Contact Us English PRODUCTS KNOWLEDGE BASE ABOUT US COMPANY OVERVIEW ABOUT ELEMENT SIX Founded in 1946, Element Six has developed to become a global leader in synthetic diamond and supermaterials manufacturing. Find out all about our story below. WHO WE ARE Element Six is a global leader in the design, development and production of synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide supermaterials. Part of the De Beers Group, we employ over 1,900 people. Our primary manufacturing sites are located in the UK, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, and the US. OUR HISTORY Since 1959, our focus has been on developing the diamond synthesis process to enable innovative synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide solutions. As well as being the planet’s hardest material, diamond’s extreme and diverse properties give it high tensile strength, chemical inertness, broad optical transmission and very high thermal conductivity. OUR MISSION We strive to deliver extreme performance through the development of cutting-edge synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide solutions. OUR SHAREHOLDER STRUCTURE ELEMENT SIX IS MADE UP OF 2 BUSINESSES: Technologies: 100% owned by De Beers Group Abrasives: 60% owned by De Beers Group 40% owned by Umicore DE BEERS GROUP UMICORE De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. Established in 1888, the De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, the De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of the De Beers Group are committed to ‘Building Forever’ by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about the De Beers Group, visit www.debeersgroup.com. Umicore is a global materials technology group focused on materials science, chemistry, and metallurgy. Its activities are centred on four business areas: Catalysis Energy materials Performance materials Recycling Umicore is dedicated to clean technologies like emission control catalysts, materials for rechargeable batteries, photovoltaics, fuel cells, and recycling. Umicore has industrial operations on all continents. It generated a turnover of €11.94 billion in 2017 and currently employs approximately 9,769 people.* *Source: http://annualreport.umicore.com/media/1517/ar2017annualreviewen.pdf LEARN MORE To learn more about who we are and what we do, click on one of the links below: BOARD MEMBERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OUR VALUES & RESPONSIBILITIES OUR SHAREHOLDER STRUCTURE DISCOVER OUR HISTORY Filter: ALL 1946 Industrial Distributors Ltd. established by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer to concentrate on industrial uses of natural diamonds 1947 Foundation of Diamond Research Laboratory (DRL) in Johannesburg 1953 First successful synthetic diamond synthesis (ASEA - Sweden) 1958 Diamond Research Laboratory (DRL) team synthesised synthetic diamond for the first time in South Africa 1959 Our chairman of the time, Harry Oppenheimer, announces our first successful HPHT diamond synthesis 1960 Opening of Ultra High Pressure Units in Springs, South Africa 1961 Shannon plant established in Ireland - the company's first site outside South Africa 1966 Synthetic saw grit product SDA (saw diamond abrasive) launched 1971 The first large synthetic diamond crystals were grown at the Diamond Research Laboratory 1972 Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) first launched commercially, with a product called Syndie 1975 The first cubic boron nitride (CBN) grit product, ABN, is launched commercially 1980 Our first polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) product, Amborite, is launched commercially 1989 First diamond films produced at our UK facility, using our microwave plasma-enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) synthesis process 1996 First boron doped diamond grade launched 1999 Launch of two new CVD product families tailored for mechanical applications 2001 Diamond Research Laboratory opened in its new location in Springs 2002 First public reporting of outstanding properties of a single crystal CVD diamond Rebranding of De Beers Industrial Diamonds to Element Six 2004 Single crystal CVD diamond material available 2005 Element Six and speaker manufacturers Bowers & Wilkins launch the first synthetic diamond tweeter dome, providing unrivalled clarity in sound production 2006 Synthetic diamond factory opened in Suzhou, China 2009 The launch of a series of monocrystal products for use in precision industries and applications for wear parts 2011 Business development and customer service office opened in Shanghai 2012 D Power PCD road pick launched in Europe, extending road pick life by up to 40 times Highest purity CVD diamond used in CERN LHC to support identification of the Higgs boson Element Six awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation for the development of its synthetic diamond tweeter dome in partnership with Bowers & Wilkins for use in its 800-series of speakers 2013 Walter Hühn appointed CEO First US CVD development and manufacturing facility opened in Santa Clara, California Global Innovation Centre opened in Harwell, UK 2014 PCD used to shape the next generation of smart phone in partnership with the world's most successful mobile phone manufacturer 2016 The launch of Diamox signals a breakthrough in CVD diamond technology, enabling effective, reliable and economical electrotechnical treatment systems for highly contaminated wastewaters 2017 Diamox won the 2017 Edison Best New Product Award for Environmental Quality TM200 won the 2017 Compound Semiconductor Industry Award 2018 Lightbox Jewelry is announced with Element Six as the manufacturer of their laboratory-grown diamonds 2019 Element Six and Lockheed Martin announce the use of single crystal CVD diamond materials for their cutting-edge, quantum-enabled ‘Dark Ice’ technology E6 CUSTOMER SERVICES General: +353 61 460 146 Fax: +353 61 775 200 General Email: support@e6.com Sales Email: salesorders@e6.com See what we've been up to: ABOUT E6 Company Overview Careers Our Values & Responsibilities Conflict Minerals Policy News Sitemap LEGAL Cookie Policy Terms of use Tradeshow Competition Terms & Conditions Privacy notice UK Modern Slavery Act Business Integrity Policy CCTV CONTACTS Contact Form Sites & Distributors E6 CVD Online Shop Copyright © 2020 Element Six UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Element Six (UK) Ltd., Registered in England and Wales. Company number: 01050981 Registered address: Global Innovation Centre, Fermi Avenue,Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR, UK This site uses first and third party Necessary, Performance and Functional cookies to enable basic functionality, add personalisation, and understand how our site is used. By clicking Accept All you consent to these cookies. If you do not consent, click on Cookie Settings to manage your preferences. To find out more or change your preferences at any time, see ourCookie Policy Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All Cookies