Company commissions new production line.
Neo Performance Materials has commissioned a new production line for the separation of heavy rare earth elements at its facility in Estonia. According to a press release from the Canadian company, the plant is already operating at its planned full capacity. However, further work is currently being carried out to optimize process stability and product purity before regular commercial production begins. Terbium and dysprosium have been successfully extracted. At this stage, both elements are available as liquid chemical intermediates (“process solutions”) and will undergo additional processing steps to be converted into pure metals. These rare earth elements are essential for the production of high-performance magnets. China remains the dominant global producer and imposed strict export controls in April of last year.
Neo Performance Materials already operates a light rare earth refinery in Estonia and has been running a permanent magnet manufacturing facility since September 2025. This positions the company to potentially play a key role in securing supply for European industry. The company did not disclose the origin of the raw materials used. Typically, however, Neo processes imported rare earth carbonates sourced from international supply chains at its Estonian operations.
Photo: via Canva, montage rawmaterials.net