I am writing this not only because I was half asked / half offered to research things for my friend Terry my Precious Metals guy, but also just to dig in and continue learning things connected to the rabbit hole of never ending info about precious metals, sound money (the opposite of what government gives us) -- and general information to carry with me.
If anyone needs a good PM guy --- I got the guy!
He gets stuff done.
TLDR:
Asahi is the Japanese company that bought out JM's bullion and assaying business back in 2015 for $186M.
Between both of their plants, they claim they process the largest capacity of gold and silver in North America.
- Their Canadian operations are in Brampton, in the exact same location as JM was when the sale took place. It's located right off the 403 highway.
- The CEO of ASAHI was a senior chemist for years at JM / Johnson Matthey and that would explain a lot about the links to the sale here between the 2 companies.
- On March 5, 2015 Asahi Holdings acquired the Johnson Matthey Gold & Silver refining business. The acquisition includes the refineries located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
The Salt Lake City, USA and Brampton, Canada refineries are now collectively operated as “Asahi Refining.”
The map screenshots to their Brampton facility:
If you zoom in close you can really see a large, seemingly high fence or wall around this facility which makes sense given the amount of precious metal etc. on site:
I found this quote that also sums up some facts nice about JM off another bullion dealer's site who is well known in the #USSA:
ALL ENGELHARD is pleased to welcome visitors to our Johnson Matthey Definitive Page. While our focus is clearly Engelhard, we recognize that many Engelhard bullion collectors also collect Johnson Matthey bars and ingots.
As such, we appreciate the opportunity to present important bullion information on the world’s second most collectible refiner, Johnson Matthey. We hope you welcome this new addition, and we look forward to your thoughts and input!
As part of my research overall that totalled about 2 solid hours, I have included some videos.
You can see that Asahi is using JM's old equipment / molds, pretty much everything the same format etc. being used to strike the bars in most cases.
FYI, Asahi really did literally move into the old space that JM used to own in Brampton, Ontario.
A side by side comparison of the JM large bars beside the Asahi bars:
Another video w the Asahi poured 100 oz bars...
As you can see in this ASAHI - 1kg. bar vs the 100 oz bars... this is poured and refined and stamped in the Canadian plant -- not their other plants:
I also invested time reviewing their website links and sub links and various financial reports.
They have a great official overview of their history including the acquisition of JM here on their Linked In page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/asahi-refining/about/
Overview
Renowned heritage. Remarkable precision.
Asahi Refining combines nearly 200 years of industry experience with forward-looking innovation to bring you the world's leading provider of precious metal assaying, refining, and bullion products.
Two organizations founded on quality, precision, and expertise have come together to create a global footprint that services mining, recycling, institutional investment, and distribution. A legacy of excellence and an entrepreneurial spirit results in the synthesis of unrivaled perfection.
But at the heart of it all is honesty—in the long-lasting relationships we build and superior products and services we provide to our clients.
Asahi Refining was formed when Asahi Holdings acquired the nearly 200 year old Johnson Matthey gold & silver refining businesses.
Asahi Holdings is a Tokyo, Japan based precious metals recycling company (collection, recovery, refinement) founded in 1952. The company has approximately 1,360 employees.
Throughout the years it has grown from a single location recovering silver from photographic solutions in to a London Good Delivery refiner now operating in 6 countries through its subsidiaries processing gold, silver, and platinum group metals.
Precision is a part of everything we do—from assaying to refining, we produce the finest and most coveted precious metals in the market. Our R&D centered in Japan is focused solely on developing the most accurate methods for precious metal recovery and evaluation.
Between both of our plants, we process the largest capacity of gold and silver in North America.
GRANT ANGWIN
PRESIDENT
Studying Chemistry and then Business and Finance in the UK, Grant began as an analytical chemist with Johnson Matthey.
He has 35 years of experience and is currently Chairman of the London Bullion Market Association and sits on the International Advisory Panel of the Shanghai Gold Exchange as well as being a Board Member of the Silver Institute.
From their published yearly reports and compliance / certificates section of their website:
- ( I looked at the 2015 year because that is the information I wanted to see -- the year they bought JM ) :
... On March 5, 2015 Asahi Holdings acquired the Johnson Matthey Gold & Silver refining business.
The acquisition includes the refineries located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and Brampton,
Ontario, Canada.
The Salt Lake City, USA and Brampton, Canada refineries are now collectively operated as
“Asahi Refining.”
At purchase Johnson Matthey’s LBMA London Good Delivery status was transferred to Asahi Refining for each gold and silver refinery.
Asahi Refining adopted many responsible gold policies and procedures from Johnson Matthey during the transition.
In 2015, Asahi Refining began a process of transitioning and modifying the existing program to align with the new entity’s strategies, capabilities, and competencies.
This transition resulted in some challenges maintaining our due diligence procedures, which Asahi Refining is committed to resolving in 2016 and beyond.
The following compliance report is prepared by Asahi Refining to certify LBMA Responsible Gold compliance for the 2015 calendar year. ....
More can be read on that link here ---
Websites:
https://www.asahiholdings.com/english/company/
Locations
Asahi Refining USA, Inc. Primary
4601 W 2100 S, West Valley City, UT 84120, US
Asahi Refining Canada Limited
130 Glidden Rd, Brampton, Ontario CA
