Strategic partnerships aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential for resilience. In this Supply Chain Byte, Lisa Anderson highlights how companies like MP Materials are reshaping the landscape by building strategic alliances that enable reshoring, support national interests and secure future growth. From rare earth elements to high-stakes supplier relationships, it’s all about collaboration that drives results.
MP Materials is the only U.S. owned and operated rare earth mine and processing facility. As rare earth materials are critically important to clean energy, electronics, aerospace and defense and oil and gas, the U.S. needs to expand capabilities dramatically. MP Materials has a strategic partnership with General Motors, Apple, and the Department of Defense (DoD). MP Materials has recently received $1 billion dollars in investments from Apple and the DoD to expand operations.
They own Mountain Pass mine in California. It mines several minerals including monazite and bastnasite. This mine has the only known deposit where bastnäsite is mined as the primary magmatic economic rare-earth mineral. These minerals power EV motors, permanent magnets, electronics, and defense systems. This mine has 8–12% total rare-earth oxide content, which is well above global averages.
MP Materials operates a 250,000 square foot facility in Texas that transforms high-purity rare-earth oxides into metals, precision-engineered NdFeB alloy flake, magnet blocks, and final permanent magnets, completing the full vertical integration and end-to-end supply chain. The investment accelerates the build-out of the 10X magnet manufacturing facility. Production volume is expected to reach 10,000 metric tons/year by 2028, providing integrated domestic production from mine to magnet. The Apple partnership will expand the Texas facility and support the commercial-scale recycling line at Mountain Pass which will process rare earth feedstock from used electronics and industrial scrap.
Strategic partnerships and vertical integration within friendly countries will be the future of successful supply chains. As the end-to-end supply chain of electronics and pharmaceuticals supporting advances in artificial intelligence and the health / medical industry require mining, rare earth minerals, and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), it will require significant investment and customer-driven supply chains. Pay attention and build creative solutions to secure your supply chain.
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