Wu Jin
Celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2022, Wogen’s journey of a thousand Li began in 1972 when Bernard Buckman, an old China hand and member of the ice-breaking “48 Group” and Vice-President of the Sino British Trade Council (SBTC), joined forces with Colin Williams, then of Rudolf Wolff Ltd, to form a company to specialise in metal trading with China.
The company name is derived from “Wu Jin” (五金) meaning 5 metals of the earliest Chinese known metallic world. “Wogen” came later, a suggestion from Minmetals, then the paramount metal trading arm of the People’s Republic. From its inception, Wogen Resources Ltd was to be identified with China.
Silk Road
Our journey as merchant adventurers on the modern Silk Road has taken us in many directions and we expect it will take us in many more. We are committed to the idea of adventure and enterprise, to tempering technology with humanity.
The Silk Road was not just the route of the traditional East-West traders; it became a conduit for culture, materials, religions, inventions and resources. We want you to think of us as a conduit for discovery.
In London and in Hong Kong we have experienced traders who have travelled to all 7 Continents – from the icy climes of northern Siberia to the desert sandstorms of Inner Mongolia, and from the tempestuous southern tip of South America to the lush pastures of the Ukrainian steppe. Adventures produce friends and contacts; both vital to our success in the commercial world.
During the commodities boom of the 2000’s Wogen listed on the AIM market in London. Due to the difficult market conditions and illiquidity in trading in the company’s shares, four years later the management team, under the title Sanctuary Partners Limited, completed a buy-out which now sees the company once again wholly owned by its employees.
Trading and Services in Exotic Metals and Minerals
Our traders are experts in their fields, embracing steel, chemicals, super alloys, electronics, energy, catalysts and jewellery. We are regarded as an important trader of minor metals, electronic metals, ferro-alloys, the Platinum group of metals and other metals and minerals not traded on an exchange. The provision of services including marketing, distribution, sourcing, financing and investment are valued by customers the world over.
