About us

Company History

Sumitomo Electric Industries is a world class company supplying high performance cutting tools to a broad base of customers in the component manufacturing sector.

Continuous research and development activities combined with intellectual property and application have produced outstanding progress in the fields of opto-electronics, electronic systems, energy production, and new materials.

Japans biggest manufacturer of electric cables and wire products Sumitomo deployed hardmetal drawing tools for the production of copper wires in 1928.

Hardmetal cutting tools were a natural progression in 1931 since when Sumitomo Electric has established itself as a market leader in the development and application of cutting materials, chipbreaker and coating technology.

Customer service through expanding global representation resulted in Sumitomo establishing its daughter company Sumitomo Electric Hartmetall GmbH in Willich responsible for all sales activities in Western and Eastern Europe.

Since then our sister company Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal Ltd. was established to provide all aspects of customer service in Great Britain and Ireland.

Products include Hardmetal, CBN, and PCD cutting tools for turning, milling, drilling, and boring applications plus a range of blanks for toolmakers.

New innovations in the field of Hardmetal, Ceramic and Cermet cutting materials capable of machining a diverse range of workpiece materials have established Sumitomo Electric as a market leader in high performance machining.

In1977 Sumitomo Electric began the development of polycrystalline cutting materials both CBN and PCD. Hard and dry machining techniques the result of these developments placed Sumitomo in pole position as their application significantly improves productivity and contributes to global ecology by reducing environmental pollution.

To further strengthen their activities and improve customer service in the global market Sumitomo Electric Industries established a new headquarters responsible for all cutting tool business activities. Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal Corporation located in Itami Japan acquired the assets of the previous cutting tool organisation in April 2003.