The Metalor Group, previously Métaux Précieux SA Metalor, founded in 1852, is a subsidiary of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

's Tanaka Kikinzoku Group. Metalor has become one of the major world suppliers of

precious metals Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lustre. ...

related products & procedures. It makes a wide array of

alloys An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...

, especially for the watch and jewellery industry, supplying many of the Swiss watch brands, although it has expanded its activities far beyond its primary sector.

History

The roots of the company go back to the "preparatory rolling mill" founded in 1852 by Martin de Pury & Cie in

Le Locle Le Locle (; german: Luggli) is a Communes of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It is situated in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is the third smallest city in Switz ...

. This specialized in smelting gold and manufacturing watch cases. In 1864, the plant, which had five employees at the time, was taken over by the Banque du Locle. In 1918 the company became the property of the

Swiss Bank Corporation Swiss Bank Corporation was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. Prior to its merger, the bank was the third largest in Switzerland with over CHF300 billion of assets and CHF11.7 billion of equ ...

. Operations have expanded to refining precious metals and producing bullion. In 1936, the bank association founded Métaux Précieux S.A. Metalor in Le Locle. As a result, production activities were initially expanded at the

Neuchâtel , neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier , twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (France), ...

site and later in other countries. In 1998, the Bankverein sold its subsidiary to a group of Swiss industrial investors. In September 2016, 100% of Metalor was sold to the Japanese group of precious metals producers Tanaka Kikinzoku. Previously, the French investor Astorg Partners, who took over Metalor in 2009, held a majority of 50.5% of the shares.

Spinoff

Metalor Dental

Metalor Dental had not been integrated into the Metalor Group : it has now, dating January 1, 2009, been merged into Cendres & Métaux, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.

Sale

In September 2016, Metalor Metals was sold to Tanaka Kikinzoku Group of

References

External links

*
Answers.com
Metalor U.S.A. {{DEFAULTSORT:Metaux Precieux Sa Metalor Manufacturing companies of Switzerland Precious metals Precious metal alloys Horology Bullion dealers