Nickel Hydroxide (NiMH cathode)

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.

Belgian specialty materials company (Euronext: UMI, HQ Brussels); battery materials division produces nickel hydroxide for NiMH batteries and NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) precursor for Li-ion EV batteries. Umicore was founded in 1906 as Union Minière du Haut Katanga — the mining company that extracted copper and uranium from Belgian Congo (now DRC). The same company that owned the Congo uranium mine whose output was used in the Manhattan Project (Little Boy and Fat Man bombs) now makes battery cathode materials for Toyota Prius and European EVs. Umicore sold its mining operations in 1991 and pivoted to materials technology; today it is one of the world's largest precious metals recyclers and a key producer of battery cathode materials.

CNGR Advanced Material Co., Ltd. (Changsha, Hunan; SZSE: 300919) is a diversified battery materials producer that includes synthetic graphite anode material among its product lines, though CNGR is better known as a leading nickel-cobalt precursor and ternary cathode material producer. Its anode materials division contributes ~5-7% of global synthetic graphite anode supply. Customers include CATL, LGES, Samsung SDI. CNGR has also built significant overseas operations in Indonesia (nickel feedstock) and Finland (cathode precursor for European supply chains).

Japanese specialty chemicals company (HQ Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture); major producer of nickel hydroxide and nickel-based chemicals for NiMH battery cathodes. Tanaka Chemical (not to be confused with Tanaka Precious Metals/Tanaka Kikinzoku) supplies spherical nickel hydroxide to Japanese battery manufacturers including FDK (Fujitsu battery brand) and GS Yuasa. Fukui Prefecture is an industrial chemical cluster in Japan — the same region produces optical fibers, specialty resins, and electronic chemicals.

Fujitsu-affiliated Japanese manufacturer, world's leading producer of consumer NiMH rechargeable batteries (AA/AAA) marketed under Fujitsu and eneloop brands. Acquired Sanyo Energy Twicell (former eneloop factory) from Panasonic in 2010. Operates the Takasaki Plant in Gunma, Japan.