Highlights

• China's JL MAG announced a major strategic expansion into rubber soft magnetic materials in 2025.
• A new division and intelligent production line will be established at Ganzhou to supply automotive, electronics, and industrial applications.
• The company is integrating advanced rare-earth permanent magnet technologies (NdFeB, Ce-Fe-B, Sm-Fe-N) into rubber soft magnets.
• JL MAG claims superior performance over traditional ferrite materials with industry-leading quality tolerances below 3%.
• This vertical expansion represents China's deepening control across the full magnetic materials supply chain—from high-performance EV motors to flexible downstream components.
• This expansion poses challenges for Western efforts to build alternative magnet ecosystems.

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JL MAG Rare-Earth Co., Ltd., one of China’s largest and most influential rare-earth magnet producers, announced (opens in a new tab) in October a major strategic expansion into rubber soft magnetic materials, signaling a move to deepen control across the full spectrum of magnetic applications—from high-performance motors to flexible, downstream components.

JL MAG established a Rubber Soft Magnetic Division in 2025

Marking its formal entry into a segment traditionally dominated by ferrite-based materials. The project is being built by Jiangxi Jincheng Permanent Magnet New Materials, a wholly owned JL MAG subsidiary, at the Ganzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, a core hub of China’s rare-earth industry. The first phase of an intelligent rubber soft magnet production line is already under construction and trial production, and the company expects to scale capacity steadily, positioning itself as a leading supplier by 2028.

So What’s Potentially Relevant

This is not a minor product extension. JL MAG claims to be integrating rare-earth permanent magnet technologies—including NdFeB, Ce-Fe-B, and Sm-Fe-N—into rubber soft magnets, representing a performance leap beyond traditional strontium and barium ferrite products. If verified, this would allow flexible magnets with higher magnetic strength, better durability, and tighter quality tolerances, potentially displacing incumbent materials in automotive, electronics, and industrial applications.

The company reports that its production line can manufacture sheets up to 1,350 mm wide and 3.5 mm thick, with magnetic performance variation below 3%, metrics it describes as industry-leading. JL MAG alsohighlights the completion of Jiangxi Province’s first intelligentrubber soft magnet production line, reinforcing the region’s role as a vertically integrated magnet manufacturing base.

Any Implications?

For U.S. and European stakeholders, the move underscores a critical trend: Chinese magnet champions are moving downstream, embedding themselves deeper into automotive, electronics, and industrial supply chains—not just supplying core NdFeB magnets, but also auxiliary and flexible components used in door seals, sensor mounts, displays, shielding, and interior systems.

JL MAG explicitly frames this as a “full-category magnetic solutions” strategy, allowing it to supply everything from EV drive motors (“the heart”) to peripheral components (“the nerve endings”). It also notes that rubber soft magnets can reuse recycled rare-earth materials, aligning with ESG narratives while tightening material loops inside China.

The company says it has already co-developed and tested products with leading customers, receiving positive feedback, and is targeting applications across automotive, consumer electronics, motors, sealing, shielding, and industrial equipment.

Bottom line

This announcement signals vertical expansion, technological consolidation, and supply-chain deepening by one of China’s most powerful magnet producers. For Western efforts to build “ex-China” magnet ecosystems, it highlights the challenge: China is not standing still—it is broadening, not narrowing, its magnetic materials dominance.

Disclaimer: This news item originates from Chinese state-linked media. All claims, performance metrics, and timelines should be independently verified by third-party or non-state sources.

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