Business

A globally unique and original model
based on three-businesses collaboration

Our mineral resource business, where we undertake mine development and operation in consideration of the environment and society. Our smelting and refining business, where we create high-quality metal materials from mining resources. And our materials business, where we add to these metal materials the new value that the times demand. While working to ensure organic collaboration among these three businesses, we provide advanced materials to shape the future.

The foundation that supports the sustainable growth of the Sumitomo Metal Mining Group and produces a competitive edge that cannot easily be imitated is our globally unique comprehensive business model that features collaboration among our three businesses and covers everything from resource development to smelting and refining and the production of advanced materials.

The competitive advantage produced by this unique three-business collaboration model is a core strength of the Sumitomo Metal Mining Group.

An original business model based on three-businesses collaboration

The strengths of collaboration among three businesses

  • Greatly reduced procurement risk due to the sharing of controlled resource development and supply and demand trends
  • Efficient collaboration such as new product development with materials business customers through the sharing of technological information concerning non-ferrous metals
  • A stable supply of highly advanced materials including cathode materials for automobile batteries made possible by collaboration between the Smelting & Refining and Materials businesses
  • Optimized characteristics in the materials we supply realized through collaboration between the Smelting & Refining and Materials businesses
  • Advance knowledge and expansion of mining business opportunities through collaboration between the Mineral Resources and Smelting & Refining businesses
  • Cutting-edge innovation through the collective wisdom possessed by human resources with diverse backgrounds
  • Building of cyclical systems and expansion of opportunities realized through collaboration between the Mineral Resources, and Smelting & Refining, and Materials businesses
  • An integrated in-house supply chain realize the traceability for quality and other required factors
Example
Integrated in-house nickel supply chain from mineral ore to battery materials
Collaboration among our three businesses of resources, smelting and refining, and materials provides a comprehensive in-house nickel supply chain covering everything from securing nickel mineral ore raw material to the production of battery materials, and enables the securing of raw materials, a stable supply, and traceability for quality and other matters.
Example
Completely in-house nickel supply chain
from mineral ore to battery materials
Collaboration among our three businesses of resources, smelting and refining, and materials provides a comprehensive in-house nickel supply chain covering everything from securing nickel mineral ore raw material to the production of battery materials, and enables the securing of raw materials, a stable supply, and traceability for quality and other matters.
Mineral Resources

Mineral ore

We are able to secure a stable supply of nickel ore from mines in which Sumitomo Metal Mining hold a stake in, reducing the procurement risk of resources.

Smelting & Refining

Intermediates

Sumitomo Metal Mining smelts and refines low-grade nickel oxide ore using the HPAL technology that we are the first company in the world to succeed commercializing, and thus utilizes this finite non-ferrous metal resource to the maximum extent possible.

Refined metal

Processed into nickel sulfate from intermediates. A stable supply of this to the materials business leads to the production of high-quality battery materials.

Materials

Battery materials

Processed into cathode material. Through a collaboration with our smelting and refining business, the property of the materials are optimized and traceability are realized for quality and other factors required.

To our customers

Sumitomo Metal Mining’s 3 Businesses in Visual Media

Photo Gallery

Learn about non-ferrous metals

What are non-ferrous metals?
“non-ferrous metals” refer to all metals other than iron. 

As the term suggests, “non-ferrous metals” refer to all metals other than iron.
For example, nickel and gold are used in a wide range of industrial fields that include components for electric and electronic products,
machine components, construction materials, and automobiles, and they are part of the foundation of modern society.
Digitalization is proceeding apace, and technological innovation and energy conversion are required in order to realize a de-carbonized society and protect the environment.
Against this backdrop of growing societal issues and generational needs, it is expected that non-ferrous metals will play an even greater role going forward.