Annual Report 2010 - About Heraeus

20
Heraeus 2010 ··· Group Management Report ··· Consolidated Financial Statements
In focus: High tech fills the niche
Laser reflectors on the moon contain triple prisms made of a specialty quartz
glass developed by Heraeus.
“Thanks to our expertise, we can develop and
manufacture high-quality, sometimes unique
products that can be used for a very wide range
of applications and unusual niche markets.”
Prototype of one of two cubes manufactured from a gold-platinum alloy for the LISA international
space project.
These niches emerge almost automatically for Heraeus. They
arise from a level of vertical integration and product diversity
in the processing and application of precious and special
metals, dental materials, and quartz glass that is unique in the
world. “Thanks to this expertise, we can develop and manufacture
high-quality, sometimes unique products that can be
used for a very wide range of applications and unusual niche
markets. Our niche products fulfill key roles for our customers whose products could not
function without them,” states Dr. Frank Heinricht, Chairman of the Board of Management
of Heraeus Holding GmbH, describing the company’s niche philosophy. Jan Rinnert,
Vice Chairman of the Board of Management of Heraeus Holding GmbH, adds: “For us,
the niche is a small, technology-driven market segment with only a few suppliers, but one
that can range up to €500 million in size. We operate in global niche markets characterized
by high entrance barriers, long-term growth, and attractive returns.”
Dr. Frank Heinricht, Chairman of the Board
of Management of Heraeus Holding GmbH
ON PaPer aNd IN OuTer sPaCe
A company that can shape millions of tiny spheres measuring 0.6 mm in diameter out
of a ruthenium-osmium alloy with great precision can successfully produce two cubes
that are exactly alike from a gold-platinum alloy with a 5 cm edge length. Once manufactured,
the tiny spheres will one day move across a piece of paper, while the two
cubes will soon be moving through outer space to help prove Albert Einstein’s theory
of relativity.
The European Space Agency is searching for evidence of gravitational waves as part of
the joint international LISA (Laser Interferometry Space Antenna) project. Einstein had