Umicore SA's (UMI.BT) Chief Executive Thomas Leysen expects the company's zinc activities to launch as a separate company sometime in the third quarter, he told La Libre Belgique Thursday in an interview.

Specialty materials company Umicore has combined its zinc activities with those of Australia's Zinifex Ltd. (ZFX.AU). The new company will make an initial public offering – probably on the Euronext stock exchange – later this year or in 2008, he said.