metal-powder.net May 2007 MPR 7

Co-operation call inShanghai success for PM Asia 2007CO-OPERATION in the powder metallurgy industry between Chinese and international companies was the theme of a keynote presentation at PM Asia 2007 conference and exhibition, staged in Shanghai last month.

Ni Guancao, a senior executive of the Shanghai Powder Metallurgy Works and director general the PM Association of China Machinery Parts Society, told the conference that co-operation was essential if the industry was to maintain momentum.

His contribution was the first among a raft of senior Chinese speakers who dis-cussed, among other topics, the production status of fer-rous and copper powder pro-duction in China, the devel-opment of diamond tooling in China and the future of development of the country’s strategically important hardmetal cemented carbide industry. The country is estimated to control around 70 per cent of the world’s tungsten, an essential component of hardmetals.

China is also a major source of the rare earth ele-ments that are extensively used in the production of modern magnets. Demand is growing for these products as technology improves indus-trial efficiency and domestic convenience and an audience of around 100 delegates lis-tened attentively as Professor Luo Yang discussed future prospects.

Substantial efforts are being made to develop the metal injection mould-ing industry in the country and a centre of excellence in research has developed at Central South University in Hunan Province, which already boasts substantial academic success in powder metallurgy more generally and in hard materials in par-ticular.

The conference heard from Dr Yimin Li from the uni-versity they considered the industry had good prospects as the Chinese PM industry becomes more sophisti-cated.

Richard Felton, co-chair of the conference and edi-tor of Metal Powder Report, said: “This is the second time that PM Asia has been staged in Shanghai, and once again it was a success. The Shanghai location was deliberately chosen because the city lies at the heart of the Chinese PM industry and is the commercial capital of China. We registered much increased Chinese participa-tion and the two-way flow of novel information gave good value to everyone who attended.

“The conference was backed up by a varied inter-national and Chinese compa-nies and business was done. Both I and my-co-chair Xiao Yulin feel that we succeeded in our stated aim of providing a platform for the exchange of views and ideas and a forum in which business could be done.” Doing business: The exhibition provided a forum for discussion.

Colleagues consult: An animated discussion in the conference hall.

Co-chairs: Xiao Yulin with Richard Felton at PM Asia 2007.

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