Johnson Matthey
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA British specialty-chemicals and sustainable-technologies group built around precious metals, catalysts, and industrial decarbonization applications.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Johnson Matthey is a British multinational specialty-chemicals and sustainable-technologies company whose activities have developed from precious-metals assaying and refining into catalysts, emissions control, hydrogen technologies, and related industrial materials. The company traces its origin to 1817, when Percival Norton Johnson established a London business as a gold assayer. George Matthey joined the business in 1851, and the partnership became Johnson & Matthey. In 1852 the firm was appointed official assayer and refiner to the Bank of England, helping establish a long-term position in precious-metal expertise and financial-market infrastructure. During the nineteenth century, Johnson Matthey expanded beyond assaying. It supplied precious metals and auxiliary materials to the jewellery, silverware, and cutlery trades through branches including Birmingham and Sheffield, and manufactured products such as silver solder and flux. The company also became involved in the production of internationally important measurement standards. In 1874 it manufactured the kilogram reference standard, made from a platinum-iridium alloy, for the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, along with copies for international distribution. It similarly produced the International Prototype Metre and associated copies. The company’s technical identity broadened during the twentieth century. From 1957 it published Platinum Metals Review, a technical journal supported by Rustenburg Platinum Mines, reflecting its role in disseminating research on platinum-group metals. Johnson Matthey later developed capabilities in industrial catalysis and environmental technologies, areas that connected its expertise in precious-metal chemistry with tightening air-quality and emissions regulations. Its operations came to serve automotive manufacturers, petroleum refiners, chemical producers, pharmaceutical companies, and other industrial customers. Johnson Matthey also had a significant and ultimately damaging experience in banking. Its subsidiary Johnson Matthey Bankers participated in the London Gold Fixing, but expanded into higher-risk lending in the early 1980s. Concentrated and inadequately secured loans left the bank exposed, and the Bank of England arranged a rescue in September 1984, purchasing the bank for £1 to limit the possibility of wider disruption to the bullion and banking systems. Most of the bank’s business was subsequently sold to Mase Westpac. The episode led Johnson Matthey to concentrate more strongly on its industrial and precious-metals businesses. In the twenty-first century, acquisitions and investment strengthened the company’s catalyst portfolio. Johnson Matthey acquired Argillon in 2008, adding catalyst capabilities, and bought InterCAT in 2010, expanding its supply of fluid catalytic-cracking additives for petroleum refining. It also invested in European emissions-control manufacturing, including a plant in Skopje, North Macedonia, opened in 2010 and later expanded. In 2018 it began construction of a large catalyst plant in Gliwice, Poland, intended to produce catalysts for automotive and related applications. The company has presented itself increasingly as a provider of technologies supporting cleaner transport, efficient chemical processing, and the hydrogen economy. Its principal business groupings have included Clean Air, Catalyst Technologies, Hydrogen Technologies, and Platinum Group Metals Services. The portfolio combines materials science, process engineering, precious-metals management, catalyst manufacture, recycling, and technical services. Johnson Matthey has also emphasized sustainability reporting and was recognized for linking sustainability issues with business strategy in its annual reporting. In May 2025 Johnson Matthey agreed to sell its Catalyst Technologies business to Honeywell for £1.8 billion. The transaction was expected to close in the first half of 2026 and represented a major portfolio decision, potentially sharpening the group’s focus on its remaining activities while transferring a substantial catalyst-technology operation to Honeywell. Johnson Matthey remains a London Stock Exchange-listed company and continues to operate as a specialist industrial-technology brand with roots in precious metals and a strategic emphasis on sustainable chemistry.
History
Johnson Matthey began in London in 1817, when Percival Norton Johnson established a gold-assaying business. George Matthey joined the firm in 1851, producing the name Johnson & Matthey. The following year the business became official assayer and refiner to the Bank of England. Its early commercial activities extended beyond financial assaying: branches in Birmingham and Sheffield supplied the jewellery, silverware, and cutlery industries with precious metals, solder, flux, and other materials. The firm developed an important role in precision standards during the nineteenth century. In 1874 it manufactured the platinum-iridium kilogram reference standard held by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, as well as copies for international use. It also produced the International Prototype Metre and copies. These activities reflected the company’s early combination of metallurgy, precious-metal handling, and high-precision manufacturing. During the twentieth century Johnson Matthey continued to build technical authority in platinum-group metals. Beginning in 1957, it published Platinum Metals Review with support from Rustenburg Platinum Mines. The company also created Johnson Matthey Bankers, which became one of the members of the London Gold Fixing. In the early 1980s the bank moved beyond bullion-related business into high-risk lending. Its assets expanded rapidly, while loans became concentrated among a small number of borrowers. Some loans proved materially weaker than expected and grew beyond the bank’s capital base. The Bank of England feared that a failure of Johnson Matthey Bankers could damage confidence in other bullion banks and spread instability through the British banking system. On 30 September 1984 it organized a rescue and purchased the bank for £1. Most of the banking business was later sold to Mase Westpac. The collapse became one of the defining episodes in Johnson Matthey’s corporate history and encouraged a clearer focus on industrial, scientific, and precious-metals operations. Johnson Matthey’s modern industrial development centered on catalysts, specialty chemicals, emissions control, and precious-metals services. The acquisition of Argillon in 2008 strengthened its catalyst activities, while the purchase of InterCAT in 2010 expanded its offering of fluid catalytic-cracking additives for petroleum refining. The company also invested in manufacturing capacity for automotive emissions-control catalysts. Its Skopje facility opened in 2010 and was later expanded; it became a major exporting operation in North Macedonia. In 2018 Johnson Matthey began constructing a large plant in Gliwice, Poland, with two catalyst-production lines. The company became increasingly associated with sustainable technologies, including cleaner automotive propulsion, industrial emissions reduction, hydrogen applications, and the recovery and responsible management of platinum-group metals. It was an early FTSE 100 company to publish an integrated annual report and received recognition in 2012 for reporting that connected sustainability with business strategy and performance. In 2014 it was shortlisted for Business in the Community’s Responsible Business of the Year award for its Sustainability 2017 programme. Johnson Matthey sold its gold and silver refining operations to Asahi Holdings in 2015. In May 2025 it agreed to sell Catalyst Technologies to Honeywell for £1.8 billion, with completion expected during the first half of 2026. The proposed sale marked a major strategic reshaping of the group. Johnson Matthey’s stated business structure has included Clean Air, Catalyst Technologies, Hydrogen Technologies, and Platinum Group Metals Services, although the planned disposal of Catalyst Technologies may alter that structure after completion.
- 2025
Agrees to sell Catalyst Technologies to Honeywell
[1]Johnson Matthey announces an agreement to sell its Catalyst Technologies business to Honeywell for £1.8 billion, with completion expected in the first half of 2026.
- 2018
Begins construction of Gliwice catalyst plant
[1]Construction begins on a major catalyst manufacturing facility in Gliwice, Poland.
- 2015
Sells gold and silver refining operations
[1]Johnson Matthey sells its gold and silver refining operations to Japan’s Asahi Holdings.
- 2012
Receives recognition for integrated sustainability reporting
[1]Johnson Matthey is recognized in the ICSA Hermes Transparency in Governance Awards for its FTSE 100 annual reporting.
- 2010
Acquires InterCAT and opens Skopje plant
[1]The company acquires InterCAT for $56.2 million and opens a £34 million European emissions-control catalyst plant in Skopje, North Macedonia.
- 2008
Acquires Argillon
[1]Johnson Matthey acquires Argillon, a catalyst specialist, for €214 million.
- 1984
Johnson Matthey Bankers rescued
[1]The Bank of England purchases Johnson Matthey Bankers for £1 after a high-risk lending expansion leaves the subsidiary unable to support its exposures.
- 1957
Begins publishing Platinum Metals Review
[1]The company begins publishing a technical journal focused on platinum-group metals.
- 1874
Manufactures international measurement standards
[1]Johnson Matthey produces the platinum-iridium kilogram reference standard and copies, and also manufactures the International Prototype Metre and copies.
- 1852
Appointed official assayer and refiner to the Bank of England
[1]The firm receives a major institutional appointment that reinforces its precious-metals credentials.
Products and positioning
Sustainable industrial technologies grounded in precious-metals chemistry, catalysis, emissions control, and resource efficiency.
Clean Air
Automotive emissions-control catalysts
Johnson Matthey develops catalyst systems used to reduce pollutants from vehicle exhaust. The portfolio has served both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles and has been supported by manufacturing capacity in Europe, including the company’s Skopje operation in North Macedonia and its Polish investment.
Catalysis
Industrial process catalysts
The company’s industrial catalyst activities support chemical processing, refining, and other applications where catalysts improve reaction efficiency, selectivity, or emissions performance. The Argillon acquisition and the later InterCAT acquisition broadened the company’s capabilities in this field.
Petroleum refining · 2010
Fluid catalytic-cracking additives
Through InterCAT, Johnson Matthey expanded its supply of additives used in fluid catalytic cracking, a refining process for converting heavier petroleum fractions into more valuable products. These materials form part of the company’s broader industrial-catalysis portfolio.
Hydrogen and energy transition
Hydrogen technologies
Hydrogen Technologies has represented Johnson Matthey’s work on materials and catalyst systems for the hydrogen economy. The business connects the group’s expertise in precious metals and catalysis with applications related to hydrogen production, processing, and use.
Precious metals
Platinum-group metals services
Johnson Matthey provides services associated with platinum-group metals, including technical expertise, material management, and recovery-related activities. This business reflects the company’s historical foundation in precious-metal assaying, refining, and industrial use.
Controversies
2008
Clean Water Act violation at Salt Lake City facility
Johnson Matthey Inc admitted a felony violation of the United States Clean Water Act after selectively screening wastewater samples for compliance analysis at its Salt Lake City precious-metals refining facility. The company paid a $2.25 million fine, made a $750,000 contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and entered a three-year EPA compliance agreement.
1984
Johnson Matthey Bankers collapse and rescue
Johnson Matthey Bankers expanded into high-risk lending outside its traditional bullion activities during the early 1980s. Concentrated exposures and inadequate loan quality left the bank’s loans larger than its capital base. The Bank of England intervened and purchased the bank for £1 to reduce the risk of contagion across bullion and banking markets. A borrower was later imprisoned for lying about assets during a High Court inquiry into the collapse.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Sustainability 2017
United Kingdom · Global corporate operations
Johnson Matthey’s Sustainability 2017 programme linked responsible-business objectives with its operating strategy and was associated with the company’s shortlisting for Business in the Community’s Responsible Business of the Year award.
Outcome. The programme received external recognition; the available reference does not provide a complete account of its targets or final performance.
Brand decisions
2025
Agreement to sell Catalyst Technologies to HoneywellM&ABackground
The proposed disposal represented a major portfolio decision for Johnson Matthey and a substantial transfer of its catalyst-technology activities.
Action taken
Johnson Matthey agreed to sell Catalyst Technologies to Honeywell for £1.8 billion, with completion expected in the first half of 2026.
Aftermath
If completed, the transaction will materially change Johnson Matthey’s business mix and leave Honeywell with the acquired Catalyst Technologies operations.
Agreed sale value. £1.8 billion (Agreement announced in May 2025; expected completion in the first half of 2026)
2015
Sale of gold and silver refining operationsStrategyBackground
Johnson Matthey reshaped its portfolio while retaining a broader connection to precious metals and industrial technologies.
Action taken
The company sold its gold and silver refining operations to Asahi Holdings.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced Johnson Matthey’s direct involvement in gold and silver refining.
2010
Acquisition of InterCATM&ABackground
The acquisition expanded Johnson Matthey’s offering for petroleum refining and fluid catalytic cracking.
Action taken
Johnson Matthey acquired InterCAT for $56.2 million.
Aftermath
The deal added fluid catalytic-cracking additives to the group’s industrial-catalysis activities.
Acquisition price. $56.2 million (2010)
2008
Acquisition of ArgillonM&ABackground
Johnson Matthey sought to strengthen its position in industrial catalysts and related specialty technologies.
Action taken
The company acquired Argillon for €214 million.
Aftermath
Argillon’s catalyst capabilities became part of Johnson Matthey’s broader catalyst portfolio.
Acquisition price. €214 million (2008)
Recent events
Reported
Johnson Matthey announces 15% price increases[3]
Johnson Matthey announced 15% price increases across its businesses, with portions of its chemicals and fuels and energy businesses implementing increases effective immediately or as contracts permit. The company said rising energy, raw material, logistics and packaging costs drove the increases.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Ingenza and Johnson Matthey complete enzyme synthesis project[4]
Ingenza and Johnson Matthey completed a six-month project in which they developed approaches for producing industrially relevant enzymes, including cytochrome P450.
Johnson Matthey launches HyCOgen technology[5]
Johnson Matthey launched its HyCOgen technology for sustainable aviation fuel production.
Reported
Johnson Matthey announces acquisition of Oxis Energy assets[6]
Johnson Matthey announced that it had acquired the assets and intellectual property of Oxis Energy, a lithium-sulfur battery developer.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Johnson Matthey and Sibanye-Stillwater extend PGM supply and refining agreement[7]
Johnson Matthey and Sibanye-Stillwater extended their existing PGM supply and refining agreement to ensure long-term sustainable supply for Johnson Matthey's products and customers.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Sibanye-Stillwater and Johnson Matthey partner on critical metals[7]
Sibanye-Stillwater partnered with Johnson Matthey to identify critical metals for low-carbon technologies and explore sustainable supply-chain opportunities.
Reported
Johnson Matthey announces Stephen Oxley as CFO[8]
Johnson Matthey announced Stephen Oxley’s appointment as chief financial officer, effective 1 April. Karen Hayzen-Smith will step down as interim CFO on the same date and continue as group financial controller.
Reported
Johnson Matthey reports lower FY2020 profit[9]
Johnson Matthey reported that its fiscal 2020 profit before tax fell 38 percent to 305 million pounds.
Sources10 sources
- 1Johnson Mattheyen.wikipedia.org
- 2Johnson Matthey official websitematthey.com
- 3庄信万丰宣布涨价15%prnewswire.com
- 4Ingenza与Johnson Matthey完成酶合成项目news-medical.net
- 5庄信万丰推出 HyCOgen 技术biomassmagazine.com
- 6庄信万丰宣布收购 Oxis Energy 资产prnewswire.com
- 7Johnson Matthey与Sibanye-Stillwater延长铂族金属供应及精炼协议iol.co.za
- 8庄信万丰宣布任命 Stephen Oxley 为首席财务官ifamagazine.com
- 9庄信万丰报告2020财年利润下降finanznachrichten.de
- 10Johnson Matthey Acquires Assets To Accelerate Green Hydrogen Scale-Upchemicalonline.com
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