Missile Technology Plant Moved to China (JDAM smart-bombs)

Insight on the News ^ | March 4, 2003 | Scott Wheeler

[spycatcher]

From a few years ago. Posted for relevance to current national security debate over China's business activities.

[oldironsides]

Frontman and hard working John Huang just got a raise.
Thanks Bill Clinton for hooking up with all the ChiComs. I am sure this is not the end of the ChiComs snapping up technology. They have already been given 25 years worth of advancement during the Clinton Gore 90's.

[Cicero]

I take it they moved to China?

I did a Google search and found this article, which suggests that this British corporation currently has a Chinese branch and appears to be exchanging engineers with China:

http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/mao/mao103.html

[robowombat]

So does anyone know what became of the JDAMS manufacturing operation and did the plant shutdown?

[glock rocks]

The hits just keep on coming...

[show me state]

I believe this is the same company mentioned in the article.

Looks like the plant closed and the move happened.

source

History

1982
General Motors, Sumitomo Special Metals and The Chinese Academy of Sciences independently discover a new permanent magnet material composed of neodymium, iron and boron.

1983
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials Convention in Pittsburgh, PA - debut of Neodymium production methods by General Motors and Sumitomo Special Metals.

1986
General Motors creates business unit, Magnequench, and builds 175,000 sq. ft. plant in Anderson, Indiana, U.S.

1995
Beijing San Huan New Material High-tech, Inc., China National Non-Ferrous Metals Import & Export Corporation, and an investment group led by Sextant Group, Inc. acquire Magnequench and establish Magnequench International, Inc.

Magnequench begins capacity expansion in Anderson, Indiana. Total expenditures exceed $30 million over next four years.

1998
Magnequench acquires GA Powders to develop gas atomization process for making NdFeB powder.

Magnequench acquires Xinbao Special Metals in Tianjin, China.

Magnequench breaks ground for Tianjin, China powder manufacturing plant.

1999
Magnequench commences construction of its $10.5 million one-of-a-kind Technology Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

The United States International Trade Commission issues a General Exclusion Order, excluding from entry into the United States any unlicensed rare earth magnets or magnetic materials that infringe the claims of Magnequench's basic composition patents.

Magnequench International, Inc. forms a holding company, Magnequench, Inc., as its operations become more global.

2000
Magnequench's Technology Center opens in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, offering design engineers a unique environment for working with our staff to create optimized prototypes.

Magnequench opens powder plant in Tianjin, China to expand capacity and to better serve Asian markets. The Tianjin plant also puts production close to the source of raw materials, reducing processing time and the need to carry excessive inventories.

Magnequench acquires Widia Magnet Engineering and the rare-earth magnet business from UGIMAG, Inc. to expand their permanent magnet offering to include sintered and injection-molded NdFeB, samarium-cobalt, Alnico and ferrite.

2001

Magnequench files patent lawsuit against US companies:Acer America Corp.; Acer Inc.; Best Buy Co. Inc.; Circuit City Stores, Inc.; CompUSA Inc. and its parent, Grupo Sanborns SA de CV; Philips Business Electronics North America Corp., Philips Business Electronics International B.V.; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.; Samsung Electronics America, Inc.; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc.; Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.; Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.; Toshiba America, Inc.; Toshiba Corporation, Compaq Computer Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Company.

2002

Magnequench closes Anderson, Indiana plant and consolidates all powder production at Tianjin, China facility.

Magnequench opens magnet production facility in Juarez, Mexico.

The Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences of the United States Patent and Trademark Office rendered final judgment affirming Magnequench's rights to all claims in its core neodymium-iron-boron patents.

2004

To better serve the majority of powder customers who are in Asia, Magnequench closes Technology Center in Research Triangle Park, and relocates all R&D to a new 17,000 sq. ft. facility in Singapore Science Park.

Magnequench divests all of its magnet businesses, to focus on providing rare earth-iron-boron powders and powder products.

Magnequench files patent infringement lawsuit in the US against: Microsoft, Philips, Sony Corporation, Eastman Kodak, Dell Corporation, Acer Inc., ASUS Computer International, Iomega Corporation, LG Electronics, Lite-On Technology Corporation, Memorex Products, Inc., TEAC Corporation and Wal-Mart.

 

[theDentist]

I gotta say though, part of the blame can fall on Bush's Administration too. Moving such technology always requires the hand of present-day Gov't.

[jaydubya2]

ching ping

[TXBSAFH]

But, but free trade is good for America!!!! </SARCASM OFF>

[free_life]

What are the patent infringements that they sued about?

Unable to find details. Were these companies manufacturing using Magnequench patented process?

[Mrs Zip]

ping

[pganini]

How can they sue for patent infringement?

National defense industries are EXEMPT from the patent laws or copyright laws.

[show me state]

SONY, DELL, WAL-MART ACCUSED OF PATENT INFRINGEMENT

Claiming intellectual property abuse in Asia, specifically in China, Korea and Taiwan, Magnequench International Inc, the patent holder and a world leader in the manufacturing of specialized magnetic powders and magnets, filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and a second suit in Indianapolis against 13 major electronic, office products and computer firms in the United States and Asia, as well as Wal-Mart.

Accused of patent infringement were some of the world's leading computer and electronics companies, including Sony Corp, Eastman Kodak, Dell Corp, Acer Inc, ASUS Computer International, Iomega Corp, LG Electronics, Lite-On Technology Corp, Memorex Products Inc and TEAC Corp. Wal-Mart also was charged as a retailer selling infringing products.

Magnequench asks the court for an injunction to prohibit the importation of further infringing materials as well as treble damages.

The subject matter of the lawsuits involves neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnets and magnetic materials used in most popular consumer electronic products, as well as in automotive and industrial applications.

In this instance, the alleged patent infringement centers on computer and media memory systems such as CD-ROMs and DVDs.

http://www.taborcommunications.com/dsstar/04/0309/107586.html

[MNlurker]

Those parts are still covered by ITAR restrictions. Magnequench is no longer allowed to supply the magnets. The main user of this product is up here and had to scramble to find new suppliers.

[Golden Eagle]

Mention of the same rare earth minerals China could get from their proposed purchase of Unocal.

[ARCADIA]

Bush = Communist butt wipe

[-=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-]

the elites need WAR in order to create NWO.

[frannie]

Yes it will keep coming as I tried to say months ago, here on FR.

I was made fun of by many freepers comparing China to Japan, "they said the same thing about Japan".

Well China isn't Japan. There are over a billion people in
in China, they possibly have more natural resources than WE do. They are very intelligent and their leaders plan to be the ONLY major country in the world.

Surely some on FR have read some of the translated articles, from the Chinese leaders, that have been telling this for years.

My husband and I , he died two years ago, predicted this years ago. NO ONE listened to us.

I am 82 and I really didn't think I would live long enough to see it come this far.

It did not happen because we opened up China. It happened because the "consumers" in America wanted CHEAP goods and China knew just exactly how to draw us in. They then knew how to entice our American Companies that were loosing money how to come to China and build new factories and the bottom line would improve.

At the time I remember my husband asking someone,"do you want cheap products or good paying jobs", no one thought he was serious. Well you can't have both!!!

[Publius6961]

Is it too naive to assume that defense contracts affecting our national security may not be awarded to actual or potential enemies?

Even more fundamentally, shouldn't advanced weapons (or its critical components) only be allowed to be produced domestically?

[Happy2BMe]

House pushes Navy to buy more ships in 2006