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September
2005
Think Tank Sees 390% Growth
For High-Tech Materials Market By 2015
The global market for 40 high-tech materials will grow 390%from 2004 to
3.76 trillion yen in 2015, the Fuji Chimera Institute predicts in a
recently released report. The study covers 35 items used in the fields of
semiconductors, optoelectronics, nanotechnology and biotechnology, and
five from other sectors. Of these materials, the most promising ones are
next-generation semiconductors such as the organic transistors expected to
be used in RFID tags and magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM)
chips that enable personal computers to start up instantly, according to
the think tank. Other hopeful materials are found in the area of
nanotechnology, where demand for nanotubes, fullerenes and other
nanocarbon materials will more than triple from developers of fuel cells,
drug delivery systems and other high-tech products. The report also
forecasts the development of mass-production technology for precious metal
nanoparticles with diameters of less than 10 nanometers. Demand for DNA
chips and biosensors will cause the biotechnology market to grow by 4.2
times in 2015, the report says. (Nikkei Business Daily, September 30,
2005)
Sumitomo Metal To Double
Capacity Of Filipino Nickel Venture
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. plans to double the annual production capacity
of its Filipino nickel smelting joint venture to up to 20,000 tons as
early as 2007. Demand for nickel now exceeds supply worldwide largely due
to China's dramatic economic growth. Nickel is widely used as an
electronic material as well. The nickel smelting operation, dubbed the
Coral Bay Nickel Project, currently runs one processing unit with a
10,000-ton annual output capacity on the Palawan island. The planned
expansion will involve building a similar unit at a cost of 20-30 billion
yen. Sumitomo Metal Mining owns a 54% stake in Coral Bay Nickel Corp.,
while a local firm, Mitsui & Co. and Sojitz Corp hold the remainder.
Some 180 million dollars has been invested in the operation. The joint
venture, which uses cutting-edge HPAL (high-pressure acid leaching)
technology to produce nickel intermediate, began full-scale operations
this past April. The output in 2005 is expected to reach 5,000 tons. The
global nickel bullion consumption in 2004 came to roughly 1.25 million
tons in 2004, up about 10% from 2001. A large portion of the increase is
attributed to the growing demand in China, where nickel bullion
consumption jumped 60% from 2001 to around 140,000 tons in 2004. The Japan
Mining Industry Association believes that China will surpass Japan to
become the world's top nickel bullion consumer by 2007. Competition to
secure nickel supply sources is intensifying because nickel mines are
found in only a small number of countries, including Russia, Canada and
Australia. At the London Metal Exchange, nickel bullion is now changing
hands at around 6.80 dollars per pound, almost double the price in early
2003. Sumitomo Metal Mining produces about 60,000 tons of nickel bullion a
year. (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, September 16, 2005)
June
2005
Firms Team Up To Devise
Cheaper Titanium Production Technology
Kobe Steel Ltd., Nippon Steel Corp. and two other titanium metal makers
plan to launch a joint project this year to develop a low-cost production
process, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Thursday. Titanium is twice as
strong and 40% lighter than iron. It is also highly resistant to
corrosion. But its high price has limited its use mainly to aircraft
engine parts, motorcycle mufflers, golf clubs and spectacles frames. The
four companies, which include Sumitomo Titanium Corp. and Toho Titanium
Co., will embark on a four-year project to simplify the complex,
fragmented titanium production processes and bring costs down by 30%. In
addition, they intend to develop a technology to boost the strength of
titanium alloys. Tokyo Denki University and Tokyo University of
Agriculture and Technology are expected to support the development of
basic technology. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will provide
financial assistance. Kobe Steel and Nippon Steel are major producers of
titanium in Japan. Sumitomo Titanium and Toho Titanium make a
semi-finished product called titanium sponge and boast a total global
market share of 40%. But U.S. firms dominate when it comes to titanium
alloys. Kobe Steel and Nippon Steel are hoping that the lower prices and
enhanced strength of their titanium alloys will enable them to break the
stranglehold that Titanium Metals Corp. and other U.S. companies have on
the aircraft parts market. Titanium ranges between 3-4 million yen a ton
before it is processed into an alloy. Once it is made into an alloy to
boost strength, the price can surpass 10 million yen a ton. This compares
with roughly 50,000 yen to 100,000 yen a ton for ordinary steel products.
(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Friday, June 10, 2005)
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