On December 17, 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte authorized Jen Tony to take charge of the ancient mountain mines located in Moniste, the border between Belgium and Germany. The mine later evolved into the Société Anonyme des Mines et Fonderies de Zinc de la Vieille-Montagne, which was founded in 1837, the predecessor of the company Umeko.

Umeke is a Circular Materials Technology Group, focusing on leveraging its expertise in materials science, chemistry and metallurgy to create change in related application areas. Umeke currently has four major business groups: battery materials, catalysis, recycling and specialty materials. Each business group is divided into market-centric business units, providing materials and solutions that are at the forefront of new technology development and are crucial to daily life.

Most of Umeco's revenue comes from cleaning mobile materials and recycling, and invests most of the revenue in research and development. The primary goal of creating sustainable value in Umeko is based on the ambition to develop, produce and recycle materials, which also leads to the mission of "materials to create a better life." Umeke's production, sales and R&D activities are spread all over the world, with more than 10,000 employees, providing services to global customers. In 2023, Umeko Group's revenue (except metals) was 4.155 billion euros.

Umeco entered China in 1982 and established its first sales office in Hong Kong. As of today, Youmeike has 10 factories in China, located in Tianjin, Suzhou, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, Jiangmen, Guangdong and Hsinchu, Taiwan. 12 offices, located in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Taipei. 1 regional headquarters and R&D center, located in Shanghai.

Youmeike Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., is the headquarters of Youmeike University of Science and Technology China (hereinafter referred to as "regional headquarters"). The regional headquarters was officially established in July 2005 and is located in Xuhui District, Shanghai. It is a platform for the group to implement mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Greater China, and is also centralized financial and fund management, human resources management, procurement, legal affairs and In terms of consulting and other aspects, we provide professional strategic guidance to many wholly-owned and joint ventures in the region and support their development. As of January 2023, the total number of employees of Umei University of Science and Technology in China was 2,432 (including the number of employees of joint ventures).

Youmeike's business investment in the Greater China region is mainly combined with the needs of the Chinese local market. Divided according to proprietary technology and service categories, and fully implement the strategies of various business departments (BUs) of Umeke. Umeike's focus in China is increasingly moving towards technology-driven business directions, such as: production of automotive catalysts; production of rechargeable battery positive electrode materials, etc. Over the past decade, Umeke's total investment in China was 135 million euros.

Umeke implements strict EHS standards worldwide, conducts due diligence and conducts land and groundwater analysis (enterprise mergers or land mergers) before any merger. Umeco strictly follows all relevant regulations and pays attention to employee safety and occupational health. Yumeko's measures have been supported by the local government. As a multinational enterprise, Youmeike fully recognizes and conscientiously fulfills its social responsibilities to society and surrounding communities. Umeke now has operations in 38 countries around the world. The technology it uses mainly from Europe and meets the strict standards for European environmental protection.

Umeco continues to invest heavily in future improvements in environmental protection measures to protect surrounding communities, employees and the next generation. Umeco is committed to becoming a respected employer everywhere and maintaining good relationships with surrounding communities in their global business areas. All factories and business units look forward to strengthening ties with local communities and sharing responsibilities with stakeholders.