Highlights

• China's top manganese producers—CMMRI, Tianyuan Manganese, Kebang Manganese, and Manganese Industry Consulting—signed a strategic alliance to build the nation's first intelligent electrolytic manganese demonstration line.
• The partnership aims to cut production costs by $275/ton within three years while developing AI-driven automation, high-value battery precursors (Mn₃O₄, manganese sulfate), and waste-slag treatment technology.
• This consolidation signals China's coordinated approach to controlling the manganese supply chain from mining to advanced battery materials, potentially reshaping global cost structures and pricing leverage in critical minerals.

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China unites its top manganese producers to build the nation’s first intelligent electrolytic manganese production line. Announced in Zhongning, Ningxia — October 18, 2025, in what is touted as a major step toward consolidating China’s manganese industry, the Changsha Mining & Metallurgy Research Institute (opens in a new tab) (CMMRI) inked a four-party strategic cooperation framework agreement with Tianyuan Manganese Industry Group, Kebang Manganese Manufacturing (a subsidiary of Western Gold Co.), and Manganese Industry Consulting Co. under the Electrolytic Manganese Innovation Committee of the China Metallurgical Mining Enterprise Association.

The alliance aims to jointly develop intelligent, low-carbon, and high-value manganese production, marking a new phase in Beijing’s effort to integrate research, policy, and industrial capacity across strategic metals that feed batteries, clean energy, and defense materials.

CMMRI Party Secretary and Chairman Zhuo Xiaojun, Tianyuan Manganese Chairman Jia Tianjiang, Western Gold Vice Chairman Yang Shengrong, Kebang Manganese General Manager Su Wujun, and Innovation Committee Secretary General Tan Liqun attended the signing ceremony and working session.

Building China’s Manganese Braintrust

Zhuo emphasized that the partnership serves both national strategic security and the advancement of the manganese sector. CMMRI will focus on electrolytic manganese process upgrades, manganese-based new materials, and the sector’s “Three Transformations” — digitalization, green manufacturing, and high-end production.

The goal is to create a sustainable collaborative system that merges scientific research, engineering application, and corporate execution. “We aim to complement each other’s strengths,” Zhuo said, “and jointly build a smarter, greener, more resilient Chinese manganese industry.”

Tianyuan’s Jia Tianjiang welcomed the alliance, pledging to work toward reducing electrolytic manganese costs by 2,000 yuan ($275) per ton within three years, while establishing “smart mines” and “intelligent factories.” He added, “This is about benefiting the country, the people, and the enterprises — all at once.”

The First Intelligent Electrolytic Manganese Line

Under the agreement, the four parties will jointly build China’s first intelligent electrolytic manganese demonstration line. The line will leverage AI-driven process control and automation to dramatically reduce energy use and waste.

Other cooperation fronts include:

• Joint R&D on high-value battery precursors such as Mn₃O₄, high-purity manganese sulfate, and lithium manganese phosphate.
• Domestic development of harmless waste-slag treatment technology and resource recycling equipment to curb pollution.
• Exploration of emerging sectors, including solid-state electrolytes and photovoltaic recycling.
• Establishment of regular leadership meetings and shared professional exchange platforms to accelerate technology transfer.

Together, these moves form a full-chain collaboration spanning resources, technology, markets, and policy — aligning industrial capacity with state planning.

Why It Matters for the U.S. and Global Industry

This partnership signals that China is integrating its manganese ecosystem — from global resource extraction to advanced battery materials — under a unified R&D and production model. The push to develop intelligent electrolytic manufacturing could reshape global cost structures, giving Chinese suppliers greater pricing leverage in critical minerals used in EV batteries, grid storage, and defense alloys.

For Western policymakers and manufacturers, this development highlights China’s accelerating coordination between state research institutes and private-scale industrial champions. This model blends innovation, automation, and resource control in a way unmatched by decentralized Western markets.

Disclaimer: This news item originates from media affiliated with Chinese state-owned entities. The information should be independently verified before forming any business or investment conclusions.

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