IPA turns 25 years

Founded in 1987, the IPA represents the worldwide leading mining, production and fabrication companies in the global platinum group metals (PGMs) industry, comprising platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, osmium and ruthenium. The Association has currently 15 members.

Our mission is to provide a platform to address issues of common concern and to jointly engage with stakeholders at the international level.

Our objectives are:

• to generate and promote factual information on PGMs;
• to represent the common interests of PGM mining, production and fabrication companies worldwide;
• to encourage and assist continuous progress in the healthy, safe and environmentally sound production and processing of PGMs;
• to define and communicate industry’s views on issues related to PGM production, use, and recycling;
• to liaise with other institutions of interest to the Association and its members; and
• to monitor trends and developments, identify opportunities and risks.

On the occasion of our 25th Anniversary we have put together the "25 Prominent and Promising Applications using Platinum Group Metals":

Dowload here the full Fact Sheet on 25 Prominent and Promising Applications of PGMs.

PGM Use in Medical Implants and Treatments

The unique qualities of platinum group metals (PGMs) have made them crucial to the operation of many technological innovations which improve our lives.

Platinum can be fabricated into very tiny, complex components. As it is inert, platinum does not corrode inside the body, while allergic reactions to platinum are extremely rare. As a result, platinum has been used increasingly as a biomaterial. The noble metal also has good electrical conductivity, which makes it an ideal electrode material.

Pacemakers, used to treat heart disorders which result in slow or irregular heartbeat, usually contain at least two platinum-iridium electrodes, through which pulses of electricity are transmitted to stabilise the heartbeat. Platinum electrodes are also found in pacemaker-like devices which are used to help people at risk of fatal disturbances in the heart's rhythm. This risk can be minimised by implanting a device known as an Internal Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) which sends a massive electric charge to the heart as soon as it detects a problem.

Find out more about PGMs in medical implants and treatments under applications.

The latest issue of IPA NEWS covers the following topics:

- Lonmin 2013: A Story of Fundamental Change and an Industry at Crossroads

Simon Scott, CFO of Lonmin and acting Chief Executive Officer since August 2012, describes what lessons the platinum miner has learned from the tragic incident at Marikana last year. The company has embarked onto a journey of change, focusing on five key initiatives:

1. Employee relations: strengthen employee relations by renegotiating the recognition agreement;
2. Empowerment: empower employees by addressing their needs and the challenges of communities;
3. Migrant and local labour: review the current shift system and leave cycles
4. Use of invested capital & infrastructure: work with labour and industry to make better use of invested capital and infrastructure;
5. Housing and accomodation: continue the conversion of hostels and identify ways to improve housing conditions.

According to Scott, the mining industry in South Africa is at crossroads. Not only Lonmin, but also the whole industry needs to address the fault lines in South African society that were laid bare after the tragic events at Marikana. He emphasizes that the industry needs to be much more effective in providing solutions and needs to improve significantly the dialogue with stakeholders, especially employees.

- Employee Home-Ownership Programme Encourages Community and Uplifts Workers

Encouraging home ownership amongst employees is part of an ambitious and successful programme of Impala Platinum (Implats), the second largest platinum producer in the world, to create and enhance a strong sense of community in the region surrounding its operations in Rustenburg, North West Province, South Africa.

Implats' approach to socio-economic development is based on the understanding that a business cannot be successful in the longer term if its surrounding communities are not economically viable, socially uplifted and environmentally sound. This article highlights a number of successful corporate social programmes including the flagship housing estate Sunrise View which is situated in the north-eastern Rustenburg suburb of Boitekong and gives home to 10,000 people, as well as Platinum Village, a development project that will add another 2,420 houses to the area.

The company's bold goal is not to just build houses, but to create homes in sustainable communities: it provides employees with an interest-free loan of up to one-third of the value of the house, effectively providing the initial deposit.

- Cancer Treatments Based on Platinum

It is close to half a century ago since the activity of certain platinum compounds as anticancer agents was first noted. This discovery prompted interest amongst the research community to further understand the activity of platinum compounds towards cancer cells. Member companies of the IPA such as Johnson Matthey and Heraeus have been actively involved in the research of platinum based anti-cancer drugs from the beginning. This feature gives a short overview on the history of platinum based anti-cancer drugs.

Click here to download the IPA NEWS SPRING 2013.

Hi, my name is Platino! Join me and my superheroes gang on a trip through the world of platinum group metals and learn how we help to improve your life, everyday!

Here comes Platino
This presentation requires HTML5 capable browsers.

If you are using a non HTML5 browser please click here.

Our Corporate Video

PGMs are literally everywhere: they can be found in one of four lifestyle appliances. See how these noble metals drive the modern world and help to improve people's lives.
Right-click here and save to download
(mpeg4-file, 47MB)