Highlights
- MP Materials’ new Texas facility aims to produce 1,000-3,000 tonnes of NdFeB magnets annually.
- The facility challenges China’s 85-90% global market dominance in NdFeB magnets.
- U.S. magnet producers face significant commercial challenges including:
- Cost competitiveness
- Complex supply chain integration
- Government support and public-private partnerships are crucial for developing a sustainable domestic rare earth magnet manufacturing ecosystem.
Rare Earth Exchanges (REEx) reviewed an IEEE Spectrum article (opens in a new tab) titled “Advanced Magnet Manufacturing Begins in the United States”, authored by Glenn Zorpette. The piece attempts to chart the budding domestic resurgence of rare earth magnet manufacturing, highlighting MP Materials’ new Texas facility and nodding to competitors like e-VAC Magnetics, Noveon, and USA Rare Earth.
At first glance, the piece appears balanced. It includes solid figures, such as MP’s projected capacity (1,000–3,000 tonnes/year), China’s overwhelming dominance (85–90% of global NdFeB magnet production), and looming overcapacity pressures. But dig deeper, and this editorial reads less like a sober industry reckoning and more like a lukewarm nod to American industrial ambition, with bias hidden in its omissions and framing.
On the Money
- Yes, MP’s Fort Worth plant—_Independence_—is now producing NdFeB magnets on a trial basis, with initial capacity aimed at displacing a significant share of U.S. magnet imports (~7,000 tonnes/year).
- Yes, China’s scale dwarfs U.S. production: JL MAG alone may produce 25,000 tonnes this year, and China’s total magnet capacity is headed toward 500,000 tonnes—five times projected global demand.
- Yes, U.S. DoD procurement rules now require magnets to originate entirely in “friendly” nations—an important policy lever.
But Here’s the Problem:
The article skirts one of the most pressing commercial realities: without substantial government support—through price floors, offtake agreements, or Defense Production Act funding—U.S.-based rare earth magnet producers remain fundamentally uncompetitive on cost. IEEE’s treatment downplays how China, despite chronic overcapacity, still undercuts global prices thanks to vertically integrated supply chains, low labor inputs, and decades of deliberate industrial policy.
Crucially, the piece offers little scrutiny of the technical and operational challenges MP Materials still faces. Scaling profitably across the full magnet value chain—from mining and oxide separation to metallization and final magnet fabrication—is a feat no American company has accomplished in over two decades. MP’s ambition is commendable, and its vertically integrated model holds promise—and of course, REEx remains a huge supporter of the American treasure trove. But declaring victory at the start of the ramp may be premature. There is much to prove—and we remain firmly supportive, albeit with eyes wide open.
Similarly, the narrative suggests long-term alignment from General Motors and other U.S. buyers. Yet in an intensely cost-sensitive industry, where pennies-per-component matter, it remains unclear whether OEMs will absorb significantly higher costs for the sake of domestic sourcing alone. That said, public-private partnerships offer a framework where all parties—suppliers, customers, and the U.S. government—can share the burden, learn by doing, and gradually build competitive resiliency.
Still, there’s a long road ahead, with market pressures and geopolitical crosscurrents likely to test the strength of these new supply chain linkages.
As promising as these early moves are, real-world dynamics—not patriotic press releases—will determine long-term viability.
Final Word
IEEE presents a polished progress narrative but shies away from asking hard commercial or geopolitical questions. For investors, the message is clear: don’t confuse demonstration plants and new partnerships with durable market share, especially not when China still controls 97% of the upstream magnet metal. We must not underestimate the challenges ahead.
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