The Chinese Challenge to Hitachi’s NdFeB Patents and the Potential Implications for the US Marketpla

On January 21^st 2015, Joanne Jia, the VP of HPMG, along with Mr. Walt Benecki, the former president of Arnold Engineering(now Arnold Magnetic Technologies) and Magnetic Materials Producers Association (MMPA), attended Magnetics 2015 and gave the day’s featured presentation in Orlando, Florida.

The evolution of NdFeB development in China was reviewed and the status of current Chinese NdFeB technology and production processes was discussed.

Today’s Chinese process technology was put into perspective relative to the numerous existing Hitachi patents.

This presentation also discussed the potential industry dynamics that may develop in the future and the likely impact on magnet users, distributors and producers, depending on the outcome of the current Chinese legal challenge.