Benchmark Minerals Week: Here’s What You Need to Know

This year, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence will dedicate an entire week to host its Graphite + Anodes and Cathodes conferences from October 22 to 25 in Newport Beach, California.

Benchmark Minerals Week will include industry-leading presentations and networking all dedicated to examining anodes and cathodes serving the lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle (EV) space.

Topics up for discussion will include raw material supply, new anode technologies, cathode demand, battery megafactory build outs and more.

To learn what attendees can expect from this conference, the Investing News Network (INN) caught up with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Senior Analyst Andrew Miller. Read on for the full interview.

INN: Benchmark will be hosting Benchmark Minerals Week this year. Why did you decide to combine two conferences into an entire week to discuss Graphite + Anodes and Cathodes?

Andrew Miller: We are holding the two annual industry conferences Benchmark hosts back to back as part of Benchmark Minerals Week 2018 to provide a platform for companies involved across the supply chain to meet and hear about the different issues impacting these growing markets.

The conferences bring together different stakeholders from across the battery industry, from raw material producers to battery end users. Often companies in one part of the supply chain do not have much visibility of what is happening in other parts of the industry. Benchmark Minerals Week will be a unique opportunity to understand the key trends from each part of the supply chain.

INN: Benchmark has been hosting a graphite conference since 2016. Will the conference explore other anode technologies this year?

AM: Yes. This year we have rebranded our graphite event as Graphite + Anodes 2018 to put an emphasis on graphite’s largest growing market — lithium-ion batteries.

As part of the agenda we will explore developments in the anodes market, along with complementary and competing anode technologies. As with cathode chemistries, battery producers are still modifying, developing and refining the technologies that will support the push towards higher-energy-density batteries at a lower cost.

Graphite + Anodes will include talks on lithium metal, silicon [and] graphene, as well as the key anode materials of today — natural and synthetic graphite.

INN: During Benchmark Minerals Week the Cathodes conference will take place for a second year. What can attendees expect to be different in 2018?

AM: The Cathodes 2018 event will continue to expand on the topics covered in our inaugural event last year, and bring together leading companies from across the supply chain.

This year’s event will explore the key trends of the past 12 months, including raw material pricing, the push towards higher-nickel cathode chemistries, the ramp up in battery/EV production and the growing use of lithium-ion batteries in stationary storage applications.

We have a whole host of excellent speakers as well, including keynotes from companies such as Albemarle (NYSE:ALB), Norilsk Nickel (MCX:GMKN), Umicore (EPA:UMI), BYD, Proterra, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and many others.

INN: What will attendees learn at Benchmark Minerals Week? Are there any particular talks and/or workshops you are excited about?

AM: Benchmark Minerals Week delegates will get unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing the industry, directly from the leading companies in the market.

The events are the only industry conferences which provide a full overview of the supply chain, from raw material suppliers, to anode/cathode producers, battery consumers and end users.

Some of the key topics we’ll be exploring this year include natural vs. synthetic graphite anodes, the shift towards higher-nickel cathodes, developments in the graphite, lithium, cobalt and nickel markets, emerging battery applications, sustainable sourcing initiatives and new project developments.

INN: Who should attend the conference?

AM: Anyone who is involved in or has an interest in the lithium-ion battery industry should consider attending.

For many companies they have to be very focused on their part of the supply chain. This event gives them the opportunity to learn about other areas of the industry that could have an indirect impact on their own businesses.

For those not directly involved in the market it also offers the opportunity to meet with the world’s leading companies and make connections that will benefit the market moving forward.

INN: How many attendees are you expecting at the conference?

AM: We expect to welcome between 300 and 400 delegates for Benchmark Minerals Week 2018. Spaces are limited, so if you would like to attend please sign up below:

Cathodes 2018: https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/events/cathodes-2018/

Graphite + Anodes 2018: https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/events/graphite-anodes-2018/

You can also click here to view INN’s coverage of last year’s Cathodes event.

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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.