This article on HiTec’s recently announced deal with Auvex Resources and plans for secondary processing in Port Hedland was published in the WA Business News on 5th June 2008.

A recent article by Jon Ostrower for Flight International entitled “Boeing looks to boost 787 lithium ion battery service life” discussed a rumoured move by Boeing to move to the manganese variant of the lithium ion battery for its new 787 series aircraft rather than staying with the lithium ion variant (presumably cobalt) that was originally designed into this aircraft’s power systems. The article speculated that the move was “due to longevity concerns” by Boeing and US Federal Aviation Administration voiced concerns over the use of cobalt variants of lithium ion battery technology due to their exposure to over charging, overdischarging and overheating.

If this article is on the money, then this is a very significant step forward for the manganese variant of the lithium ion battery, not just in providing back up power in aviation power systems, but in all transport power systems. Such a move will further demonstrate the advantages of this technology in terms of operational safety, high power to weight ratio, enhanced longevity, lower cost and lower environmental impacts, relative to its competitors.

From HiTec’s perspective, this mooted transition from the cobalt variant of the lithium ion battery to the manganese variant is not a surprise, but merely one more step towards the manganese variant becoming the standard for the next generation of vehicles of every shape, size or purpose. With this prospect in mind, we see escalating demand for the components of this battery technology, a primary one being high purity electrolytic manganese dioxide.

To meet this increased demand EMD producers will not only have to lift investment in new production capacity (a difficult enough task for an industry that has endured a decade of parlous financial existence) but will also need to invest invest in cleaner, smarter production technology. The latter investments will be essential if tomorrow’s EMD production plants are to produce the high purity products the battery industry will demand of them, from the lower and lower grades of manganese ores that will be available and in the increasing stringent environmental regimes they will face.

It is in these areas that HiTec can offer existing and aspiring EMD producers technologies that will allow them to deliver and prosper.

For over two years now we have had a new website ‘under construction’ and deemed not ready for publication. Looking back over this period there were many good reasons why our publishing date was put back, time and time again, and reflecting on these individually it is easy to conclude that the long delay was warranted.

However, reflecting on the process as a whole it is also easy to conclude that once we had resolved the non-content website issues of software selection, design, security and ease of maintenance, we would have been better to publish the website at that point and make appropriate content changes closures over time as warranted. Hindsight brings great clarity its true, but at any point in time it is also true that ‘the urgent’ will push back ‘the important’!

That said, here it is for your consideration. For existing and potential HiTec shareholders, we hope that it will add to your understanding our prospects for success. For our existing and potential business partners, we hope that it will provide a more complete understanding of what we have to offer that will contribute to your success.

The new format is constructed in a manner that will facilitate ongoing publication of material and its categorization in a manner that will allow easy retrieval. All new official announcements, publications, presentations, articles and comments will be posted to the website via a blog entry, with the appropriate categorizations that will enable ready retrieval. In this regard the onus is now on us to make the website a repository of the type of information that our investors and business partners should have access to.

We view the content of the new website as it stands upon publication as a starting point rather than an ending point. It requires addition, deletion and amendment and will continue to do so over time. Any suggestions as to how this might best be done or what content changes are desired are welcomed.