Precious Metal Business Group - W. C. Heraeus
The precious metals business group processes gold, silver, platinum group metals, and special metals, primarily to produce industrial products. W. C. Heraeus is a world leader in industrial precious metals and special metals. A global network of companies in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa includes production facilities for all phases of precious metal production and refining. With expertise based on decades of trading in industrial pre-cious metals, W. C. Heraeus can provide professional precious metal management throughout the precious metal cycle. The principal purchasers of W. C. Heraeus products operate in the environmental, mobility, communications, and energy sectors, as well as the growinghealth care industry.
Precious Metals - W. C. Heraeus GmbH
Revenue:
Euro 1.666,8 million (Product Revenue)
Euro 13.633,9 million (Precious Metals Trading Revenue)
Employees: 4,902
(End of 2009)
W. C. Heraeus GmbH
Heraeusstr. 12-14
63450 Hanau, Germany
T: +49 (0) 6181.35-0
F: +49 (0) 6181.35-3131
wc-heraeus@heraeus.com
Heraeus Metallhandelsgesellschaft mbh
Heraeusstraße 12 – 14
63450 Hanau, Germany
T: + 49 (0) 6181.35-2750
F: + 49 (0) 6181.35-9444
edelmetallhandel@heraeus.com
Au
As a precious metal, gold (Au, melting point 1,064°C) is surely one of the most fascinating materials. It is highly prized for jewelry and for financial investments in the form of bars or coins. Up to this point in human history, about 160,000 tons of gold have been mined throughout the world. It may sound like a lot, but this amount produces a cube with an edge length of only 20 meters. Heraeus trades with gold and melts down scrap gold to make new bars. But gold can also be found in everyday products. It can be processed into thin wires that are indispensable for computers and mobile phones. They contain microelectronic components, and ultrafine wires made of gold carry the electric current from the terminal pad on semiconductor components to the system carrier. The illustration shows a close-up of extremely fine gold crystals.
