Markets

Industrial processes are being reshaped by the need for higher productivity through rapid digitalisation and automation with a lower impact to the environment.

• We co-design and manufacture products for use in a broad range of challenging process and manufacturing environments for numerous industrial applications such as insulation for foundry process and kiln furniture for glass and ceramic production.
• Our materials offer superior insulating properties, dimensional stability, strength, and stiffness.
• These characteristics support optimised process efficiency and increased productivity, allowing our customers to reduce industrial waste, improve safety and lower their environmental impact.

Global manufacturing growth is a primary catalyst for rising demand in industrial components. As manufacturing output expands – particularly in emerging economies – demand increases for bearings, gears, motors, valves, pumps and other precision‑engineered components.

• We co-design and manufacture products for use in a broad range of challenging environments. Our materials offer a wide range of performance characteristics.
• Our components are highly resistant to chemical and physical wear, corrosion and extreme temperatures.

The demand for Iron & Steel remains strong, fuelled by industrialisation, population growth and urbanisation. Steel producers seek new solutions to tackle environmental concerns, rising energy costs and to increase operational efficiency.

• We support the design phase, including material selection, in order to reduce energy, improve furnace performance and ensure that any molten metal transfer vessel melt holds.
• Our global network of subject matter experts are ready to support the commitment from the metals industry, to reduce emissions in their plants.

Demand in air travel is increasing in line with economic growth, driven by both business and leisure customers across the globe. There is a growing need for engines to run more efficiently and at greater extremes in temperature. Rising geopolitical tensions have resulted in a global increase in defence spending. There is a growing need for materials that can withstand greater strains, pressures and temperatures.

• We make proven high-performance components and sub-assemblies to exacting standards for aerospace.
• We co-design and supply precision-engineered materials that offer superior dimensional stability, strength, stiffness and chemical resistance across a wide range of temperatures to meet the technical demands of the global security and defence markets.

In the Petrochemical and Chemical markets our customers demand high performance insulation and fire protection solutions.

• We manufacture a range of components ideally suited to the uniquely demanding operating environments.

The global medical devices sector is undergoing a period of significant transformation, largely driven by demographic shifts,
evolving patient needs and technological advancements. Global healthcare systems are increasingly focused on early detection,
prevention and improved treatment pathways to manage the growing burden of chronic disease. Technological advancements, including artificial intelligence, robotics, predictive analytics and wearable medical technology, have revolutionised the landscape of medical diagnostics and treatment.

• Medical engineering demands the highest standards of precision, accuracy, reliability and performance.
• We manufacture a broad variety of components for use in medical instrumentation as well as in tools for treatment and surgery. Biocompatibility, excellent chemical and electrical resistance and low wear rates of our materials, combined 
  with our high-quality, volume manufacturing means we are perfectly placed to supply components for medical applications. Equipment manufacturers and medical professionals choose our materials for their exceptional physical characteristics.
• Our deep understanding of ceramic material properties, together with our expertise in braze alloy design, allows us to produce high-density, highly reliable feedthroughs for medical devices.

As society advances, there is a growing need for greater energy security and cost-effective decarbonisation. The demand for
reliable energy is growing rapidly, driving demand for increased power generation and energy transition through wind and solar power, energy storage and nuclear generation.

• We develop products for renewable and traditional power generation and insulation materials for heat management.
• We produce high-temperature insulation for power plants to minimise energy loss and reduce CO2 emissions. 
• We enable the conversion and of power generation to solar and wind and the large-scale power storage this requires. We are the leading supplier of refractories and insulation for the furnaces which produce cathode materials for Lithium-ion
  battery-based power storage.
• Our superior product performance drives lower maintenance activity and cost for wind farm operators.

Our world is rapidly evolving, it is becoming more connected, smarter and more energy-efficient by the day. Semiconductors are at the heart of this transformation.

• Our extensive product portfolio enables the production of SiC, GaN and silicon chips. Our technology is critical from crystal growth of the semiconducting material, at the very beginning of the value chain, on through the many wafer fabrication steps.
• We offer a broad portfolio of unique materials and components that are made from highly purified carbon, graphite, alumina, silicon carbide and braze metal alloys.
• Our products have been key to facilitating the manufacture of SiC wafers at sufficient quality, cost and quantity to unlock widespread SiC usage in power devices.