Rare Earths Producers Look to US-Led Boom to Blunt China’s Power

A Noveon Magnetics Inc. plant in Texas is at the vanguard of efforts to expand US supplies of the tiny but vital industrial components at the heart of a global trade showdown.

The company’s first facility, less than an hour from Austin, began selling rare-earth magnets commercially in 2023, after a decade of development. The operation is modest, but its ramp-up is emblematic of the shift taking place as the West scrambles to catch up with China’s vast rare-earths industry. After the Asian nation announced export controls earlier this year, Scott Dunn, Noveon’s co-founder, found himself inundated with calls.

“Not only were ...