Umicore N.V.. formerly Union Minière, is a multinational materials technology company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.Formed in 1989 by the merger of four companies in the mining and smelting industries, Umicore has since reshaped itself into a more technology-focused business encompassing such areas as the refining and recycling of precious metals and the manufacture of specialised products from precious metals, cobalt, germanium, zinc, and other metals.