Johnson Matthey, one of the longest-trading businesses in the FTSE 100 Index, celebrates its 200th birthday this year. Now a global leader in science and technology that makes the world cleaner and healthier, the company was founded in London by Percival Norton Johnson in 1817 as a gold assaying business. In the same year, the first bicycle was built, the states of Mississippi and Alabama were created and the fifth President of the US was sworn in. In the UK, George III was King, Lord Liverpool was Prime Minister, the first Waterloo Bridge was completed and it was three years before Charles Darwin set sail on HMS Beagle to hatch his theory of evolution. In China it was the midpoint of the Qing Dynasty, the tea trade experienced a surge and in South East Asia it was two years before the founding of modern Singapore.
- 200-year commitment to innovation keeps the company at the forefront of technological breakthroughs that make life cleaner, healthier and more efficient
- Entrepreneurial approach sees more than one in 10 of today’s 13,000-strong global workforce engaged in research and development
- Technologies around the world and beyond this world – from materials that powered Apollo and Space Shuttle missions to catalysts that clean emissions from one in three car engines worldwide
- Science at every scale – from manipulation of materials at atomic scale through to technologies used in world scale applications
Two hundred years after Johnson founded the company, it is global with operations on all continents and annual sales of more than £3 billion. Over 90% of the company’s sales come from technologies that have an explicit environmental, health or sustainability benefit. Today the company employs 13,000 people in 30 countries worldwide. One pound in every £20 generated is reinvested in research and development. Last year alone, Johnson Matthey invested £188 million in research and development projects around the globe.
Starting his business at the age of 25 with just £150 of capital, Johnson established himself in the City of London as an ‘Assayer and Practical Mineralogist’. His pioneering work in assaying (determining precious metal content) and refining precious metals quickly established Johnson’s reputation for the quality and accuracy of his work. As Johnson’s reputation grew, his business flourished.
George Matthey joined the business as an apprentice in 1838, becoming a partner in 1851. In the early years, Johnson Matthey alloys of platinum and iridium were used to create the benchmark metre and kilogram, as well as standards for imperial measurements.
Johnson Matthey’s science is helping to enhance people’s lives on a global scale. Innovative technologies developed by the company’s scientists are transforming the quality of air around the world. New materials are reshaping battery technology for the automotive industry and advanced technologies are being developed that optimise the efficiency of world scale processes used to produce many important chemical intermediates. Today, one third of all new cars on the planet are fitted with catalysts manufactured by Johnson Matthey at its facilities around the globe, dramatically reducing vehicle emissions worldwide. The exhaust from cars fitted with Johnson Matthey catalysts is often cleaner than air that enters the engine. At the same time, the company is applying its expertise to create vital products for the pharmaceutical and medical industries, making a difference to the health and wellbeing of many people around the world.
Johnson Matthey has always had science and technology at its core. Through the constant application of new ideas and new processes, the company has built an organisation that has sustained 200 years of growth and helped create a sustainable future for our planet. The steely determination of Johnson Matthey employees over many generations has made a positive contribution to the company, its shareholders and the world at large.
Robert MacLeod, Chief Executive of Johnson Matthey said: “This is a very special year for all of us at Johnson Matthey as we celebrate our 200th anniversary. This extraordinary achievement belongs to my colleagues worldwide and to our predecessors. For two centuries Johnson Matthey has been at the forefront of inspiring science. Much of the important work that we do is not visible to the naked eye but the impact of our science is global and profound. This year we renew our mission to make the world a cleaner and healthier place for everyone”.
Fast facts
- Percival Norton Johnson established his assaying company in London in 1817 aged 25 with just £150 of capital (equivalent to £11,500 today). George III was on the throne, Lord Liverpool was the Prime Minister and it was a full three years before Charles Darwin set sail on HMS Beagle
- In 1838 George Matthey joined the company as an apprentice at the age of 13
- Matthey played a significant role in the development of the standard metre and kilogram as well as the standards for imperial measurements, based on his work in the creation of platinum/iridium alloys
- Johnson Matthey began producing autocatalysts in 1974, and since then, these products have prevented millions of tonnes of pollutants from entering the air.
Johnson Matthey in the World Today
- Johnson Matthey is continuing to increase the amount that it invests in research and development – now up to £188 million a year
- Johnson Matthey employs 13,000 people around the world, with 13% involved in cutting-edge R&D work
- More than 90% of Johnson Matthey’ sales come from products that have a direct environmental, health or sustainability benefit. They make the world cleaner, healthier and more efficient and conserve the planet’s valuable resources
- Around 60% of Johnson Matthey’s sales come from products that improve air quality by reducing transport emissions
- Johnson Matthey is the world’s largest recycler of platinum and platinum group metals
- Johnson Matthey’s eXovation initiative invites people to send in their ideas for new products and processes that JM will help develop
Johnson Matthey Applications Past and Present
- Johnson Matthey technology was integral to the Apollo and Space Shuttle programmes’ fuel cell systems
- Johnson Matthey supplies around a third of all the autocatalysts fitted in new cars around the world
- Johnson Matthey supplied the thin gold film used to shield astronauts’ helmet visors from the glare of the sun
- Johnson Matthey manufactures precious metal and other material components for medical implants and surgical devices
- Johnson Matthey helped develop and produces platinum based active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for use in anticancer treatments
- Johnson Matthey supplied the tungsten alloy used in the manufacture of officially approved darts
- Johnson Matthey can print working circuits in gold on paper, plastic, glass and other surfaces
- Johnson Matthey technology in food packaging helps to prolong the shelf life of fresh produce
- Bitrex – the world’s bitterest substance – is supplied by Johnson Matthey as a safety product to prevent children from swallowing harmful substances
- In 1982, Bitrex was officially recognised as the world’s most bitter substance by the Guinness Book of Records. Bitrex is so strong-tasting that it would be possible to taste a single teaspoon of the substance in an Olympic-sized swimming pool
- The sculpture popularly known as Eros in Piccadilly Circus is made from aluminium supplied by Johnson Matthey.