aug. 2023	Sold its auto catalyst plant in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, to Catalysts and Technologies LLC.
Oct. 2023	Sold its lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) cathode active material technology center in Moosburg, Germany to Epsilon Group, India.
Dec. 2023	The Company’s Battery Materials Poland was sold.
Apr. 2024	Completed the sales of its Battery Systems business.
Joint Ventures
Dec. 1993	Formed an agreement with Hicom, the Malaysian government's investment arm, to form a joint venture to manufacture auto catalysts.
Nov. 1996	Entered into an agreement with Magneti Marelli S.p.A. to set up a joint venture company to manufacture auto catalysts in Argentina. As part of the agreement, the Company agreed to purchase Magneti Marelli's auto catalyst plant in Turin. The consideration was GBP 2,300,000. In February 1998, the Company opened a USD 10 million catalytic facility in Pilar, Argentina, The plant is owned by the Company's joint venture with Magneti Marelli. The Argentinean plant has a capacity of one and a half million units and has the potential to be doubled in the future.
Alliances
Mar. 1999	Announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Daimler Benz-Ballard Fuel Cell Engines GmbH ("dbb") to develop and supply catalysts and catalyzed components for fuel-cell engines. Under this agreement the Company will be dbb's exclusive development partner for catalysts (which purify the hydrogen gas used by fuel cell engines to generate electric power) and for several other catalytic components in dbb's groundbreaking engine system. dbb is a joint venture between Daimler Chrysler, Ford and Ballard Power Systems of Canada to develop and manufacture fuel cell engines for vehicles.
May 2000	The Company and Technical Fibre Products (TFP), the advanced composites subsidiary of James Cropper PLC, signed exclusive development and supply agreements for key components in the Company's new Membrane Electrode Assembly products for fuel cells.
Jan. 2023	Announced a long-term strategic partnership with Plug Power (Plug) to accelerate the green hydrogen economy. The Company will become an important strategic supplier of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) components, supplying a substantial portion of Plug’s demand for catalysts, membranes, and catalyst-coated membranes (CCM). Both companies will also jointly invest in what is expected to be the largest (5GW scaling to 10GW over time) CCM manufacturing facility in the world, which will be built in the US with production planned to start in 2025. Plug is building an end-to-end green hydrogen ecosystem, from production, storage, and delivery to energy generation, to support its customer, including BMW.