Producer
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
Japanese non-ferrous metals and mining company (TSE: 5713, HQ Tokyo); one of the world's oldest mining enterprises — its Besshi Copper Mine in Ehime Prefecture operated from 1691 to 1973, making Sumitomo Metal Mining older than the United States. Today SMM is a leading producer of nickel sulfate for Li-ion battery precursors (NMC/NCA pCAM). SMM operates Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) and Taganito HPAL Nickel Corporation (THPAL) in the Philippines — high-pressure acid leach plants that process Philippine laterite nickel ore into mixed sulfide precipitate (MSP), which is then refined into nickel sulfate at the Niihama Nickel Refinery in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. SMM's integrated laterite-to-sulfate pathway (Philippines HPAL → Japan refinery) is one of the most established non-Chinese nickel sulfate supply chains for Korean and Japanese battery manufacturers (Toyota-Panasonic joint venture PPES; Panasonic Energy). SMM is also the world's leading producer of nickel hydroxide for NiMH hybrid vehicle batteries.
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Inputs supplied
3
Goods downstream
6
Facilities
0
Stories
What they make
5 inputs Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. supplies
Click an input to see every good that depends on it, every country that produces it, and every other company in the supply chain.
chemical
Nickel Hydroxide (NiMH cathode) →
manufactured
Cathode active material (NMC/LFP/NCA) →
mineral
Selenium Metal (Electronics / Glass / Photovoltaics) →
chemical
Nickel Sulfate (Battery Grade) →
mineral
Tellurium Metal (CdTe Solar / Thermoelectric) →
Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. makes, pick one to see the full supply chain.
Where they make it
6 facilities
Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) →
PHPalawan · processing
Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) HPAL Plant →
PHPalawan · processing
Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC) is a high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) hydrometallurgical plant on Palawan Island, Philippines, jointly owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining (75%) and Nickel Asia Corporation (25%). CBNC processes nickel laterite ore from Rio Tuba mine (Palawan) using sulfuric acid under high pressure and temperature to dissolve nickel and cobalt from laterite ore, producing mixed nickel-cobalt sulfide (MSS) intermediate. The MSS is shipped to SMM's Niihama Refinery in Japan for conversion into Class 1 nickel and battery-grade nickel sulfate. CBNC nameplate capacity: ~100,000 tonnes MSS/year (~10,000 tonnes Ni content). Coral Bay was one of the world's first commercially successful HPAL operations for nickel laterite, proving the technology that Indonesia later replicated at massive scale. Source: SMM Annual Report 2024; Nickel Asia Corporation disclosures; NS Energy.
Niihama Nickel Refinery →
JPEhime · processing
SMM's Niihama Nickel Refinery (Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku Island) refines MSS from Philippine HPAL plants into Class 1 nickel and battery-grade nickel sulfate. Niihama is the downstream terminus of SMM's Philippines-Japan integrated nickel sulfate supply chain. The refinery has been in operation since 1905 (originally as a copper refinery for the adjacent Besshi copper mine, operational since 1691). Today Niihama produces nickel sulfate, nickel metal, cobalt sulfate, and precious metal byproducts. As a Japan-based refinery using Philippine laterite and non-Russian feed, Niihama is one of the most strategically desirable nickel sulfate sources for Japanese and Korean battery makers seeking non-Chinese, non-Russian supply. Source: SMM Annual Report 2024; SMM facility page.
Sumitomo Metal Mining Niihama Nickel Refinery →
JPEhime · manufacturing
Primary NCA cathode active material and nickel chemical production; long-term supply agreements with Panasonic for Tesla NCA cells.
Sumitomo Metal Mining — Toyo Smelter & Refinery →
JPNiihama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan · refinery
450,000 t/yr copper capacity. Selenium produced as byproduct from anode slimes. Major contributor to Japan's ~19% global Se share (USGS 2024: ~710 MT). SMM markets refined selenium globally.
Taganito HPAL Nickel Corporation (THPAL) →
PHSurigao del Norte · processing
Taganito HPAL Nickel Corporation (THPAL) is SMM's second Philippine HPAL plant, located in Claver, Surigao del Norte, adjacent to the Taganito nickel laterite mine. Shareholders: SMM (62.5%), Nickel Asia (22.5%), and Pacific Metals Co. (PAMCO, 15%). THPAL produces mixed nickel-cobalt sulfide (MSS) from Taganito laterite ore via HPAL, which is then refined at SMM Niihama into nickel sulfate. Began commercial operation in 2013. THPAL capacity: ~50,000 tonnes Ni (in MHP/MSS) per year. Together with Coral Bay, THPAL makes SMM the operator of the two largest HPAL facilities in the Philippines and gives SMM a non-Chinese, non-Russian laterite-to-sulfate pathway. Source: SMM Annual Report 2024; Nickel Asia Corporation; NS Energy Business.
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map, where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
Nickel Sulfate & HPAL (Philippine Operations)
40%Nickel Hydroxide (NiMH — World Leader)
20%Copper, Gold, & Precious Metals
25%Specialty Metals (Tellurium, Selenium, Electronics)
15%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains, chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Did you know2023
Sumitomo Metal Mining traces its origins to the Besshi Copper Mine in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, which opened in 1691 — making it older than the United States by 85 years. Besshi operated for 282 years (closing in 1973) and was one of Japan's most important industrial sites during the Meiji era. Today, the same Sumitomo enterprise is the world's leading producer of nickel hydroxide for NiMH battery cathodes (supplying the Toyota Prius hybrid battery through the PPES joint venture with Panasonic) and operates high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) nickel processing plants in the Philippines. The company that extracted copper from Shikoku island with Edo-period technology now produces the nickel hydroxide in the rechargeable batteries that power the world's most popular hybrid car. SMM also produces palladium and rhodium for automotive catalytic converters, indium for LCD flat panels, and semiconductor targets — one of the broadest cross-era material portfolios in the world.
Sumitomo Metal Mining ↗Chokepoint2023
Sumitomo Metal Mining is the near sole-source global producer of high-grade NCA (Nickel Cobalt Aluminum oxide) cathode active material at commercial scale — the chemistry used in every Panasonic/Tesla cylindrical cell. No other company produces NCA at comparable purity and volume; substituting would require Tesla and Panasonic to redesign their cell chemistry.
Sumitomo Metal Mining ↗Origin2023
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. operates the Besshi Copper Mine — or rather, it did until 1973. The Besshi mine in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku Island opened in 1691 under the Sumitomo family's mining operations, making it the oldest continuously documented industrial mining enterprise in Japan and one of the oldest in the world. It operated for 282 years before ore depletion closed it in 1973. The Besshi mine predates: the United States (founded 1776, 85 years after Besshi), the Industrial Revolution, James Watt's steam engine (1769), and the founding of the United States' oldest industrial companies. The same Sumitomo mining enterprise that has existed for over 330 years is now the world's largest producer of nickel hydroxide for Toyota Prius NiMH batteries and a leading supplier of battery-grade nickel sulfate for next-generation EV batteries from Philippine laterite mines. A merchant/miner family operation from 17th century feudal Japan is now embedded in 21st century EV and hybrid vehicle electrification supply chains.
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. ↗