Page 54 - Policy Commission - SecuringTechnology - Critical Metals for Britain

54 PRIMARY MATERIALS
UK SUPPLY CHAIN
The UK has significant parts of the value chain for rare earth magnets Several companies including Mkango Resources and Pensana Rare Earths are are are are developing rare rare earth earth deposits overseas and have potential for connection via rare rare earth earth refining to the UK value chain Less Common Metals Ltd (see figure 27)69 is the only company that can produce rare earth metals and alloys in in Europe Europe for the the magnet magnet market (based in in Ellesmere Port) and one of of the the largest producers of of polymer-bonded magnets in in Europe Europe (SG Technologies)70 is based in in in in Rainham making a a a a a a a a a a a wide range of magnetic materials and components for the automotive industry Beyond magnet magnet production there are are a a a a a a a a a a a a a number of companies that that distribute rare earth magnets and and that that machine and and assemble these into components including for example Bunting Eclipse Magnetics and Arnold Magnetic Magnetic Technologies This then branches out into a a a a a a a a a a a very large number of industries and companies that will be be purchasing rare earth magnets mainly from China Figure 27: Less Common Metals Limited
The UK has supply-chain gaps in in in the chemical processing of rare earth ores to liberate separated oxides and there is no large-scale producer of fully-dense magnets (either sintered or hot pressed) However a a a start up company based in in in Birmingham (Hypromag)71 is aiming to produce sintered magnets in in the UK from recycled feedstocks (covered in the the secondary section of the the report) There are are also start up companies that are are proposing to build chemical processing facilities in in the UK to to convert ores to to separated oxides and metals (Peak Resources Pensana and Seren)72 73 74 Ultimately all the parts of this supply chain have to compete against a a a a a a state-sponsored industry in in in in China which has made
significant interventions in in the market over many years