MIIT strengthens the construction of product standard system in rare earth industry

SHANGHAI, Aug 19 (SMM) — First-class enterprises attach importance to standards, second-rate enterprises pay attention to brands, and third-rate enterprises take products seriously. For enterprises in China's rare earth industry today, whoever has mastered the industry product standards has mastered the right to express an opinion in the industry competition.

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released 12 industry standards and 10 industry standards in foreign languages for approval and publicity, including three rare earth industry standards in foreign languages, specifically, chemical analysis methods for NdFeB alloys, determination of zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten and titanium contents, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) also issued 21 national standards for rare earths, specifically, chemical analysis methods for high-purity ytterbium metal, lanthanum hexaboride, dysprosium and terbium metal targets, yttrium oxide powder for thermal spraying, ultrafine dysprosium oxide powder, scandium stabilized zirconia composite powder, scandium aluminum alloy targets, high-purity rare earth metals, etc.

At the same time, the descriptions of these industry standards emphasize that with the progress of science and technology and the development of international trade, higher requirements are put forward for the quality of laboratory chemical analysis and testing data of rare earth products at home and abroad.

In recent years, China has issued some industry standards for chemical analysis methods of rare earth products, but with the development of domestic rare earth industry, the industry standards for chemical analysis methods of rare earth products are not perfect.

In order to provide more accurate and efficient detection services, chemical analysis laboratories of rare earth products often need to adopt their own developed or improved detection methods. Especially in the field of rare earth chemical analysis, more and more laboratories use detection methods beyond the standard, but how to ensure the suitability and reliability of these detection methods has been controversial.

Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has issued a series of chemical analysis methods for rare earth products. First, it is a guide document for laboratory confirmation and verification of chemical analysis methods, aiming at improving the quality of laboratory chemical analysis methods and test data for rare earth products and ensuring the validity and reliability of data provided by chemical analysis laboratories.

In fact, China's rare earth standardization work is to focus on domestic and international market demand, enterprise and social development demand, industry technology development status, to have systematic thinking and strategic thinking. Meanwhile, standard development should be promoted through technological innovation, so as to maintain the competitiveness and vitality of rare earth standards.

The national standards for chemical analysis methods of rare earth products issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) this time are to integrate the current industry standards and local standards into national standards.

The scope of national standards are strictly limited to the technical requirements of ensuring personal health, life and property safety, national security, ecological environment safety and meeting the basic needs of social and economic management. Some industry standards and local standards were cancelled as they are not suitable for rare earth Industry development.

At present, with the development of economic globalization, the competition in rare earth market has changed from product and technology dispute to standard and intellectual property dispute. The competitiveness of rare earth enterprises is not only manifested in the market share of products, but also in whether China's product standards can become international industry standards, that is, the right to express an opinion in international standards.

It is worth emphasizing that the purpose of formulating the standard of chemical analysis methods for rare earth products is to implement it, otherwise, even the best standard is useless.

Of course, once these standards are implemented, the rare earth industry will be forced to transform and upgrade. It is believed that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) will accelerate the comprehensive popularization of product standards in the rare earth industry, guide rare earth enterprises and testing institutions to accelerate the upgrading of production links and the application and implementation of use links, and provide technical and policy support for the transformation and upgrading of rare earth enterprises.