South Africa is the world leader in platinum and PGM production, having produced around 5 million ounces of platinum and 8 million ounces of PGMs in 2007.
Implats is the second largest PGM producer in the world, supplying approximately 25% of global platinum output.
The six platinum group metals (PGMs) – platinum, palladium, rhodium, osmium, ruthenium and iridium – occur together in nature alongside nickel and copper.
Many of the unique properties of PGMs make them indispensable to modern technology and industry, their markets are many and varied, from the automotive industry to the medical field.
Platinum, a silvery-white metal and the most common and widely used of the PGMs, is also one of the most precious metals.
Palladium, together with platinum, is more abundant than any of the other PGMs. It is the lightest and has the lowest melting point of all the PGMs.
Rhodium has a high reflectance, is hard and durable, and is a major component of industrial catalytic systems.
Nickel, an important by-product of PGM mining operations, is a hard, silvery-white metal that is highly resistant to corrosion.
Catalytic Converters have been instrumental in reducing emissions of harmful gases from vehicles since their inception in response to the US Clean Air Act of 1970.
