The Conversation (0)
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence to Host New Conference Dedicated to Cathodes
Oct. 04, 2017 02:10PM PST
Battery Metals
The show will be held from October 8 to 10 in Newport Beach, California. Here Andrew Miller explains what it will cover and who should attend.
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence will host the battery market’s only dedicated cathode conference from October 8 to 10 in Newport Beach, California.
The event, called Cathodes 2017, will include three days of presentations, workshops and networking, all dedicated to the cathode industry. Topics up for discussion will include: lithium-ion battery megafactories, trends in cell chemistry and form factor, lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and cobalt and nickel chemicals, among many others.
To learn what attendees can expect from this new cathode conference, the Investing News Network (INN) caught up with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence analyst Andrew Miller. Read on for the full interview.
INN: Benchmark will be hosting a new conference called Cathodes this weekend. Why create an entire event about cathodes?
AM: The cathode is a critical part of a lithium-ion battery, and it is in the cathode chemistry where a lot of technology developments are happening in order to improve performance and energy density for new applications. We therefore wanted to provide a new dedicated platform for the cathode market that would bring together different parts of the supply chain ahead of a period of unprecedented growth in the industry.
As this growth accelerates, significant changes are going to be required at all stages of the supply chain to meet growth in lithium-ion battery demand. Rather than trying to address these issues in a more generic battery conference, we wanted to create a new platform where companies could meet, learn about the industry and create partnerships that will be crucial for the industry moving forward.
INN: What will Cathodes attendees learn? Are there any particular talks and/or workshops you are excited about?
AM: Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from leading companies from throughout the supply chain, including cathode producers, raw material suppliers and battery end users. The event will also give companies the chance to network with key customers and suppliers.
In particular, I think the raw materials workshops we’ll be holding will help shed light on some of the potential bottlenecks in the cathode supply chain and provide a better understanding of what will be required to meet downstream growth projections for the next few years.
We’re also going to have technical and investment forums, and the event will culminate with a special forum dedicated to supply chain sustainability. That is particularly relevant in light of recent articles on some of the social and environmental aspects of the supply chain.
INN: Who should attend the conference?
AM: Anyone with an interest in the lithium-ion supply chain should be interested in the event. We expect to have a mix of producers, consumers, traders and technical experts in attendance to cover all aspects of the industry.
As well as bringing together these different stakeholders, we expect to have a number of investor delegates. As a lot of the expansions required over the coming years will need significant investment, the finance community will play a critical role in the development of the industry. We aim to provide a platform for them to learn about and interact with the market.
INN: How many attendees are you expecting at the conference?
AM: We hope to have between 150 and 200 delegates in attendance from a range of different companies across the world.
Cathodes 2017 is going to be a unique opportunity for companies involved in the lithium-ion battery supply chain. For anyone with an interest in the development of this market we’d encourage you to join us from October 8 to 10 in Newport Beach, California.
Registration for the event is now open — click here for more information.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates. You can also follow Benchmark Mineral Intelligence @benchmarkmin.
This article was originally published by the Investing News Network on May 15, 2017.
Securities Disclosure: I, Priscila Barrera, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in contributed article. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
