Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2019 - 24

INDUSTRY NEWS

TDK Acquires Neodymium Magnet Alloy
R&D Business of Showa Denko
TDK Corporation, for decades a global leader in the ferrite side
of the magnet industry, has bolstered its position in neodymium
rare earth magnetics with its acquisition of the research and
development portfolio for magnet alloys from Showa Denko, a
petrochemicals and electronics company also based in Japan.
Meanwhile, Showa Denko will continue production of neodymium
alloys at one of its plants.

cided to transfer its R&D function and intellectual property rights
concerning rare earth magnetic alloys to TDK, aiming to accelerate commercialization of high-performance rare earth magnets
and development of leading-edge magnetic alloys applicable to
hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. Showa Denko will continue
production of rare earth magnetic alloys at its Chichibu plant, the
company said.

With the transfer agreement, TDK aims to accelerate the development of high-performance, high-quality rare earth magnets for
growth markets including motors for electric vehicles, according to Shigenao Ishiguro, chief executive officer of TDK, who
announced the deal. A monetary value was not released. It is
also designed to establish a more efficient production system for
meeting escalating market demand, said TDK.

Established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, TDK has grown to
become a $12 billion per year company with more than 103,000
employees worldwide. Its products are marketed under the TDK,
EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda
brands.

Acuren Acquires Skystone International

"The acquisition of Showa Denko's magnet-alloy related equipment and patents enables TDK to efficiently produce them and
timely provide them to the market," said Ishiguro. The deal was
struck in November and since then the companies have been arranging transfer of the assets and operations involved.
Within its magnet products portfolio, TDK
offers neodymium magnets containing rare
earth minerals, and ferrite magnets consisting of a mixed oxide of metals including iron.
Showa Denko's neodymium magnet alloy
complements the evolution of TDK's material
technologies and neodymium magnet products, according to the company. Its magnet
products for motors are used in automobiles, industrial equipment, information and
communications technology devices, and
related products.

Shigenao
Ishiguro, chief
executive officer
of TDK

TDK said it believes that the transfer enables it to enhance the
quality of neodymium magnets from the level of materials and
enables another step towards achieving its target of zero defects
while providing safe and secure products to customers in a timely
manner.
The assets included in the transaction consist mainly of a business sector of Showa Denko which conducts research and
development at its Chichibu Plant as a part of the company's rare
earth magnetic alloy operations and its intellectual property rights
on rare earth magnetic alloys.
Showa Denko started to manufacture rare earth magnetic alloys
in 1986. Since then, it has developed new technologies and
alloys for neodymium magnets which do not contain heavy rare
earth metals such as dysprosium and terbium but have magnetic
force equivalent to conventional rare earth magnets.
According to a joint announcement, both companies noted that
a key reason for the deal is recent growth in electric vehicles.
Global demand for magnets is expected to increase drastically,
and development of magnets including development of customized alloys must be accelerated, they said.
According to Showa Denko, under these circumstances it de-

Magnetics Business & Technology * May/June 2019

Acuren, a major provider of magnetic testing services, has
acquired Calgary-based Skystone International. With a focus on
pipelines and pressure equipment, core segments of Acuren for
over 40 years, the addition of Skystone deepens Acuren's engineering and technology-enabled asset integrity capabilities, and
adds new services such as cathodic protection and emergency
management.
"I am excited to welcome the entire Skystone team to Acuren",
said Talman Pizzey, COO of Acuren Canada. "Skystone is a
well-respected service provider with talented professionals who
have significant industry experience and technical competence.
The addition of Skystone aligns with Acuren's mission of being a
trusted partner that clearly reduces clients' cost to operate, while
providing exceptional service. Acuren and Skystone clients will
benefit from new, complementary, and scaled service offerings. I
am also excited about the additional growth and career opportunities for our collective employees."
"On behalf of the Skystone team we are proud and pleased to
become part of the Acuren organization." Said Hal Hamilton,
President and CEO for Skystone. "We believe our combined service offering will greatly improve the breadth of services we can
offer our clients, and the size and type of projects we can pursue.
Other major considerations for us in making the decision was
creating new opportunities for our staff, and ensuring the cultures
are compatible. We truly feel this will be the case".
Acuren provides nondestructive testing and inspection services
delivered through over 80 locations and over 4,000 employees
throughout North America and the UK. It has over 900 experienced Level II and Level III magnetic testing technicians.
For more information, visit: https://www.acuren.com/

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Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2019

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