Ann: Exploration targets identified to increase project life, page-10

Hitachi, THREE YEARS AGO:

"HMA has recently developed new technologies to even further reduce dysprosium use, which Okamoto referred to as “one of our top-priority projects.” However, he could not disclose any more technical details about this next-generation magnet.

“We think that the trends are for reduced-Dy magnets and even for Dy-free magnets,” he said.

The company is currently running a sample evaluation program with key customers and expects full commercialization of the NEOMAX series with new Dy-reduction technologies in 2014."

http://articles.sae.org/11988/

Just the beginning, innovation has gone way past simple Dy reduction for either cost or supply security motives and now very focused on NdFeB cost efficiency, both high end minimising Dy, and low end deleting it completely. Dy/Tb only ever required at higher operating temperatures and that threshold is rising continuously, what most punters just don't seem to understand is that Dy was NEVER required at lower temperatures.

This is of course why we've seen so much from China recently on Dy reduction, they simply need to catch up to the Japanese high end and see the opportunity to grow NdFeB into the ferrite space, hence partially substituting NdPr with Ce metal.

With innovation most of the major market segments, Wind Gen, Robotics, Consumer Electronics, VCM, AC, etc, are falling into the lower temp app's that just don't need Dy, or very little of it.

As broader demand recovers in 6 months or so the reality will become more obvious, some will be positioned ahead of the curve, clearly those "back to the future" won't be.