(Mulberry Industries: Norcross, GA) -- Mulberry Industries, a Georgia-based vertically integrated manufacturer of high-performance permanent magnets and advanced electrical systems, and Ramaco Resources, a leading developer of critical minerals and rare earth elements at its Brook Mine in Wyoming, announced they have entered into a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) to negotiate an offtake partnership that will bolster America’s domestic rare earth and permanent magnet supply chain.

Under the MOU, Ramaco will negotiate an agreement to provide Mulberry, on a nonexclusive basis, with a supply of customized oxide blends that include the rare-earth elements samarium, NdPr, yttrium, gallium, and Dy/Tb. Mulberry will use this domestic feedstock to bolster its existing 10-year rare-earth stockpile to manufacture advanced permanent magnets at its facility in Georgia for customers in defense, aerospace, automotive, and robotics industries.

“This Ramaco Resources partnership diversifies our rare-earth sourcing so we can continue to scale quickly and ensure long-term supply chain freedom for our customers,” says Kevin Feng, CEO of Mulberry. ”By working with trusted partners like Ramaco, we can establish a secure, ex-China supply chain for permanent magnets right here at home that strengthens America’s economic and national security.”

“Ramaco is proud to pursue a partnership with Mulberry Industries to supply domestically sourced rare-earth oxide blends that underpin a resilient, ex-China permanent magnet supply chain,” says Randall Atkins, chairman and CEO of Ramaco. “With mining at the Brook Mine in Wyoming commencing earlier, and construction of a pilot plant now underway, we will be positioned to deliver reliable feedstock tailored to Mulberry’s advanced magnet manufacturing. Together, we seek to build a durable, transparent supply chain that helps U.S. innovators scale with confidence for the decade ahead.”

Mulberry makes neodymium-iron (NdFeB), samarium-cobalt (SmCo), and aluminum-nickel-cobalt (AlNiCo) permanent magnets that are vital components for advanced technologies. It’s one of the only end-to-end producers in the West of SmCo magnets, which are essential for a variety of defense applications. For example, a single F-35 fighter jet contains about 50 pounds of SmCo magnets that are critical for flight control, targeting, and power systems.

Mulberry has reported that its end-to-end production flow is 60% more streamlined than industry peers, enhancing speed and efficiency. This process incorporates a proprietary fifth-generation grain boundary diffusion (GBD) technology that uses 30%–80% less heavy rare earths, which are costly and supply-constrained. The result is lighter, more powerful magnets for demanding aerospace and defense applications.

Ramaco’s Brook Mine is America’s first new rare-earth element and critical mineral mine in more than 70 years, and will be initially focused on the vertically integrated production of commercial oxides. Full-scale mining and construction of a pilot processing facility is underway at Brook Mine, near Sheridan, Wyoming.

This potential partnership aims to reduce U.S. reliance on China, which currently controls most rare-earth mining and more than 90% of refining, metallization, and magnet manufacturing.