|
Magnequench is one of the largest, in terms of volume, producers of magnets in the US and the world. I believe it's the largest producer of polymer bonded magnets, an area YBM is moving into b/c it's the fastest growing segment of the magnet market (about 20% growth/annum). I've looked at the patents in dispute and the critical difference b/w their magnets is that YBM adds hydrogen in such a manner to increase the mganet's susceptibility to corrosion, a problem all magne tproducers face. I think it's move by Magnequench to slow down/stop YBM's move in the US. I mean, Magnequench wins the lawsuit, (I presume) they maintain their dominance and achieves access to YBM's technology while if they lost, they'lll pay a fine (I'm not knowledgeable about patent law, so any legal experts?) and it's business as usual. The magnet sector, overall, is pretty interesting actually. It is growing fairly rapidly, about 10-15%/annum overall, while the neodymium segemtn is growoing 15%+ while the technology DOESN'T advacne
as rapidly as say technology in, say, semiconductors or data storage. That was one of the inherent appeals of investing in this sector: sustainable industry growth. Everything electronic around us, cars, computers, electronics, all utilize magnets in some shape or form
Largest institutional shareholders:
Sceptre Investment...London Fund Management...Driehaus Capital...
BPI Capital...O'Donnell Investment Mgmt...Deans Knight...
Van Berkom & Associates...
Any comments/insights are appreciated. |
