MDW Backstory: MP Materials Fort Worth Facility -- The "Independence" Magnetics Hub -- August 9, 2025

MP Materials’ Fort Worth Facility: The “Independence” Magnetics Hub

MP Materials has constructed the Independence facility in Fort Worth—America’s first fully integrated rare-earth magnet plant.
This 200,000–250,000 sq ft facility includes the business and engineering headquarters for MP’s magnetics division.

The plant transforms neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxides—sourced from the Mountain Pass mine in California—into:
- Pure NdPr metal
- NdFeB alloys (neodymium-iron-boron)
- Finished NdFeB magnets, including automotive-grade sintered magnets
Processes include advanced metallization, powder metallurgy, sintering, and precision finishing using techniques like Grain Boundary Diffusion.

Commercial production of NdPr metal began in January 2025, with trial production of automotive-grade magnets also underway. Deliveries are expected to begin by year-end.
The facility aims for 1,000 metric tons of finished magnets per year, enough to power approximately 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) motors.

General Motors (GM) is a foundational customer, with a long-term supply deal for alloy and magnets tailored to its Ultium EV platform.
The project received significant government support, including a $58.5 million federal tax credit (Section 48C) and a $35 million Department of Defense award for strategic development.
In July 2025, Apple entered a $500 million partnership to secure magnets from this Fort Worth site—planning production lines tailored for Apple products, shipments beginning in 2027.

This facility reshores a critical component of the U.S. tech and manufacturing supply chain, long dominated by Chinese producers.
MP Materials is delivering technologies essential for EVs, drones, robotics, clean energy, and defense systems.
With Apple and GM anchoring demand, the Fort Worth plant plays a strategic role in reducing reliance on foreign-produced rare-earth magnets.