Niotan

Niotan Incorporated, now known as KEMET Blue Powder Corporation, smelts tantalum powder at its capacitor-grade tantalum powder manufacturing plant located in Carson City, Nevada. KEMET Blue Powder, or KBP, is a crucial component in the plans of its parent company, KEMET Corporation, for tantalum manufacturing and integration. The former Niotan Incorporated also utilizes South Africa’s Tantalite Resources as the site where workers take ore and other materials and process them into a material known as K-Salt.

KEMET's acquisition of Niotan Incorporated proved crucial on a second front. In March 2012, the company formerly known as Niotan Incorporated initiated realignment strategies designed to direct operations away from suppliers who did not follow citizen coalition and conflict-free smelting initiatives. Such programs include the Conflict-Free Smelter (CFS) Assessment Program of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Partnership for Social and Economic Sustainability, the latter of which entails acquiring conflict-free supplies of tantalum from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following the acquisition of Niotan Incorporated and the beginning of its realignment efforts, KBP has adhered to conflict-free policies, facilitating safety in tandem with more efficient production.