SNS: Special Letter: Rare Earths: A Global Technology Chokepoint

In This Issue
Week of 11/21/2016    
Vol. 21 Issue 38

FEATURE: Special Letter: Rare Earths: A Global Technology Chokepoint

• The Rare Chemistry of Not-So-Rare Elements
• A Narrowing Channel of Suppliers
• Worst Case: One Mistake Away from a Rare-Earth Embargo
• Recycling vs. Substitution: A 20% Solution
• Who Are the Recycling Players?
• Reducing the Risk of a Supply Crisis
• About Alan Rae

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Publisher’s Note: Most technology executives probably remember the illegal techniques China employed a few years back to corner the global rare-earths supply, first dumping these critical minerals at below cost to drive producers into bankruptcy and close down competing mines, and then using market domination to threaten Japan’s tech industry by throttling supply.

But, as with all things in the news cycle, that was then. Today, few people even think about the problem – unless, like this week’s author, they know enough about the problem to realize that the world’s technology industry continues to prosper at China’s whim, constantly living within weeks of a supply shutdown that could wreak havoc on everything from smartphone to disc-drive production.

Once you’ve read this, you’ll want to do something about it.  I hope you do, since we obviously need to change this situation quickly. – mra.